OpenStreetMap
OSM user survey still open: More female mappers needed!
Posted by Geospa_gal on 4 September 2017 in English.A couple of weeks ago I launched an online survey aimed to collect demographic data about OSM contributors for a research project (funded by the University of Nottingham and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) concerned with gender biases in OSM. The survey has received a great response and I would like to send my thanks to all users who have so far participated.
However, more responses are needed (especially from women). I would therefore like to encourage any mappers, male and female, who have not yet participated, to consider doing so. There are only six questions and the survey takes less than a minute to complete, plus you could earn a £15 Amazon voucher for your time (apx. US$20).
The gender imbalance in OSM contributing is a recognised aspect of the project. The results of this survey will help to better understand the impact of this bias which could lead to more targeted strategies for widening participation. For more information and to complete the survey please visit:
https://nottingham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/osm-user-profiles
Thank you.
Discussion
Comment from Dzertanoj on 6 September 2017 at 21:18
“Needed” for what exactly (please, answer with a reasonable logical explanation referring to facts, not with another slogan)?
OSM is an open community, there is no single obstacle for anyone to participate, regardless of their gender. If there are fewer females in OSM, it only reflects their free will (lack of will) to participate, nothing else. Equality is not about “having the equal number of these and those”, it’s about an equal opportunity to exercise own free will.
Comment from Geospa_gal on 11 September 2017 at 11:20
Apologies for the confusion Dzertanoj; I meant ‘needed’ to complete the survey, rather than to participate in OSM - that is exactly what I am hoping (through the survey results) to ascertain!
I agree btw, that the gender bias reflects a lack of desire to participate, but one must question why this is the case. Several papers on gender bias have sought to explore this phenomenon. It is also the subject of one of my own papers (in progress) which I hope to share with the OSM community in due course. For me, the gender bias in OSM requires a three-step approach: firstly to describe the problem (what is the impact?); secondly to explain the problem (why is this the case?); and thirdly to address the problem (how can the bias be mitigated?).
If anyone would like to participate but has not yet done so, given the terrific response so far (thank you!) the survey will be open until 15th September 2017 (link in the diary entry above).