Hello All,

First, I wish everyone in the global OSM community and their families good health and safety during this time of the global pandemic. I offer my deepest condolences to all who have experienced loss and hardship this year. My name is Logan McGovern and I am a candidate running for election to the OSMF board. Due to recent events, I feel obliged to share my thoughts and briefly reiterate what I stand for as a candidate.

A statement signed by a coalition of organizations and individuals has been circulated in recent days. It states that the OSM community has failed to confront systemic offensive behavior against women and minority groups. I signed the statement. OpenStreetMap has the potential to become the greatest geographic resource in existence, but only after everyone is proactively brought into the fold. Work remains to be done towards this end. I will give this cause my ear and my voice, pursuing all potential remedies, including a potential restructuring of the board.

Other Priorities:

1. Let’s officially commend the numerous and varied achievements that women have made OpenStreetMap!

2. Local chapters are key to ensuring a bright future for OpenStreetMap. OSM is sustained by the efforts of volunteer editors. Local chapters reduce volunteer attrition and promote their long-term participation in OpenStreetMap. It is my desire to see many more established, particularly outside Europe. Due consideration should be given to the legal and financial circumstances faced by each individual chapter.

3. It is my priority to harden the OSMF against a hostile takeover. I support implementing some form of contribution requirement (mapping, software development, etc.) in order to be eligible to run as a candidate for the board.

4. Companies are an integral part of the OpenStreetMap ecosystem. Many of them employ organized editing teams that contribute vast amounts of quality data every year. Others develop extremely useful open-source applications or provide monetary support to the OSMF. There is a vocal minority that uncritically lumps all companies together, maligning them collectively as bad actors. The truth is that OpenStreetMap has benefited immensely from corporate involvement. Companies should be held accountable to the larger OSM community. Most organized editors largely understand that the local communities are indispensable to the continued health of OpenStreetMap. Efforts to bridge the communication gap should be undertaken.

5. Provide the reliability systems engineer with the necessary resources to expand and maintain critical physical infrastructure as needed.

Please participate in this election and vote for the candidates that you believe are best suited for service on the board. I am honored If I am among them.