OpenStreetMap

Mark_Cupitt

Mapper since:
September 06, 2009

About Me!

Background and History

An Australian, who has resided and worked in the Philippines since the early ‘90’s, I love my adopted home, way of life and the people. In 2012, I retired from Corporate Life, moved away from the “Rat Race” in Luzon to the Southern Philippines with my family.

I subsequently decided to focus my work effort on Mapping Projects, primarily because it gives me a Buzz and it gets me back to my roots. I initially studied Surveying in my early years, but never used that knowledge much.

Mapping can have a profound effect on people and their lives especially in a Humanitarian Context so it is a very rewarding past time.

In late 2013, Haiyan/Yoland struck the Philippines with a vengeance, passing about 85 miles north of where I live. I went to Panay to help, we delivered aid to many in need. The lack of maps made this difficult and proved to be a turning point for my future focus on mapping.

I had been heavily involved with the Philippines Roadguide Maps, providing a Web Map Service created from their Garmin based data, using GeoServer, GeoWebCache, PostGres/PostGis and a host of custom developed software and SLD’s. Whilst the service was successful, the volume of users was not sufficient to make it worth the costs to keep it running.

On April 1, 2014, I closed that project and refocused my mapping and software development towards OSM based Applications

My OSM Activity

Best seen by looking at my Contribution [http://yosmhm.neis-one.org/?Mark_Cupitt# Heat Map]

# My OSM-PH Activity #

I am a follower of the [http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Philippines Openstreetmap Philippines Community] and actively participate in the email discussion group.

# My Humanitarian Activities #

  • November 2013 - Typhoon Haiyan/Yolands - Responded in Panay on the Ground delivering aid and supplies to remote regions
  • December 2013 - Started my Humanitarian Mapping efforts as a result, attempting to obtain useful maps to assist with delivery
  • January 2014 - Started following the Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team (HOT) on the web and email discussion and started to learn JOSM
  • March 2104 - Volunteered to Lead the Humanitarian Mapping Response to the [http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Humanitarian_OSM_Team/Pakistan_Tharparkar_Drought Tharparkar Drought in Pakistan]. Became admin on the HOT [http://tasks.hotosm.org/ Tasking Manager]
  • April 2014 - Created a new MapCSS Style called [https://github.com/DisasterNetDOTOrg/HOT-Osm-Validation HOT-Validation] to assist with Humanitarian Mapping in Remote areas. Idea is to highlight in Red any nodes/ways/relations that do not meet the tagging scheme.
  • April 2014 - Validated approx 90 tiles in the HOT Valparaíso, Chile Fires Activation in the Tasking Manager using the new HOT-Validation Style. Success.
  • December 2014 - HOT Activation Coordinator for Typhoon Ruby in the Philippines
  • February 2015 - Became Voting Member of HOT
  • March 2015 - Sought Nomination for HOT Board Position

Useful Links

See me on [http://ph.linkedin.com/in/markcupitt LinkedIn] (Please connect, mention OSM in the Connection request)