On 17 May 2020, I apparently had an invitation from fellow contributor GOwin for an interview in connection with a WeMap session featuring local mappers who, in GOwin’s words, “have been quietly contributing to OSM all these years”. Since I was busy juggling schoolwork and work-related stuff during this stretch of the year, I missed seeing the invite on time, ergo, missed the opportunity to share my story. Also, I just came back to mapping at OSM in November this year when I found out that our internet speeds here in Bontoc have improved a bit (not ideal, but far better than the last five years) to handle in-browser OSM mapping. Moreover, I finally installed JOSM successfully after many failed attempts in the past due to hardware issues. Now, I am adding my changesets using JOSM (still buggy with the most stable version, but working to my mapping needs at the moment nevertheless).

In this blog entry, I’ll share my would-have-been / could-have-been responses to the audio-visual interview that GOwin requested that we do. Of the eight (8) questions, I only managed to answer five (5) of them. The other three (3) were deliberately left unanswered because it felt I lack the experience to answer them substantially. My long absence from OSM also kept me away from updates within the OSM/FOSS4G community. For transparency, I’ll share the unanswered questions.

Here it goes:

Tell us about yourself, what you do, and how you got started in OSM.

Hello there, OSM folks! I am Mark Lester Valle. You can call me Lester (my nickname) or Ngawit (my Bontok Igorot name). I am a multimedia artisan working on sidestream, community-based projects and initiatives here in Bontoc, Mountain Province, and in Northern Luzon in general. Currently, I am also a multimedia studies student. When opportunities arise, I do a bit of filmmaking together with my life partner, Carla “Khayapon” Pulido Ocampo. In 2014, I directed and produced the documentary film Walang Rape sa Bontok. Last year, I was also involved in the production of the short film Tokwifi (Bontok Igorot term for “star”) as cinematographer and producer (written and directed by Khayapon). In between professional projects, I do online digital mapping via OpenStreetMap as a form of relaxation and meditation – time and Internet-permitting. I have been an OSM contributor ever since I officially signed up on 08 August 2013.

What motivates you to contribute to OSM, the way you do?

The seed for mapping was planted when I was a geoscience student in the 2000s. This seed developed into a passion when I did a lot of mountaineering, cycle touring (now popularly known as bikepacking), and caving during that decade. I did these activities recreationally and (sometimes) professionally which brought me to a lot of places in and around the Philippines. At that time, a lot of areas in the countryside are underrepresented (or not represented at all) on online maps. That was my primary motivation to engage in online digital mapping platforms as a citizen cartographer focusing on rural geographies.

Initially, I contributed to Google Maps through its Google Map Maker platform. The stint with Google peaked when I earned the status as a Regional Expert Reviewer (RER) for the Philippines. This promotion was, according to them, a result of my high-quality edits and reviews. As I progressed into my citizen cartography advocacy, I was drawn more into contributing to a platform that is more open in terms of contribution and consumption or usage of geodata. That is how I started in OpenStreetMap (OSM).

Do you like to contribute anything in particular, and could you say why?

I only map places that I have a strong, intimate connection with its people and its geospatial nature due to my line of work and play. I rarely map places that I never visited yet. Mapping to me is an expression of the personal and the social – just like art. I naturally gravitated towards mapping places and people that contributed to my welfare and wellbeing as a person in the professional and recreational sense. It is my way of giving back, of returning the favor to these communities.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about OSM, and how could it be addressed?

< No Answer >

What are the challenges of contributing to Free/Open geodata in the Philippines, in general, and OSM specifically?

In my perspective, the major challenge is internet quality and access. This has been the bane of contributing to Free/Open geodata in the Philippines. The gap in the digital divide is still present and this directly affects the drive of citizen cartographers working in rural areas that make do with painfully slow connections. This is a first-hand experience: I was inactive for around five (5) years because of poor connectivity here in the Cordillera mountains. Our internet just made strides in reliability these past few months. Now, I am back to mapping using JOSM. I am glad that JOSM is now more compatible with the hardware I am using unlike in previous attempts. So from the in-browser editor, iD, I do my mapping now with JOSM.

Can you name one personal contribution to OSM/FOSS4G that you’re most proud of? In concrete and actionable terms, how can OSM/FOSS4G in the Philippines become better?

I have no other concrete personal contribution to OSM beyond the actual citizen cartography work that I do. My residence and the nature of my work in the peripheries have kept me away from the centers (Metro Manila and/or other local centers) to participate in any meaningful gathering to impact and learn from the field of Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G). Also, I feel like I am not equipped yet with the knowledge and skillset that I perceive to be must-haves to engage in the FOSS4G conversations which at face value appears to be technical and academic. As a young ICT4D student, I wish to know more about FOSS4G and its role in nation-building and the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Name three local OSM/FOSS4G initiatives (other than those you initiated), and briefly tell us why they come to mind.

< No Answer >

Do you have any OSM/FOSS4G-related personal anecdotes you can share? What OSM/FOSS4G initiative is keeping you busy right now?

< No Answer >

..but I intend to continue my online mapping in my quiet, low-key way. Now that OSM is gaining momentum in its vital role in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) work especially in research, policy formulation, and last-mile initiatives - and in a much wider expanse - the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - this gives me more motivation to do my part in mapping the places that would eventually benefit from this exercise.