The Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development - IVIDES.org® , a virtual research institute on the SD matter, and the IVIDES DATA®, a small Brazilian company on information technology consultancy, are lauching a new partnership with the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in order to use OpenStreetMap on the collaborative mapping of disaster risk for coastal communities on the northern coast of the state of São Paulo (Brazil).

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First meeting on March, 2026. Source: project collection. Map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors.

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The Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development - IVIDES.org® and the IVIDES DATA company®, in a partnership with the State University of Campinas - UNICAMP), is starting an effort to provide technical supervision and training for collaborative mapping with OpenStreetMap involving three localities (one of them in indigenous lands) along the Northern Coast of São Paulo (Brazil). These communities are still suffering with the consequences of the latest big disaster, occurred on 2023, and constitute areas with common environmental problems, like inapropriate solid waste, rivers’ pollution and deforestation.

The research focus on the micromapping with OpenStreetMap and uMap in order to develop the “Participatory Environmental Mapping” approach[1] using the collaborative approach.

We hope this project can show better the usability of open data and open software on the disaster risk reduction research, with community participation and improving the personal skills of the collaborators. It is very important, specially on areas with low income levels and literacy. This citizen science approach can opportunize the community participation.

A start meeting was promoved privately on March 27, 2026 and the team is very anxious to use the OSM cartograhic database and related apps.

If you want to contribute and(or) communicate about this effort, please, send a message to this address: ivides [at] ivides.org. We are very happy in account with your participation.

As a virtual institute for research on sustainable development (and sustainability), with an approach based on the visions of Milton Santos and Ignacy Sachs, we are very honored to contribute with this effort, which we consider very legitm and useful for the local people (residents), which were included in the methodology, as mandatory to the co-working initiatives.

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Reference

[1] The Participatory Environmental Mapping (in Brazilian portuguese: Mapeamento ambiental participativo) is an approach which was proposed by Carpi Junior and other authors over the last two decades or so. This type of mapping takes into account the views of local residents on environmental issues, as well as on people, their health and general well-being.

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Important note: IVIDES.org® and IVIDES DATA® are registered trademarks. To keep contact: ivides [at] ivides.org | https://ivides.org