Humanitarian mapping as a contribution to achieving sustainable development goals: Research into the motivation of volunteers and the ideal setting of mapathons

Abstract

Missing Maps is a humanitarian mapping project that maps vulnerable places in the developing world. Its outcomes are used to target aid in affected areas and to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals. A mapathon is an event in which a group of volunteers maps a defined location. The presented communication answers the following questions: What is the motivation of different contributors in the Missing Maps community in Czechia and Slovakia? How can a mapathon be set up to attract as many participants as possible? How exactly can the contributors to humanitarian mapping subjectively evaluate their contribution so far? A questionnaire about the motivation of contributors and the analysis of statistics from eighteen public mapathons in Brno (Czechia) were used as the primary research methods. The analysis of motivation found six strong motivators. Half of them concern altruism and half of them relate to the importance of the OpenStreetMap project and the mapping community. Analysis of the characteristics of 18 mapathons found that the month of the mapathon had a significant influence on the number of attendants. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant correlation between the number of edits and participants’ self-assessment. This means that humanitarian mappers evaluate their overall contribution very realistically. Analyses with an identical scope are planned for future years.