Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
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Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#2I'm an OSM contributor and general map geek so I find it interesting to find unmapped areas. But the language used in this article seems unfortunate. For example:
> People are living and dying without appearing on any database.
What if they don't want to appear on any database? The motivations given later seem laudable, but it troubles me that it should be considered wrong simply to not appear on any database. Probably not what was meant, but it sounds like it.
> It's shameful that we - as cartographers of the world - don't take enough interest to even know where they are.
Shameful? Like, I should be ashamed of myself for mapping my local area, where I live and walk every day, rather than travelling to remotest Africa and mapping there? Again, I'm sure this isn't what was meant, but that is literally what it says.
When reading further down the article it seems more sensible: giving the locals the tools and training needed to map the areas themselves. I'm just getting really sick of the ongoing narrative that says a) we should be ashamed of being born in a developed country and b) all other places on earth need to develop just like us.
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#3The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team: https://www.hotosm.org/
It's quite easy to contribute if you've any OpenStreetMap experience -- sign up for tasks on https://tasks.hotosm.org/ and you can see a list of open projects. There are often specific requests, like taking a tile of aerial photography and mapping out the roads and buildings.
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#4> Google and Apple maps do not differentiate between a good road and a bad road - but that's so important
They also don't differentiate some closed borders! I had an idea in mind to travel across the Arab Maghreb[0] (well excluding Libya for obvious reasons) after the COVID-19 situation start to get better. However, Google Maps said that I can drive car between Algeria and Morocco, which isn't the case[1]. I chose to reroute it to pass through Mauritania instead, however it suggested a non paved road (according to the satellite images) and it seems from my research that the area that Google maps suggested in Algeria is closed for foreigners.
EDIT: OSM seems to suggest to go through Mali instead which indeed a better choice ( well road-wise, giving that I want to go through Mauritania).
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Maghreb_Union
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria%E2%80%93Morocco_relati...
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#5"It's shameful that we - as cartographers of the world - don't take enough interest to even know where they are. People are living and dying without appearing on any database."
I know. Context. Context. There's nothing wrong with the above, with last sentence in context.
But that last sentence makes me cringe, these days. The thought! The very thought that a human being may be anonymous, not counted, not known, not measured, watched, their every whim calculated and predicatively known, their essence stored for the ages.
A human! Look, over there! A human, and.. and... it's not in our database! YOUR NAME, NOW! YOUR ID, NOW! Who are you? What is your precise address? Who were your parents? Where do you bank, work, live? Write all your friends down on this piece of paper, everything you ever read or do, NOW!
In other contexts, in other paragraphs, that same sentence would be uttered by Gollum archetypes at Facebook, Google, the CIA/NSA/etc, well.. essentially, everywhere. The horror for them. Gollum, writhing at the thought, horror on his face:
"People are living and dying without appearing on any database."
How can this be?! HOW! Not tracked?!
All those that wish to profit, or mistakenly believe knowing when we take a dump, will "make them safe". Watch. Watch, spy, sneak, slither, control. Get the precious, hold it close, data is the new gold, the new devil, the new evil.
And they covet it.
All those little gollums, writhing their hands, wanting their precious, their precious data.
shudder
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#6"It's shameful that we - as cartographers of the world - don't take enough interest to even know where they are. People are living and dying without appearing on any database." I know. Context. Context . There's nothing wrong with the above, with last sentence in context. But that last sentence makes me cringe, these days. The thought! The very thought that a human being may be anonymous, not counted, not known, not…
Exactly! I generally agree with the sentiment of the article, and see the importance for issues like healthcare, but that sentence seemed so wrong to me.
"People are living and dying without appearing on any database."
Isn't this, like, a good thing? Now on the other side, of course this is the definition of a first world problem, but not having a say in whether or not I actually want to appear in big techs databases isn't exactly ideal either!
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#7"It's shameful that we - as cartographers of the world - don't take enough interest to even know where they are. People are living and dying without appearing on any database." I know. Context. Context . There's nothing wrong with the above, with last sentence in context. But that last sentence makes me cringe, these days. The thought! The very thought that a human being may be anonymous, not counted, not known, not…
Even in context, the whole concept is a bit strange. If I read something like this, coming from just 40 years ago, it would seem absurd.
I strongly dislike the urge of modern humans to categorize and analyze everything (very non-tech sounding, I know).
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#8Could come a long way with a https://www.kaggle.com challenge.
Does OpenSteetmap have road quality? If yes, this could be used together with satellite photos for training
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#9The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team: https://www.hotosm.org/ It's quite easy to contribute if you've any OpenStreetMap experience -- sign up for tasks on https://tasks.hotosm.org/ and you can see a list of open projects. There are often specific requests, like taking a tile of aerial photography and mapping out the roads and buildings.
Humanitarian OpenSteetMap looks similar/complementary to Million Neighborhoods [1] mentioned today in another HN post [2]. Both articles seem to be timed with the opening of the 2020 State of the Map conference [3].
[1] https://millionneighborhoods.org/
Re: Finding the 'invisible' millions who are not on maps
#10"It's shameful that we - as cartographers of the world - don't take enough interest to even know where they are. People are living and dying without appearing on any database." I know. Context. Context . There's nothing wrong with the above, with last sentence in context. But that last sentence makes me cringe, these days. The thought! The very thought that a human being may be anonymous, not counted, not known, not…
I think you're missing the point and purposefully misinterpreting this statement. Its not about tracking these people, its about allowing them to participate in today's world - from healthcare to mail.