FOSDEM 2026

Lessons from teaching 100+ beginners to use the OpenStreetMap

It started as a simple idea โ€” teaching colleagues how to use OpenStreetMap. A few sessions later, more than a hundred people had learned not just how to map, but why it matters.

This talk follows two parallel stories: the trainees who discovered new tools, confidence, and purpose through digital mapping, and the company that found a new way to connect its volunteer days with growth and community impact.

Together, they show how learning to map the world can also reshape how we see our own roles, our teams, and our shared capacity to make a difference.

See also: My OSM contributions