[HOT] Activation Working Group

[Severin Menard]

Hi all,

Among the reactivated Working Groups, here is the Activation Working Group.
Activations are more and more numerous and successful with a increasing
number of contributors. The results are really impressive, but we can
certainly do even better.

As for the Communication Working group (for those interested, please fill
ASAP its Doodle <http://doodle.com/3545epmy63x72gvk>) we could start with a
kick-off meeting on Mumble <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mumble>,
and here is a Doodle to set it:

http://doodle.com/hpwkwqiregdi7b6i  <http://doodle.com/hpwkwqiregdi7b6i>

This meeting and the ones that will follow aim at being a time to exchange
on this thrilling topic, review the experiences, documents, procedures and
set goals to be achieved for the next meeting. Because yes, a Working Group
is a group that works, that means between the meetings. And actually, it is
already happening: eg there are (more and more) people working on data
validation, both through setting procedures and monitoring the freshly
created data.

I see 4 main topics around the Activation (but would be pleased to get
other suggestions):

1. All the *activities* and *documents* involved in an Activation. In the
past the Activation Working Groups mostly focused on how Activations are
triggered and start, what we could review based on the last experiences.
Crisis monitoring is certainly something we could add, in order not to
forget crisis of smaller range or simply not highly covered by the medias.
Also technical aspects like: define and prioritize AOIs (Areas of
Interests) and mapping goals, track and monitor the mapping progresses, and
set thin, flexible and efficient processes, tools, and wiki templates, etc.
But also share and document how to maintain and even grow the contribution
of the OSM contributors and communities, by communicating with them (like
this Working Group will do), proposing more different kinds of tasks to do
or setting joint events.

2. The *beneficiaries*, that means the humanitarian stakeholders. We need
both to make them aware of the data we produce and to make the data useful
and easy to use for them, taking more into account their needs, constraints
and tools. I got recent feedback from the GIS officers in the UN that I
will share.

3. The *data*. What needs to be mapped is quite known, but how to do it to
make it as clean and efficient as possible. That links to the mapping
instructions and the
validation<https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Tasking_Manager/Validating_data>but
also to how the data can be reused by the humanitarian stakeholders.
There a lot of potential improvements to propose not only raw data but eg
thematic dataset, what the HOT Exports can already potentially provide (in
link with the Technical Working Group).

4. Last, but really not least is to *make more OSM contributors know* about
the procedures and tools used to map, monitor, communicate and activate an
OSM community, and expand the number of contributors in the Activations,
according to everyone's interest(s). This implies connecting with local OSM
communities when possible, talk with them and provide them documentation
and online training. Eg in Lubumbashi after Jorieke's stay, the contact
with the local OSM community has been maintained and voluntary online
training has been and will be provided through Mumble. So now, they are
continuing the mapping (see https://twitter.com/OSM_L) and will take an
active part on the Mapping in London on Saturday. And if ever a crisis
unfortunately hits Lubumbashi in the future, they will be able to trigger
the worldwide OSM community


Exciting, isn't it? And actually a lot of topics and sub-topics. And some
are certainly missing. This is why this Activation Working Group will not
need one leader but several facilitators, who, by their experience, skills
and will, will make things go ahead on the topic(s) they care.

Let us make things move on and activate the AWG!

Sincerely,

Severin
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