[Talk-us] USDA Innovation Challenge, Food Security, OSM!

[Ryan Lash]

@Mikel- thanks for sharing

@Clifford- I also wondered about the potential for an OSM based application
regarding forest fires in Washington based on the following NPR story- "In
A Remote Part Of Washington, A Scramble To Save Cattle From Flames"

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/28/435498442/cattle-ranchers-scramble-to-save-herds-in-washington-state-s-okanogan-complex-fi

Here's an excerpt:

Across town at the Stockyard Café, ranchers are gathering every morning to
trade information and guzzle coffee. Among them is Craig Vejraska. We jump
in his new pickup. He has to go check on his cattle in some high mountain
meadows. He's nearly 70 years old, and he speeds at 70 mph up winding
country roads — no seat belt. His eyes narrow to the road.

"I've had a better couple of weeks, I can tell you that," he tells me.

We drive for nearly 15 miles over rugged dirt roads and flaming trees.
"There ain't no communications here, there ain't no cell phone service,
there's nothing. You're on your own," Vejraska says.

In this scorched landscape of blackened trees, ash and thick smoke, finding
black Angus cows is a problem. Vejraska has opened or cut all the fences on
his property so cattle can escape. He would drive them to safety, but the
fire is so widespread that he has few places to put them. He would have his
four sons round them up, but that's too dangerous.
It seemed to me that an OsmAnd like tool might be useful to help
coordinate the local volunteers that were already mobilizing if only there
was appropriate data in OSM to support this type of activity. I think your
idea of organizing with FFA and 4-H might be the perfect way to get such
data generated. I hope someone will run with this idea...

Best,
Ryan

On Tuesday, September 8, 2015, Clifford Snow <clifford at snowandsnow.us>
wrote:

> Mikel,
> I've been wanting to contact local FFA and 4H to partner in solving the
> problem of our poor rural map data. Here in Washington State, we also have
> the problem with wildfires. They seem like a natural partner. I was
> inspired by a demo the from a local FFA group of their robotic
> submersibles. These kids are tech savvy.
>
> Clifford
>
> On Tue, Sep 8, 2015 at 9:19 AM, Mikel Maron <mikel.maron at gmail.com
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','mikel.maron at gmail.com');>> wrote:
>
>> http://usdaapps.devpost.com/
>>
>> Can imagine all sorts of cool things using OSM ... mapping food
>> distribution network into local farmer's markets?
>>
>> * Mikel Maron * +14152835207 @mikel s:mikelmaron
>>
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>
> --
> @osm_seattle
> osm_seattle.snowandsnow.us
> OpenStreetMap: Maps with a human touch
>
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