Humanitarian Mapping as a Contribution to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Research into the Motivation of Volunteers and the Ideal Setting of Mapathons

Radim Štampach, Lukáš Herman, Jakub Trojan, Kateřina Tajovská and Tomáš Řezník
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Radim Štampach: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
Lukáš Herman: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
Jakub Trojan: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
Kateřina Tajovská: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
Tomáš Řezník: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 24, 1-24

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.

Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals; OpenStreetMap; volunteered geographic information; citizen science; humanitarian mapping; mapathon; attendance; motivation; self-assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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