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2025:Program/Come and learn how free maps, free knowledge can help care for the world (with a little help from drones)

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Session title: Come and learn how free maps, free knowledge can help care for the world (with a little help from drones)

Session type: Lecture
Track: Partnerships
Language: en

đŸŽ„ Session recording: https://w.wiki/FQrs đŸŽ„

In this session, together with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), we will show how open mapping technologies, free knowledge platforms, and even low-cost drones can be used to help preserve the planet.

This session shares the knowledge generated from the HotOSM project supported by Wikimedia Mexico and wants to showcase the following ideas:

  • How technology changes and that the documentation on Wikimedia Commons also changes over time.
  • How we can build bridges and foster collaboration across free and open knowledge sister communities.
  • How this initiative provides a practical, replicable model that can be adapted by Wikimedia communities worldwide to document and protect their own environments.

Description

HotOSM has solid experience using mapping technologies and aerial satellite imagery for humanitarian causes, with a strong focus on land and territorial care. By using free and open-source software and slightly modifying low-end drones, it becomes possible to capture detailed images of areas that require specific attention.

To support this work, the HotOSM team developed the Drone Tasking Manager (DroneTM)—an intuitive application suite designed to facilitate collaborative aerial imagery collection. DroneTM democratizes access to geospatial data by enabling coordinated use of low-cost drones, automating imagery processing through OpenDroneMap, and integrating with AI and field mapping tools. As a digital public good, it enhances communities with open, high-quality data, reducing reliance on expensive and proprietary satellite solutions.

In early March 2025, HotOSM organized a series of activities in La Paz, Mexico, including workshops on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Drone TM and Open Aerial Map. This activity was oriented to increase the technological skills of the collective “Las Guardianas del Conchalito”, a collective of women defenders of mangroves that from now on have in low-cost, free and open technology, a fundamental ally in the fight for the environment.

The example we will show is how this project helped to create a detailed image of endangered mangroves in Mexico but this method can be used in detailed documentation of monuments, buildings or others. For now orthophotography is scarce on Wikimedia Commons, so pushing a new line of action may inspire you to do it in your environment and community.

How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?

Our session embodies the three pillars of Wikimania:

Inclusivity: This initiative places women and youth at the center. Through the enhancement of Las Guardianas del Conchalito, as well as grassroots groups fighting for territory such as BCSicletos and Mangles del Manglito—all based in La Paz, Mexico—we demonstrate how free and open technologies like Wikimedia Commons, Open Aerial Map, and low-cost drones can be placed directly in the hands of local communities traditionally underrepresented in tech and mapping spaces.

Impact: By combining knowledge-sharing from Wikimedia Mexico and technical expertise from HotOSM, this project showcases a replicable model that other communities can adopt. The work directly contributes to the visibility and protection of endangered ecosystems, while also enriching Wikimedia Commons with rare, community-generated aerial imagery.

Sustainability: The use of open-source tools and free knowledge ensures long-term, independent documentation and monitoring of the environment. By detaching from expensive, private satellite imagery, communities gain the autonomy to care for their territory—this strengthens the sustainability not just of ecosystems, but of knowledge equity and collective action.

What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Everyone can participate in this session

Resources

Speakers

  • ProtoplasmaKid
Active Wikipedian since 2006. Lead organizer of Wikimania 2015 and member of Wikimania Steering Committee. Founder of Wikimedia Mexico in 2011, board member since 2024. Nominated to the Wikimedia Foundation Board two times.
  • Mar MarĂ­n
Mar is the Senior Communications Strategist at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team’s Latin America and Caribbean Hub, with over six years of experience in regional and global communications. Since 2024, she has also been an active member of Wikimedia Mexico, where she joined the movement through the Women Wikimedian School.
A digital activist from QuerĂ©taro, MĂ©xico, Mar has led initiatives across the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society. Her work spans civic tech, peace culture, education, citizen participation, gender equality, and cybersecurity—collaborating with organizations such as Code for All, UNFPA, and the Mozilla Festival.
She holds a BA in International Relations with minors in Peace and Conflict Studies (Tec de Monterrey) and Feminist Communications (Claustro de Sor Juana University), grounding her strategic work in a multidisciplinary and feminist lens.
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