MapoFaktura 2024 – Collaborative Mapping for Common Green Łódź

MapoFaktura 2024 – Collaborative Mapping for Common Green Łódź

MapoFaktura 2024 marks the fifth anniversary edition of the event organized by the Faculty of Geographical Sciences at the University of Lodz. Renowned as the best collaborative mapping initiative in Łódź, this event caters to both seasoned OpenStreetMap editors and newcomers eager to engage in co-creating the world’s largest open spatial database. Held on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Geoworkshops – Towards Community Citizen Science

MapoFaktura serves as a geoworkshop, with this year’s focus directed toward participatory planning. Participants utilized open spatial data and digital tools to collectively shape our surroundings. The central theme of this year’s gathering was the green areas of Łódź, vital communal assets that significantly influence urban quality of life. MapoFaktura 2024 commenced with a presentation on the project DEMo4PPL – Digital Education Modules 4 Participatory Planning, followed by a participatory planning workshop. Subsequently, participants engaged in editing and enhancing the OpenStreetMap database.

Leveraging advanced programming skills, attendees extracted updated data from OpenStreetMap to utilize with digital tools supporting participatory planning. This data was then employed using the open-source QGIS application to produce a comprehensive map, serving as a resource for analysing the condition and accessibility of green spaces in Łódź.

Geoworkshops like MapoFaktura, alongside geosurveys and geodiscussions, represent tools for participatory planning and exemplify community citizen science. Such initiatives facilitate objective decision-making within local communities, minimizing conflicts of interest while harnessing the collective input of community members. By fostering community citizen science, geoworkshops enhance the rationality of decisions made at the local level.

Organizers and Partners

MapoFaktura 2024 is a collaborative event led by faculty members and students of the Faculty of Geographical Sciences at the University of Lodz, under the supervision of Dr. Tomasz Napierała from the Institute of Urban Geography, Tourism, and Geoinformation. This year’s event, focusing on participatory planning, received support from the international DEMo4PPL project. Partners contributing to MapoFaktura include OpenStreetMap Poland, the Łódź Tourist Organisation, and TomTom Poland.

GeoNight

Once again, MapoFaktura was a featured component of GeoNight (Night of Geography), an international initiative under the auspices of EUGEO – Association of Geographical Societies in Europe. GeoNight serves as a platform for various geographical events aimed at promoting modern geography education and tools. Since its inception in 2017, GeoNight, including MapoFaktura, has emerged as a pivotal annual gathering for professionals and enthusiasts alike within the geographical community.