Geomob

Are you still using Twitter? This week the focus is on Mapstodon, the cartography and geospatial server on Mastodon. Steven chats with spatial data scientist and geographer: Jérémy Garniaux. Jérémy is the man behind Mapstodon, the server created a few months ago when Twitter uncertainty drove all the self-proclaimed geeks to Mastodon. Jérémy and Steven discuss the differences between Twitter and Mastodon and reminisce about Twitter's early "non-toxic" days. Tune in to find out how to join Mapstodon, and how you can contribute to keep it running. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Gearing up for the first Geomob Finland on April 13th, this week Ed chats with one of the organisers: Antti Jakobson. Antti has been working with the National Land Survey of Finland for over 30 years. This year he is also leading a new Location Innovation Hub as part of the European Digital Innovation Hub network. Antti fills us in on what you can expect from a Finnish crowd and how it may differ from previous Geomob events. Ed will be speaking alongside speakers from Zero Gravity, ICEYE, Collective Crunch, and CGI. Tune in to find out why Antti decided to partner with Geomob and learn about the geospatial community in Finland. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week the focus is on the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Joining Ed for an important chat is Nama Budhathoki, Regional Director of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Teams (HOT) Open Mapping Hub - Asia Pacific. Nama explains what type of help mapping can offer and how mappers across the world can help those struggling in Turkey and Syria today. Learn what it takes for HOT to step in, the importance of a thriving local community, and what steps HOT has made one month in. Thinking of doing something to help? Nama explains what is needed now and how to you can get involved. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed and Steven catch up following the first Geomob Berlin. Listen in as Ed recalls the most interesting parts of GeomobBER and announces dates for the upcoming Helsinki, London, and Tel Aviv events. Then the discussion turns to what’s new with OpenCage and Mappery. There is new pricing at OpenCage, and an important reminder for anyone using OpenCage: they cannot, never have, and never will provide mobile phone location tracking. Tune in to find out how Ed’s Mastodon post about his strange ordeal went viral. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Steven chats with Edoardo Neerhut about his work with Mapillary for internet giant Meta. Edoardo started off as an intern at Mapillary and is now the Program Manager, XR Insight: Maps - Reality Labs. Listen in as these two discuss the differences between OSGeo and OpenStreetMap communities, Edoardo’s work with OSGeo Oceania, and the perception of big corporations in the community. Tune in to learn about his "ideology free" approach to problem solving and why listening to the community is so important in open. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week we’re going back to the early days of OpenStreetMap for a moment this week as Ed chats with Mikel Maron - his oldest OSM colleague. Mikel introduced Ed to OSM back in 2006 and has since gone on to many OSM accomplishments. He is currently the longest serving OpenStreetMap Foundation board member. Ed and Mikel reminisce about their journey with OSM, discuss the current state of OSM, and how passion affects progress. Find out what it’s like on the inside of the OSMF board and how things really work. Can communication improve at OSM? How will Overture change the landscape? Listen in to hear as this OSM pioneer weighs in. Plus, find out about Mikel's new job and the role geospatial tech plays in climate and environmental problem solutions, and how you can collaborate. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

In this week’s episode Ed finds out what the future holds for GeoHipster. Taking over from Mike Dolbow, Randal Hale has become the new CEO of GeoHipster, your source of what’s hip in all things geo. If you haven’t heard about GeoHipster before you’re missing out. Over 10 years of interviews, calendars, and cool maps, later Randal is still consistently updating the exact definition of "hip" but fans will be happy to hear there are no major changes under the new leadership. Listen in to find out how you and your geopatial idea can be featured Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Nick Bearman and Kevin Williams, two of the organisers of the recent FOSS4G:UK 2022, join Steven to reflect on how the event went. For the first time the event was held in a unique hybrid format, with many different venues across the UK. The goal was to capture the benefits of in-person networking and experience, while also reducing the need to travel and, via online streaming, allowing participation from everywhere. Overall the experiment was deemed a great success, with over 300 people attending in-person across the nine venues (many more than previous in-person events), but there are of course lessons learned for future events. Finally, Nick and Kevin share plans for OSGeo:UK in 2023. Thank you to all the organisers of FOSS4G:UK! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Steven chats with Loraine Rutt and for this one you’ll want to find a screen because her work is very visual. Marrying art and cartography through her pottery and sculpture, Loraine makes beautiful art with a message. Through thematic maps, journey vases, and social geography sculptures she has been able to create art that encourages conversations about climate change, poverty, and earth’s place in the universe. Her work is beautiful and fascinating, especially for map lovers. Loraine explains how her work begun, what inspires her, and talks about what it’s like to get the stamp of approval of her globes from an astronaut! Enjoy the episode, but then be sure you visit Loraine's website to see this amazing body of work Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

With Geomob’s first event of 2023 under their belts, Steven and Ed connect to discuss plans for 2023 and the latest hot topic in the community: Overture Maps. Many questions still unanswered after the announcement earlier this month, including how the members will manage to collaborate and how will Google react? Listen in as Ed and Steven debate and make their predictions about the future of OpenStreetMap. Do you want to join in the discussion? Come to a Geomob event! This year, even more cities will be hosting Geomob, including Berlin, Helsinki, and Lisbon, so there are even more chances to connect with the community! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Ed chats with one of the most active long-time members of the OpenStreetMap community: Simon Poole. Simon has contributed to OSM in many ways over the years: as a mapper, as developer of one of the most popular editors, as a local organizer of the Swiss OSM community, as a leading member of the Legal working group, and as Chair of the OpenStreetMap Foundation board. He is the perfect person to weigh in on the health of the project, particularly in the context of the latest open mapping news about the start of the Overture Maps Foundation. Ed and Simon discuss the challenges OSM faces and the difficulties of moving forward in a massive global collaborative project. Tune in to hear Simon’s perspective on how to improve communication and push progress along. Spoiler Alert: it starts with taking a step back to truly understand the issues Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Shortly before Christmas the Overture Maps Foundation was announced, a collaboration between tech giants Amazon Web Services, Meta, Microsoft, and TomTom to "create reliable, easy-to-use, and interoperable open map data". The geospatial world exploded with speculation about what this might mean for OpenStreetMap and for players like Google and Apple. Is Overture a threat, an opportunity, both, or something else entirely? Our guest today is Marc Prioleau, geospatial industry veteran (having worked at deCarta, Cloudmade, Mapbox, Uber, and as a consultant for many others) and currently Meta's head of business development for Mapping and Location, to discuss exactly what Overture Maps hopes to be, why it was formed, and its intended place in the geospatial ecosystem. This is the first time one of the members of the OMF consortium has spoken publicly about the initiative. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

We kick off 2023 with fellow podcaster Maxime Lenormand, a geospatial data scientist and the man behind Minds Behind Maps. Steven chats with Max about his geospatial podcast which focuses on the people who create maps. The unique thing about Minds Behind Maps is the long format. If the idea of listening to a three hour long podcast seems daunting, you’re not the only one, but Steven, a self-declared long-form sceptic, was quickly convinced it’s worthwhile. Tune in to find out how the project began and which big names in the mapping community he’s spoken with so far. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

What would Christmas be without traditions? Just like in years past we offer a special episode for the holiday period. Join Steven Feldman and his band of geo-elves - Ken Field, Mark Iliffe, Denise McKenzie, Alex Wrottesley, Jeremy Morley, and Ed Parsons - as they look back on 2022 and forward to 2023. We wish all of our listeners a restful holiday break and a geotastic 2023! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

As the year 2022 comes to an end, Ed and Stephen reflect and look ahead to 2023. This year saw a return to in-person events with London, Tel Aviv, and Barcelona events, and Ed shares a summary of November's GeomobBCN. Chatting about the eventful year about to end, it’s impossible to leave out the effect of the war in Ukraine and the changing economic conditions. Listen to hear Ed and Stephen discuss the challenges and upsides for OpenCage and Mappery in this memorable year. They also look back at the nearly three years of Geomob podcasting. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

The way people get around is rapidly changing. This week’s guest Christian Bäuerlein is CTO at ioki, where they build the software behind on-demand transport solutions. The idea is to make it easy and available for all. Christian explains who the clients are, and how the service works. You’ll want to tune in to this episode if you’re interested in the evolution of the mobility space or if you love a good data horror story. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed chats with Chris Barrington Brown this week. Chris spoke at Geomob London in September about his ambitious retirement project: creating a digital record of the build up to D-Day. Focusing on the logistics, Chris sorts through a massive amount of information to complete the archive in time for the 100th anniversary of WWII. Ed wonders how Chris intends to preserve this data in a tech world where things are constantly evolving past their original technology. Listen in to find out if you can help! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

With the season of giving approaching we catch up with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team's Monica Nthiga, director of HOT's Eastern and Southern Africa Open Mapping Hub. Monica chats with Ed about four new focus areas for HOT: public health, gender equality, climate change, and migration. Previously focussed primarily on disasters as they were happening, HOT has now shifted their focus on what needs to be done ahead of time in order to respond better. Monica explains how you can contribute, and why OpenStreetMap data is necessary to better deal with these issues. Listen in to find out what HOT has been up to in 2022 and how to get involved in this impactful organisation. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Ed talks developer marketing with Adam DuVander. Adam is the founder of consultancy Every Developer, and the author of the book Developer Marketing Does Not Exist. Adam and Ed cover the most common mistakes when it comes to marketing for developers, and discuss the best way to tap into new markets. Adam shares his advice on how to build trust with authentic and consistent content and reveals the key to effective marketing for developers. Spoiler Alert: when done right it is invisible. Listen in and find out how you can read this insightful book. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Steven and Ed catch up on this week’s episode that focuses on the most recent Geomob Tel Aviv event and the future of Twitter. The hosts discuss what makes a great talk by comparing Geomob events around the world. Steven ponders what is more interesting to cover during geo talks: It is the the how or the why? They also discuss the best ways to spread the word about Geomob events and companies. Are we witnessing the end of Twitter? How do you navigate both now that Mastodon has entered the conversation? Listen in and then join the conversation there. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

On this week’s episode Ed chats with Tobias Jordans about a parking data project in Berlin. It’s something you may not have thought about, but the data about parking spaces and their use can have a big impact on urban dynamics. Tobias explains how city planners, NGOs, and politicians pushing for positive changes can all benefit from accurate parking data. Using OpenStreetMap, Tobias and his colleagues are making it easier to record, retrieve, and update information about parking spaces in Berlin. Listen in to find out about the challenges, learnings, and how you can bring this project to your city. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Do you remember the feeling of travelling with a folded map in your pocket? Whether you’re yearning for a bit of nostalgia, or a young person curious about the history of flying through maps, this week’s guest has something for you. Ed chats with the man behind Direction of Travel, Christian Nolle. This newspaper, a real physical newspaper you can buy, is dedicated to vintage airline maps. Christian uses his own expansive collection of maps to illustrate what flying means to us, how it has changed, and how world issues throughout history have affected flying. Each issue compares and contrasts two airlines. Not just for map nerds, this project attracts graphic designers, artists, and vintage airline magazine lovers. Listen in and you’ll understand why he was the winner of the SplashMaps best speaker prize at our September 28th, 2022 London event. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

How do you combine nostalgia with the future? This week’s guest Jeffery Linn is a Speculative Cartographer who views the future through retro maps. Using vintage maps as his base to project into the future, Jeffery imagines what the world will look like in the future. His work comments on nostalgia and the rapid changes in the environment. Playful teasing climate change deniers, Jefferey maps out a world shaped by climate change in his "Conspiracy of Cartographers" studio. Tune in to hear about the link between sci-fi and cartography and find out which famous author approves of Jefferey’s work Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Joining Ed this week by Geomob London regular (and speaker back in May of 2015), and first full time employee of OpenStreetMap Foundation, Grant Slater. After 15 years of volunteering for OSM, Grant became a full time employee in May 2022 and has continued to work tirelessly to improve the service many in the geospatial community rely on. Listening to Grant speaking of the work he is still so passionate about after all this time is inspiring, especially when you know how small the team is. Tune in to hear about the challenges of operating such a popular service, the evolution of his role, the future of OSM Operations, and how you can get involved. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

We hit 150 episodes! Ed recaps the recent highly-enjoyable and well-attended Geomob London event, which Steven unfortunately missed. Sadly it's not clear if it will be possible to have another event London this year due to possibly conflicting with the world cup. Steven will at least enjoy the second Geomob Tel Aviv coming up in early November. Next up is a discussion of the recent redesign of the Geomob website, and finally Ed shares a marketing success: the upcoming collaboration with MapScaping to promote OpenStreetMap projects (deadline for submission is Oct. 15th, so don't delay). Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week join Ed as he chats with Miguel Marques, founder and CEO of Mapidea. Miguel’s small team helps big companies like Vodafone and Domino's to use their own data to create maps with meaning for them. Ed and Miguel discuss the lack of spatial culture in companies and a lack of awareness about the simple solutions that already exist for them. How do you connect the user with their right solution? By educating and involving the user, Mapidea has managed to retain customers for the long term. Tune in for this lively chat about the difficulty of creating a simple GIS product and the startup scene in Portugal. Plus, learn how Miguel’s tool for visualising census data: Locali is helping people to tell the story of their surroundings. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

If you’re a part of the GIS community there is little chance you haven’t heard of QGIS. This week Steven chats with one of the people behind QGIS, Marco Bernasocchi, chair of the QGIS association. Opensource advocate, consultant, and developer Marco explains how QGIS has evolved over the past 20 years, and how an open source project like this is financed. As Steven points out open source projects like this one are true miracles. The perfect example of the collaborative nature of the GIS community and what can be accomplished when people are willing to work together. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

A special podcast episode this week as we look back on FOSS4G 2022, which took place from August 22-28th in Florence, Italy. Whether you attended or not, this inside look at the conference includes the voices of a range of attendees from first timers, to veterans, to sponsors. While the speaker videos are available online, if like Steven you were not able to attend, this will give you an idea of the energy at the return of in person FOSS4G. Find out how people connected and what people were excited about this year. With 25 different voices, this episode is sure to transport you to the lively event. Many thanks to everyone who shared their impressions. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Steven speaks with geospatial tech leaders Colonel Paul Hammett and Major George McCrea of the British Army's Royal Engineers. Approximately one third of geospatial professionals work for the military. These particular geographic technicians are involved in many defence organisations operations by providing critical understanding of geospatial data to decision makers. Listen to learn about what they do, how they use existing technology to improve the user experience, and why paper maps will not to be phased out anytime soon! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

As summer comes to an end Ed and Steven catch-up and update you on what to look forward to in the fall. With two Geomob events scheduled (London and Tel Aviv) there are also plans for events in Barcelona and Berlin. Steven gets ready to celebrate four years of Mappery, while Ed talks about plans for a future marketing project at OpenCage. How do you market your business when your main competitor is Google? Ed gives a sneak peak of a new partnership (with a rival geo podcast of all people). Listen to find out how you can use a Geomob event to present your geo-start-up project, and how you can participate in the next Geomob Podcast Catch-Up! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

You’ll want to tune in to hear this week’s guest explain the origin story of her company: Proxi. Melinda Haughey explains how a "mom problem" led to the creation of a customised mapping system. Frustrated with the complexity of Google maps, Melinda and co-founder Chelsey Roney created a simple way of creating personal and shareable maps. Proxi aims to monetise unique maps by providing analytics back to the users/map creators, but that’s not their only aim. The big vision is to create a robust infrastructure of guides that are mapped. Melinda explains how mapped lists make life much more simple and why people the time for their service is now. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

What started off as a hobby tube map collection, became a documentary. This week Steven chats with Anthony Norris-Watson, a non-geographer, with a collection of over 260 London tube maps about his new documentary Interchange. Anthony’s fascination with the tube diagram is obvious as he passionately discusses this three part YouTube doc that focuses on the map designs throughout the years, a discussion on what makes them 'iconic', and a look at how tube mapping may change in the not-so-distant future. Listen as Anthony explains how his love for tube maps began, what he learned along his journey, and how he would improve the diagram. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed welcomes past Geomob speaker Ian Hannigan, the CEO and co-founder of indoor mapping start-up FORMATION. FORMATION is a location based approach to digitalising a business. Ian explains the evolution of FORMATION and explains how they cater to their clients based on their needs. FORMATION’s clients include the German Army, Bosch, and Kamax, and various research organisations. Ed wonders how the workers/employees feel about their bosses having their location, especially in a privacy hyper conscious country like Germany. Ian agrees, the drive for privacy is well founded, but the design of FORMATION takes that into account. Everything is designed with the workers themselves in mind because without their support, the system will not last for long. Tune in to learn how they map out indoor and outdoor spaces and what’s next for the company in this week’s episode! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

In this midsummer catch up Steven and Ed discuss separating life from work, Southeast Asia’s super app Grab, and contemplate the future of Google Maps. Using real problems from his daily work at OpenCage, Ed compiles questions for a monthly Twitter Trivia contest. It’s just one way to establish himself as a ‘geo-expert’. The conversation then turns to Super-apps such as Grab provide a range of services from delivery to vehicle rentals and much more, and recently announced the launch of Grab Maps. What affect will their maps have on Google and OpenStreetMap? Ed and Steven debate the pros and cons in this week's episode Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

On this week's episode Ed chats with Andy Ashburner the founder of Pin Drop. Andy was a Geomob London speaker all the way back in 2014 when the app he created to save locations first took off. Andy provides a unique perspective on progress in geotech since he left the industry for some time. He is now working on a new and improved Pin Drop app that will be designed with users in mind. Ed and Andy marvel at the range of uses for an app like this, and Andy explains how he only found out when he returned to the app himself that many people were still using it. What for? Listen now to find out. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

If you’ve ever used a ride share app, bike share, or delivery app, you’ll understand the struggle this week’s guest is trying to solve. Adam Simkin is the COO and VP for autofleet.io, and has been trying to improve the most frustrating part of the app experience: "estimated wait times". As the demand for these services grows, so does the expectation. Customers want short, reliable, and accurate wait times but as Adam admits, this is still a bit of an "unsolved problem". With so many variables, and many competing apps, there is still a lot of work for Adam and his peers to do to improve the experience not only for clients but also drivers/vehicle owners. Find out how far we’ve come, and what the predictions are for the future (autonomous cars?) in this week's podcast! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Tune in to the latest episode which is all about "geoing in public". Ed chats with geospatial industry veteran (and repeat podcast guest), James Fee. James discusses his long career in the industry and how it all began for him. Whether it be blogging, YouTube, or social media, James has tried it all and shares his most important advice to those getting into the GIS sphere and working in public - be yourself. Despite some negative reactions to his posts in the past, James says the collaborative nature of sharing your work far outweighs any negatives he has encountered. They discuss the various social media platforms, how they can be used effectively, and Ed inquires about James’ rumoured entry into the world of TikTok. Will we see this social media master conquer the latest platform? Listen to find out. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Join Steven as he discusses his two favourite things with Dr. Motti Zohar, a geographer specialising in geoinformation and spatial analysis. Motti describes in great detail how he and his team have been able to extract the location of tweets. Only 1-3% of tweets have coordinates, Motti’s methods can increase that number to approximately 15%. How might this be useful? Well for one, distinguishing which tweets come from users that are actually near the event or phenomenon can help to resolve or filter out fake news. They can also analyse how people use Twitter during natural hazard events such as wildfires or floods. Motti spoke about this topic at the recent first ever Geomob Tel Aviv in April 2022. Listen to the fascinating discussion and learn more about the process of location extraction. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Ed speaks with Luca Delucchi, a member of the local organizing team for both State of the Map (SotM) and FOSS4G which will be held in Florence, Italy in August. It's wonderful not just that these events are again taking place in person (SotM will be August 19-21st, FOSS4G will be August 22-28th), but that they will be held in the same city, allowing geospatial open data and open source enthusiasts to easily attend both. Luca tells about the preparations and what attendees can expect. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed and Steven catch up on the heels of two Geomob events. Ed compares the recent London event with the Barcelona event and ponders if London’s culture of sharing will eventually make its way to Barcelona. Focussing on the highlight of the Barcelona event, he describes the presentation by Bettermaps. Although still in the early stages, this app takes a written description of a location and turns it into a map. Ed and Steven discuss the possibilities of AI and the possible elimination of cartographers? We’re not quite there yet, but there certainly is potential in AI. Ed also discusses the recent launch of OpenCage's FlipCoords tool, while Steven shares that he will be presenting about Mappery at the British Cartographic Society annual event in September. Tune in to find out which other OpenCage projects are picking up momentum, where the next Geomob event will take place, and where you may bump into Ed in the summer months. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can use a geospatial interface to encourage philanthropy, this is the episode for you. Ed speaks with Peter Rose, former Geomob speaker and Europe Director of Orbica. Orbica focusses on geospatial analytics, GeoAI and data science. Peter discusses a special project: ‘Lebenswald’ for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. The goal of this project was to create a recurring revenue model. In order to motivate people to donate to prevent deforestation and preserve the habitat of the last Borneo Orangutans they have created an interactive map. Donors are able to choose the area they want to help preserve, claim it as theirs to sponsor and even draw on it. Peter talks about the challenges and benefits of working for a non-profit client. Tune in to learn more about this important project and great example of using geospatial in philanthropy. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

In this episode Steven chats with an old friend, professor of Geographical Information Science at UCL, Muki Haklay. Muki is one of the early adopters of combining geography with computer science, and one of the eariest supporters of OpenStreetMap. For the past ten years he has been focusing on extreme citizen science. There are a number of programs and apps that allow people all over the world to contribute geographical and environmental data. His team of 20 researchers work with indigenous communities on developing tools that can be used by anyone, even those who can’t read or write, allowing for more access to relevant data about their own communities. Steven and Muki discuss the benefits and drawbacks of citizen science as it becomes more common. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Ed speaks with Ilya Zverev, the man behind the new OpenStreetMap editor Every Door. Ilya is passionate about micro mapping, and argues there is a need for a tool like his but ultimately the time he spends on editing is as much a need as it is enjoyable. This is not his first OSM tool, and this is not the only editor out there, so what’s unique about Every Door? This editor focuses on things that are usually unmapped, the things that are often overlooked because it takes too long and is too tedious to map them. Ilya and Ed discuss the future of mapping apps and predict more thematic mobile editors will emerge (editors for shops, for runners, etc.). Listen to Ilya explain his passion and vision for a POI editor, and offer advice for those who want to create editor tools of their own. Show notes and map on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

What's more important: idea or execution? This week's guest is the head of Geovation: Carly Morris. Geovation was recently awarded the prestigious Go:Tech award for Incubator or Accelerator Programme of the year. Steven wonders if there really is a benefit for startups in the geospatial industry receiving help from accelerator programs such as the one Geovation provides. As Carly explains, the data speaks for itself, 76% of the startups that have worked with Geovation are still active five years after leaving the program. That's quite impressive considering 90% of startups overall fail within the first five years. Steven and Carly agree, simply having a brilliant idea does not guarantee success, it’s all about having the right solution and the right execution, that's where startup mentor programs such as the one Geovation offers come in. Join them for an enlightening discussion on how to take a geospatial start up to the next level. Show notes and map on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week's guest is Jack Dangermond, co-founder and president of Esri, the most successful and influential geospatial business ever created. In this extra long episode Steven and Jack have a wide-ranging discussion on spatial being special, "the geographic approach" to problem solving, the unique role geospatial technologies and services have to play in addressing the climate crisis, the evolution of technology and the implications for a long-running business like Esri, and much, much more. It's a unique chance for us to hear the perspective of a geospatial visionary and successful founder who remains as deeply passionate about geo as when he started more than 50 years ago. Show notes and map on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

One of our regular episodes in which Ed and Steven chat about their projects. Steven shares his impressions from the first ever Geomob Tel Aviv. Ed reflects on the challenges around the recent launch of OpenCage Geosearch. "Professor Feldman" uses the opportunity to share the lessons he recently imparted at his seminar about building a successful geospatial business delivered to the Edindurg Earth Observation (EEO) group (video hopefully available soon). In other geospatial news we discuss OSMF hiring its first full time employee - regular London geomobster and past speaker Grant Slater. Congrats! Show notes are on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week's guest is Will Martin, long-time start-up investor, and co-founder of Portfolio Ventures. Will has invested in many different early-stage start-ups across the entire tech landscape, including some businesses with a geo focus. While not specifically focused just on geo, we thought Will's conversaton with Steven would be an interesting and relevant reference to help demystify the early stage investment process. Show notes and map on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Steven speaks with historical geographer Dr. Anne Kelly Knowles, professor at the University of Maine, and co-founder of the Holocaust Geographies collaborative, a multi-institutional, collaborative research group that uses mapping and geography to examine spaces and places of the Holocaust. They discuss one specific map (linked on our website), and the challenge and power of using geography to provide a spatial lens into traumatic human experience. The map in question, documenting the experiences and memories of two of the victims, serves as a representation of the unique power and attributes, but also limitations, that mapping / GIS / spatial rendering bring to representing the horrific circumstances of the Holocaust specifically and conflict regions generally. Show notes and map on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Two-time Geomob London speaker Manuel Timita joins Ed to discuss illustreets, the geospatial start-up he is co-founder of. Manuel shares the ups and downs of his entreprenurial journey and the challenge of turning impressive geo tech into a thriving business. As so often it is a case study in the power of perseverance. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Steven has the pleasure of speaking long-time open source geo contributor Howard Butler about foundational open source geo technologies GDAL and PDAL. The discussion turns, as so often here on the Geomob podcast, to the topic of open source sustainability. Howard comments on various strategies and business models including "barn raising", and the distinction between free software and free support. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

This week Ed shows his ignorance about all things Earth Observation (EO) in a discussion with EO expert Julia Wagemann. Julia explains why the EO ecosystem has grown so much in recent years, and what the implications of the increased accesibility to and quality of earth observation data might mean. This is an exciting and fast-moving space that will have major implications for the geospatial industry; a space that every geomobster will no doubt want to learn about. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.