Date: Wednesday, October 12
Subject: Instructions for Country Profile / Issue Briefing Assignment due NOVEMBER 2nd
PART ONE: TEAM CONNECTIONS 20%
Record the names, dates, and types of interactions you have attempted or accomplished with students or mappers in your project country.
Feel free to include photos of any online meetings if everyone has agreed to public posting, but do not list email addresses.
Your individual grade will be marked as complete if your name is included on this section as having participated in an exchange/connection.
PART TWO: COUNTRY PROFILES 60% (you will be the lead on either one country profile subsection or one issue briefing subsection)
In this section of the page, create THREE (3) subsections with appropriate subtitles with information about the following:
General information about your country, statistics, relevant background
What is of interest to USAID about this country; what is USAID doing in this country or what strategic programs are operating? (add links!)
What is the state of the OpenStreetMap for this country? How much open spatial data does there seem to be, especially in your task area? How does that compare to other locations? (visuals?) Who is mapping on OSM community in this country? (hint: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contributors - Also, you can add your team and your team project similarly to what is on the wiki for OSM!)
You should assign one team member to lead each of these sections. Mark your name after the appropriate subtitle. Your individual grade will be for the section you contributed as leader.
PART THREE: ISSUE BRIEFINGS 60% (remember, you will be the lead on either one country profile subsection or one issue briefing subsection)
In this section of the page, create THREE (3) sections with appropriate subtitles with information about the following:
What is this problem about? What are the dimensions of this problem worldwide? In your country? What are the risks? What is happening in the specific country you are working on with respect to this problem? Who is affected and how?
What solutions are offered to address / mitigate / recover from this problem? What does this mean for resilience?
What are you mapping exactly (what features?) and how can mapping these features help make communities more resilient in light of this problem or in areas affected by this problem? What would be the next mapping steps to advance this work after you complete the remote maps?
You should assign one team member to each of these three sections. Mark your name after the appropriate subtitle. Your individual grade will be for the section you contributed as leader.
PART FOUR: BIBLIOGRAPHY 20%
In the above country profiles and issue briefings you will need to use at least the number of citation references as you have team members. Be sure to cite the references on your page, and then also include them in our bibliographic listing.
Your individual grade will be marked as complete if you post a citation submitted by your name on this page in the categories of either country profile or issue briefing. Each person only needs to add one citation at a minimum.
Date: Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 3:27 PM
Subject: What is due October 12th?
Thanks to those of you who participated in yesterday’s activities.
I see from the discussion site that only about 1/3 of you have done the comment/bibliography for this week. Please complete those as soon as possible. Also, at last night’s discussion, it was apparent that the readings are not being read. Because of the importance of this week’s topic to the success of your projects, I am adding an additional required graded assignment DUE NEXT Wednesday by midnight.
Please write a 1-2 page reflection on the following question, drawing from the readings and from our discussion last night:
“Pick one of the challenges we read about and discussed that you have either encountered already in working with OpenStreetMap or that you anticipate encountering during the team mapping project. Reflect on your own style of leadership, referring to the chapter framework you read and ideas we discussed. In 1 to 2 pages, explain how you would address or mitigate this challenge using your own leadership style on your team.”
Please email me these directly in a word document prior to Wednesday 10/12 at 12:00 pm.
In the coming days, I will be connecting each of your teams with contacts in the countries you are working so you can start exchanges – please look for those messages soon.
Date: Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 8:04 AM
Subject: What is due October 5th?
Hi Mappers!
I hope you had a nice team session last night.
Coming up next week:
BEFORE CLASS TIME October 5th: Read this discussion topic Challenges in Open Mapping for Resilience (Quality, Quantity, Analytical) and the posted chapter on Leadership.
Come prepared to discuss the reading in class and relate it to what you are doing with the projects so far.
Before midnight, post your comment to the page and post your bibliography to the collection.
Next Wednesday, we will have a special visitor, Dr. Brent McCusker. You are very welcomed to come see his talk at noon in the SUB Escondido Theater, and/or attend an “Open House” we will have in the GIS Lab (HH204) from 3:30 – 5:30 before our class. Then our class will only meet for one hour, from 6-7 pm for discussion on this topic of quality and leadership, with him. Afterwards, we will make our way to a nearby locale to informally talk and visit with him, which you are welcomed but not obligated to join (location TBA.)
Meanwhile, please make as much progress as you can on the mapping in between sessions on your own for your team!
Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: What is due September 28?
Hello everyone,
Just a friendly reminder about tonight’s class and what is going on and what is due tonight:
This past week you were sorted into your teams, and you were given the chance to meet with each other. I also separately sent you the links to the tasks you are supposed to start mapping by each team (well, everyone except Ghana has a Tasking Manager task, and Ghana has a location – please see Kwaku for details if you need them – I don’t think you’ll see the tasking manager up until next week unfortunately due to the delay from the GeoCenter)
TONIGHT: you will meet as teams again and begin or continue to map and try to coordinate getting the mapping work done. You should by the end of your session together have a plan for how your team will do the work and what roles each of you will be playing. I also recommend considering the longer term goals of the course and the needs to put together information about the topic and the country for your final presentations. Julia will be on hand as always to help answer your questions. Dr. Nellis might also stop by to hear about the new team project assignments.
WHAT IS DUE by midnight: Your quota on the Kenya PMI project (500 edits). I know there is a lag on the tracker link below – but do your best to estimate and get close. I’ll consult with anyone before finalizing your score on this in case you didn’t hit it.
Tomorrow I will assign you the last readings and the comments/bibliography on that will be due the week after (October 5th). I’ll be on campus again next week and we will have a special guest! See again the discussion dates/activities here.
For now, happy mapping!
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 12:42 AM
Subject: Re: What is due Next Week? September 21 edition
One last remark: Since the Kenya PMI project is a USAID priority, and you may not get your group team tasks right away, I’m going to put a quota on this assignment to help make sure everyone is contributing to the overall task at a minimum level of effort: you should aim to get at least 500 changes in Kenya. How can you tell when you have 500?
Go to http://hdyc.neis-one.org
Enter your OSM username, hit Search
Look at the very bottom of the page, next to Kenya with the Kenya Flag : You’ll see a number followed by another small number in parentheses. The first number after the word “Kenya” is the number of changes /edits you have made.
Date: Monday, September 19, 2016 at 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: What is due Next Week? September 21 edition
Hi 4320 Mappers!
Thank you to everyone for responding to the country assignment question. It looks like we have three teams: Colombia, Ghana and Indonesia. Almost everyone got their first choice. Check out the final team you are on in the google doc here in Column J:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XKWH4jXc4xIiV3QJMobFGfgMcnKm4kWYl5JQKQep1g4/edit#gid=0
I’m working now with the USAID GeoCenter to get the mapping tasks for each team defined and on the tasking manager. Meanwhile, please continue to contribute to the mapping task in Kenya here:
http://tasks.hotosm.org/project/2104
Not only is this good practice, but it is also important as a priority project for USAID and they are seeking to get this task done by the end of the month – let’s help them reach that goal!
Also, just for fun, take a look: I just posted Chad Blevins of the GeoCenter explaining what is the mapping task, what data is being created and why, and how will the data be used directly to support efforts on the ground. It’s only 3 1/2 minutes long, but this overview can help you explain clearly why this task is so important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HjSMF6bRKw&feature=youtu.be
Please remember to do the activities below for this week.
Date: Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 8:51 AM
Subject: What is due Next Week? September 21 edition
Thanks everyone for your participation in class last night and thanks to Dr. Nellis for participating as well!
I am reviewing your discussion comments and bibliographic entries and looking at your map edits. If I don’t email you directly, you can assume your quality is acceptable. You are encouraged to continue to improve your technical contributions and keep paying attention to creating good data and deepening your understanding of this activity and the readings.
Here’s what you should plan to do before September 21st at midnight:
Read the next discussion topic on VGI in Humanitarian and Development Activities and write a reflection comment at the bottom of the page.
Upload your third bibliographic citation to the bibliography page – be sure you submit with your name on the dropdown menu!
It looks like the groups are self-forming nicely with a good spread and size – I will confirm and finalize your choices by next week’s class time. Meanwhile, please keep mapping on the Kenya malaria prevention priority task for BUILDINGS AND ROADS
Attend class on Wednesday evening 6 pm to hear more tech tips from Julia and ask questions about the mapping tasks that you may have had this week.
At class on Wednesday evening, you will have your final team assignments, so you will meet in teams to start planning for the major class service learning project. Be sure you have read through Chapter Four included in this week’s discussion topic, because we will have you go over together the checklist on page 73, exercise 4.9 in class as a group.
Please as always, feel free to email me or chat if you see me online to ask questions.
Date: Thursday, September 8, 2016 at 9:49 PM
Subject: What is due Next Week? September 14 edition
Hi everybody!
I know I threw a lot at you on Wednesday night, but you all were very engaged and participating, so thank you! I really enjoyed meeting you and am looking forward to a great semester.
Here’s what you should plan to do before September 14th at midnight:
Read the next discussion topic on the OSM Community and write a comment at the bottom of the page.
Upload a total of 2 bibliographic citations to the bibliography page – be sure you submit with your name on the dropdown menu!
Be sure you have indicated your country preferences for your team project in the google excel file
Practice mapping BUILDINGS by working on the Kenya malaria prevention priority task (I don’t have a quota for number of edits but I will be checking your usernames to just make sure that there are no general quality issues to address) *NOTE: if you haven’t read through all of the instruction notes in the HOT Tasking Manager interface, please do so as we will move on to roads next
Attend class on Wednesday evening 6 pm to hear some tech tips from Julia about mapping roads and to ask questions about the mapping tasks that you may have had this week
At class on Wednesday evening, you will find the classmates who have indicated the same first choice as you to discuss possible team formation ideas; you will then meet as groups by second choice. You can then revise your country preferences once more before I try to get the final choices arranged to try to best fit your responses in the shared excel file. You can stay and map/work or after you are done with that, you might adjourn early.
Please as always, feel free to email me or chat if you see me online to ask questions.
Date: Friday, September 2, 2016 at 9:05 AM
Subject: First Lecture and Reading, Tasks Assigned
Dear 4320 GEOG Open Mappers !
Thanks to those of you who braved the weather on Wednesday night to show up to our first class!
I understand that there is a discrepancy in the class times and I apologize. For some reason, this was changed in the system and I had not noticed. We will meet at the official time, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm as it is on your schedules. I’ve updated the syllabus to reflect that correction.
Here are five things I need you to do before class time next week:
1) In the spirit of “OPEN” mapping, we will be collecting all of your independent assignments as outputs into a wiki, using Google Sites. Bookmark this page:
https://sites.google.com/site/youthmappers/home
2) I will add you as a user to the wiki so you can participate, but first I need you to let me know what is your sign-in email address that you use with your Google account. If you do not yet have a Google account, you need to create one here:
https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail?hl=en
NOTE: You do NOT have to create a new Gmail address if you don’t want one – you can use your @ttu.edu address if you wish when you sign up. To learn more, see their FAQ here: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1728595?hl=en
Once you know which email address you want to use to log in to Google Sites please add that email address to COLUMN D in this shared spreadsheet so I can give you permissions:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XKWH4jXc4xIiV3QJMobFGfgMcnKm4kWYl5JQKQep1g4/edit?usp=sharing
3) I want to get everyone mapping right away, so please also go ahead and create a username in OpenStreetMap here:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/new?cookie_test=true
4) Once you have signed up please add your DISPLAY NAME it to COLUMN E in this same shared spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XKWH4jXc4xIiV3QJMobFGfgMcnKm4kWYl5JQKQep1g4/edit?usp=sharing
5) READINGS: Navigate to this page on our wiki site:
https://sites.google.com/site/youthmappers/discussion-topics?pli=1
Click on the discussion topic for this coming week, September 7th: International Development, USAID and Resilience. Read through the page and follow each of the links. Some of them I’ve noted I just want you to look at, others I am asking you to read something over, please follow the directions.
At the end are some reflection questions, and we will talk about these in class – for now just read them and think on them.
Normally I would have you post a comment by class time, but you will need user permissions first, so we will complete the commenting and I will show you the bibliography in class next Wednesday.
If you end up having any trouble with these tasks, we will take a few moments in class time in the lab to troubleshoot.
Please send me any questions by email, or you can find me on gchat from time to time: patricia.bennett.solis@gmail.com.
SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY at 6 pm in HH204 !
Date: Friday, August 26, 2016 at 7:50 PM
Cc: Julia Kleine <julia.kleine@ttu.edu>, "Nellis, Duane" <duane.nellis@ttu.edu>
Subject: Welcome to Geography 4320: Open Mapping for Resilience
Hello all!
I’m pleased to welcome each of you to the Fall 2016 semester! We are excited about what we have in store for our class, Geography 4320, special topics on Open Mapping for Resilience.
Classes starts this coming week. As you know, we meet Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the GIS Lab Holden Hall 204. This is a “hybrid” class where we will meet once per month in person for Lectures and Discussion, and we will be communicating online frequently by email. However, because the work is project-based teamwork, you should reserve this time on your calendar each week to come to the lab to work with your teammates on other weeks.
Before our first class, please do the following three things:
1) I’m attaching a copy of the syllabus. Please read this over before our first class and let me know if you have any questions.
2) To orient you to the course, I’ve created a short 11 minute overview video. Please watch this before our first class 8/31.
3) I will be sending you a separate email to each of you with a link to a survey. Answering this is optional but it is very appreciated if you would contribute to the research on teaching about some of the topics we are covering in the class.
About our first class period next Wednesday, August 31:
There is a mapping welcome event being held in Holden Hall 204 from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, August 31 sponsored by our TTU chapter of YouthMappers for the Red Raiders Welcome series. Feel free to come by as early as you like and get a feel for some of the technical mapping that is part of our course, as applied to your own backyard in Lubbock or on campus. Please arrive no later than 6:30 pm. While I will not be present in person, our teaching assistant Julia Kleine will be on hand to gather you and have you introduce yourselves to each other. She will also be sure you have copies of the syllabus and can answer some of your questions or pass them on. She will also take attendance.
Our first Lecture and Discussion will be the following week, September 7 and I will be present. I will send you instructions for the reading and tasks to be done each Thursday. All of our readings are online or posted on our wiki, so there is no need to purchase any textbooks.
Looking forward to seeing some of you again and meeting others of you who I have not yet met!