Posts tagged Tagzania

New map design for Mapapel

Last weeks we’ve been working on Mapapel’s map design. OSM’s Mapnik map style is cool but we wanted to customise it, doing something similar to traditional tourist maps.

Mapapel - Zaragoza

Mapapel - Gasteiz

Mapapel - Eibar

Mapapel - Errenteria

This is the first version, we’ll continue improving it. Please, let us know what you think about this style change at our Mapapel – Facebook page.

OpenStreetMap workshop at Nonick conference

Nonick conference is one of the most important and famous events in the Basque Country. This year’s edition has an interesting programme, featuring community management tasks on Friday. There are also some workshops on Saturday morning. Tagzania Services will give a workshop on OpenStreetMap at 11:00. You’re invited!

Tagzania sponsors State of the Map 2010

Tagzania Services will be sponsoring this year’s State of the Map, the annual OpenStreetMap international conference, in Girona, on July 9th, 10th and 11th. We also sponsored last year’s edition in Amsterdam.

Tagzania Services has several projects using OpenStreetMap, such as Mapapel, printable quality city maps, or EuskalMapa, a map of the world in Basque language.

Our commitment to promote OSM is clear; since September we’ve organized more than twenty mapping parties, talks and events. This effort, and the liberation of geographical public data by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council and the Basque Government, has had direct effect on the quality of the map in the Basque Country.

EuskalMapa

This is not the first time we talk about Tagzania’s commitment with OpenStreetMap. The project is well-known internationally and the community is really strong in most European countries. But our local reality is not so wonderful, OSM is only supported by few dozens of users and there’s a lot to do on the map (even though we’ve got some great places).

EuskalMapa is our latest project to support OSM in the Basque Country. It has a double goal: spreading the word about OSM and giving to our native language, the Basque, its own presence on the map (using the name:eu tag). OpenStreetMap gives to our language the chance of having its own map, like OSM Alba has done with the Scottish Gaelic.

We’re working on this Basque map, meanwhile EuskalMapa is posting about OSM news, tutorials about how to edit the map or giving information about the mapping parties we’re organizing.

Mapping Ordizia with Jakintza school kids

Last monday we celebrated an OSM mapping party with the girls and boys in the Jakintza Ikastola. With the help of their teachers Maite and Jokin, they added and corrected much data to their town’s ( Ordizia ) map in OpenStreetMap. They did a great job and showed us what “Digital Native” term means.

Kalean aklaratu nahian

Let’s map the world, step by step

You already might know we’re really involved creating the free wiki world map. As individuals, we’re mapping several areas of the Basque Country (users Gari Araolaza, mikeltxo, kere, dreguera, aitzol).

Tagzania Services has also supported OpenStreetMap by sponsoring the State of the Map conference; we’re also talking with our public administrations to liberate their (their?) geo-data. But we can’t be waiting forever, that’s why we’ve started organizing mapping parties. Don’t hate the media, become the media.

These mapping parties goal is making OSM more popular in our area, and, of course, getting some new devote mappers to the project.

This is our mapping party agenda (you can find them also in the OSM wiki current events)

We’ve also organized a special mapping party in Ordizia with some high school students by the end of September.

We hope this is just the begining. That’s why we encourage people in our area to contact us for organizing more mapping parties.

What’s after the State of the Map 2009?

State of the Map 2009 is over. Congratulations to the OSMF for organizing such an event with good speakers. It has been a pleasure for us sponsoring this year’s SOTM09.

There were many interesting talks, I’ve chosen my favourite ones for the Video nominations.

  • Making Money with OSM – Frederik Ramm (Geofabrik): OpenStreetMap needs companies around it earning money, that will get the project more powerful for competing with other maps.
  • How People Search for Locations – Ed Freyfogle (Nestoria): it was an interesting approach from the users’ points of view. OSM must think more in the map users (not just mappers).
  • Open Paper Maps – Mike Migurski (Stamen). Walking Papers is a nice project for helping mappers to improve OSM data.
  • Free and Open PalestineMikel Maron. Mikel and his collegues have done a brilliant work mapping Palestine. Hope he goes on doing it in other countries.

“State of …” talks were also interesting, specially Egypt, Cuba and Japan.

  • Egypt: It’s amazing seeing how their map has changed in just one year with just a few volunteers.
  • Cuba: How can they map without GPS devices or good satellite images?
  • Japan: He was a funny guy. He walked about 24 km for mapping a shrine!

We’re really positive about our first SOTM, our talk in the Geomob session (thanks to Christopher Osborne!) and the sponsoring (it was nice seeing the Tagzania logo near Cloudmade’s or Ito’s). We got some interesting feedback about Mapapel and we’ll keep on working on it improving the website and adding some new city maps. We’re also thinking about how can we improve OpenStreetMaps presence in Tagzania.com

See you next year!

State of the Map 2009 and more

These are the slides we’re showing in the State of the Map 2009:

There are other things we haven’t shown you, like the Tagzania app for Android we’ll publish soon. Have a look at the demo below:

Mapapel, print your city map

These days we’re starting a new project, Mapapel. Our goal is offering printable quality city maps to our users. Currently, we’re testing the idea so we’ve published a prototype of the Mapa San Sebastian (map of Donostia-San Sebastián).

Mapapel

We’re using OpenStreetMap as data source. You might remember we already use OpenStreetMap data in Tagzania.com thanks to Mapstraction. Tagzania Services is working together with La Personnalite in Mapapel; they’ve designed the printable map so it looks even cooler.

We’ll start soon giving a more appropriate design to the website and adding some new printable maps and locations.

New office

Some months ago we showed you our office´s photos. But that was not Tagzania Services´ office, it was its creator´s, CodeSyntax´s. After doing a hole in the wall, our young startup has now a new home next to that office.

Tagzania office

Tagzania office

Tagzania office

This is our new usability lab:

Tagzania office

Tagzania office

Hope you like our brand new work place. You can see more photos in our Flickr account.