[OSGeo-Boston] Fwd: [Public Lab/Balloon Mapping] March Mapping Madness (in April!)

[Jeffrey Warren]

Local osgeo folks may be interested in this mapping meetup this Saturday
the 7th... a good way to collect base data for OSM mapping too! More info
at http://publiclaboratory.org/wiki/march-mapping-madness-boston

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Katie Gradowski <katie.gradowski at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 1, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Subject: [sprout-discuss] [Parts and Crafts] March Mapping Madness (in
April!)
To: parts-and-crafts-boston-announcements at googlegroups.com,
sprout-discuss at googlegroups.com, Artisan's Asylum Discussion List <
discuss at artisansasylum.com>


Next week, an exciting event!    Parts and Crafts is teaming up with the
Public Laboratory for Open Science and Technology  (PLOTS) for a day of
grassroots mapping and aerial photography in Somerville.

*When:*  Saturday, April 7, from 10 am - 1 pm
*Where: *  Hodgkins Park   (Holland Ave, between Davis and Teele Squares),
http://bit.ly/HB1Zku
*Who:*   Kids, adults, and everyone in between.   No age restrictions, all
are welcome.
*Cost: *  Free!   (rsvp at  http://bit.ly/Hz5bvI  so we know you're coming!)

Some of you are familiar with our previous attempts at aerial
mapping.<http://davis-square.livejournal.com/2677835.html>
 We're trying again, this time with a better anchoring system  (and a
little help from our friends).

This is part of an ongoing series of mapping trainings, organized by PLOTS
in cities and towns all over the world -- in London, Austin, Chicago,
Portland, NYC, Jerusalem, Philly, Zurich, and in Somerville.    We're
excited to be participating, and hope you can make it out  -- please share
widely with friends and networks!

*What's grassroots mapping? *  It's an inexpensive way to make high quality
maps, using balloons, kites, cameras, and simple map-knitting software.
  Normally aerial maps are made from satellites and airplanes (for an
example of what that typically looks like, go here:
http://privatelaboratory.org/home).   The resulting maps are often
expensive and inaccessible.

*How does it work?  *  By attaching a small camera shooting in continuous
mode to a balloon or a kite, you can take high-quality photos of your
neighborhood, town, or city and then "knit" them together into a map using
the free software Mapknitter.    For this Saturday, we'll be using a
weather balloon, a rig made out of a plastic bottle, a cheap
point-and-shoot camera, and a lot of string.   Details here:
http://publiclaboratory.org/tool/balloon-mapping

*Why make our own maps? *   Maps are often used by those in power to exert
influence over territory, or control territorial narratives. "Grassroots
mapping" attempts to invert this dynamic by using maps as a mode of
communication and as evidence for an alternative, community-owned
definition of a territory.   PLOTS got its start in grassroots mapping by
mapping the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Coast, putting cameras
on balloons in the Gulf Coast and working with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade
to document damage that was underreported by the state.   (modified from
PLOTS website)

*How do I get involved?  * Come to the mapping next Saturday at Hodgkins
Park!    RSVP  If you're on this list but not in Boston, you can also check
out the March Madness site to find a training in your area:
http://publiclaboratory.org/madness

[image: PLOTS March Mapping Madness poster]




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