Codeando Mexico is a Mexican non-profit organization, with 11 years of experience, that works with technology and data for the public good. Our goal is to build better societies by building and contributing to sustainable and useful tech / data projects.
We strongly believe in participatory, community-led projects that leverage tech and data to find solutions for our societies’ most pressing issues. We have spent the last decade building sustainable digital tools, opening up our tech and data, collaborating with other teams and contributing to amazing open-source projects.
As part of our work, we act as technical partners to communities that require assistance. We are aware that the communities themselves are the experts in the problems we are trying to solve. To do this, we mostly take advantage of great open-source digital tools that are already available.
For this talk, we would like to present three projects, talk about the lessons learned and provide insights on how to better collaborate between communities. In these collaborations we face similar challenges: How to integrate different skill levels to crowdmapping projects? How to structure participation to ensure data quality? How to help our partners better communicate and amplify the job they are undertaking? How to find a common language? How to create better relationships between tech, data, and problem-focused communities?
Throughout the presentation we will talk about 3 projects:
8M Map - Collaboration to improve the workflow from mapping to visualization of the activities around the globe for the 8M Geochicas International Women's Day 2024.
Mapea tu Cuadra (map your block) - A collaboration with URBE, a local collective of urbanists, to map security and micro mobility infrastructure in their neighborhoods.
EcoZonas - Ongoing collaboration with WRI and the Wuppertal Institute to help neighborhoods map and identify climate disaster risks in their communities.
We will showcase the technologies and lessons learned, as well as useful strategies to build better collaborations.

In this dialogue, we take a journey through Geochicas’ eight years of impactful work within both the OpenStreetMap (OSM) and OSGeo communities. From our early days to our growth as a network of diverse voices, Geochicas has forged connections, expanded reach, and set new standards for inclusivity in open mapping and geographic information systems. Along the way, we’ve collaborated with other collectives, amplifying our impact across continents and platforms, and launched projects that bring a fresh perspective to digital mapping through the lens of equity and representation. This conversation uncovers the milestones we've reached, the partnerships we’ve cultivated, and the strategies we’re developing to build even more inclusive and supportive geospatial communities. Join us as we share stories, insights, and our vision for the future, exploring how we can continue inspiring positive change in the communities we care deeply about.