Mikko Tamura is a community builder, open mapping advocate, and humanitarian geospatial leader based in the Philippines. He is the founder of MapBeks, a volunteer-driven initiative that champions inclusive mapping for the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV (PLHIV). Mikko currently serves as the Community Manager for the Open Mapping Hub – Asia Pacific at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), where he leads regional strategies to strengthen grassroots mapping leadership, digital inclusion, and local data empowerment.

With over a decade of experience in digital mapping, community engagement, and humanitarian response, Mikko has led multiple award-winning projects, including the LGBT Safe Spaces Map and the HIV Support Facilities Map. He was the 2022 Gender Equity and Inclusion Champion at the World Geospatial Awards and is the first Filipino to win the Distinction Award at the ASEAN Geospatial Challenge.

Mikko’s work focuses on harnessing Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups and drive community-led solutions in times of crisis and beyond. He is passionate about using maps to make invisible communities visible—and believes that every map is a story of people helping people.