11-21, 14:00–14:25 (Pacific/Auckland), WA220
This talk presents a volunteer-driven HIV mapping project in New Delhi using OpenStreetMap and VGI. In collaboration with NGOs and advocates, we map HIV support services to improve visibility, access, and dignity for PLHIV communities—showing how open data can drive health equity and community empowerment across India.
In India, people living with HIV (PLHIV) and members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to face structural and social barriers in accessing quality, stigma-free health services. Despite efforts by government and civil society to expand HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services, many individuals still struggle to find safe, welcoming spaces where they can receive support without discrimination. The problem is not just a lack of services—it is also the lack of visibility and access to accurate, up-to-date information about these services.
This session introduces an ongoing initiative to use OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to create an HIV Support Services Map in New Delhi, India, with the goal of scaling the model to other parts of the country. The project aims to empower PLHIV, LGBTQ+ individuals, health advocates, and local NGOs by mapping the landscape of HIV-related support—such as testing and treatment centers, counselling facilities, community clinics, and queer-friendly service providers. This data, when made openly available and community-maintained, has the potential to connect vulnerable populations with life-saving care.
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.