2026-09-02 –, Conference Management Room4
Technology can scale solutions, but the impact on the ground happens through human action. Drawing on HOT’s experiences from around the world, this talk shows how FOSS tools when paired with collaboration and local engagement empower communities to become local changemakers.
Open, accessible technology is essential for social impact, but lasting change depends on the people behind it.
At the Humanitarian OpenstreetMap Team (HOT, hotosm.org) we build open source tools to lower the barrier for anyone, in particular people in vulnerable communities, to access geospatial technology for disaster management and development challenges.
Technology alone is not enough. Engaging people in software development, tool usage, and securing local ownership ensures solutions are meaningful and trusted.
This presentation shares examples from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, demonstrating how the combination of accessible technology and strong human connections can empower communities to become active changemakers.
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Indicate what is (are) the open source project(s) essential in your talk:HOTOSM tools and other easily accessible FOSS tools:
Drone Tasking Manager - https://dronetm.org/
OpenAerialMap - https://openaerialmap.org/
Tasking Manager - https://tasks.hotosm.org/
fAIr - https://fair.hotosm.org/
Chatmap - https://chatmap.hotosm.org/
FieldTM - http://field.hotosm.org/
Umap - http://umap.hotosm.org/
Mapswipe - https://mapswipe.org/
GIS Analyst at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team - Asia Pacific Hub
Leen is the Director of Technology and Data at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)
The HOT Technology team co-creates open source tools that empower local communities, to collaboratively create and use geospatial data for disaster management and development challenges.
With 15+ years of experience in the geospatial industry, Leen has worked in diverse environments: from tackling development challenges in low-resource settings in Tanzania (Enabel) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (WPF) to contributing to corporate geospatial business in Belgium (Capgemini) and Thailand (TomTom).