You’re invited to propose a session for the annual State of the Map US 2020 conference being held in Tucson, Arizona from November 5 to 8. State of the Map US is the biggest and best gathering of OpenStreetMap community members from across the country, and we would love for you to participate!
Whether you are brand new to OSM or a core contributor, we want to hear from you. Do you want to host a workshop to share your mapping or technical expertise with fellow mappers? Are you interested in discussing an OpenStreetMap related topic in depth with like-minded folks? Do you want to do an outdoor mapping event? Let us know! This year’s conference will be our first conference in the southwest and we especially welcome proposals from local and regional mappers. We will be holding a few live, virtual Q&A sessions over the coming weeks should you want to talk about your idea before submitting or hear more about speaking at the conference.
Session Formats & Topics
The program will include space for keynote speakers, panels, 20 minute talks, 5 minute lightning talks, 1+ hour workshops, birds of a feather topics, and there’s even room for improvisational sessions and outdoor activities. Our goal is to not only feature speakers but also include more time for organic participation from all attendees. We also hope to feature a few virtual sessions from speakers who cannot travel to the US and a series of sessions in Spanish. Please indicate in the application if you’d be interested in presenting virtually. We invite proposals about anything OpenStreetMap, including but not limited to:
Don’t worry if your idea doesn’t fit neatly in these categories. Please submit it anyway and surprise us!
Need some inspiration? Check out past year’s programs: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013
Who should submit an idea?
You! If you have never proposed a topic for a conference before, please don’t think it’s not for you. Every year, about half of the speakers at State of the Map US are given by first-timers. The typical SOTMUS attendee is passionate about maps and surely interested in your story!
Want to propose a session but need some financial support to attend? Apply for a scholarship!
Timeline & Deadlines
Have questions? Email us at sotmus@openstreetmap.us, chat in the #sotmus channel on Slack, or attend one of the SOTM US live Q&A sessions we will be announcing soon on the Wiki page, and via Twitter.
We look forward to seeing you in Tucson!
Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Please download the sponsorship prospectus and contact us at sponsors@stateofthemap.us.
Propose a session for State of the Map US 2020, Tucson AZ!
COVID-19 Monitoring The State of the Map US Organizing Committee is committed to holding a live conference. Should our conference be impacted, we will look to postpone the event until early 2021 and do not intend to cancel or move to a virtual format. We will be working with our hosts, the University of Arizona, to provide updates over the coming months. Should your talk be chosen and the conference dates change, we will be in touch to make sure you are still available to present.
© OpenStreetMap US
Questions? email team@openstreetmap.us
Photos © Justin Miller unless otherwise noted