Hundreds of users, contributors, and mappers are converging next month in San Francisco to discuss [OpenStreetMap](http://www.openstreetmap.org/), the free and editable map of the world often called the “Wikipedia of maps.” More than 1 million people have signed up to contribute to OpenStreetMap, making it the world’s largest open-source map.
Here at [MapBox](http://mapbox.com/) we’re interested in the future of this project as we use OpenStreetMap data to power [MapBox Streets](http://www.mapbox.com/about/maps/), our online map of the world. The fact that this worldwide map is fully open has allowed us to focus on building powerful tools like [TileMill](http://www.mapbox.com/tilemill/), our open-source cartography studio, and to bring [high levels of customization to our maps](http://www.mapbox.com/showcase/), rather than spending our money on licensing proprietary, closed data for them.
The conference will serve to showcase how OpenStreetMap is being used in other businesses, government agencies, higher education curriculum, and even zombie-themed games, and it will bring together developers and mappers working to improve its infrastructure and data to advance the project and make it a true competitor of closed map data providers.
The [full event schedule](http://stateofthemap.us/saturday.html) is now live on the [conference website](http://stateofthemap.us/), with over 50 sessions related to using and improving OpenStreetMap. Speakers come from a diverse set of backgrounds, ranging from government to non-profits and the private sector. Dennis Watson will talk about [how Craigslist incorporated OpenStreetMap into its services](http://stateofthemap.us/sunday.html#schedule/sunday/build-a-craigslist-scale-map-installation-with-osm-data). Data visualization expert Eric Fischer is set to lead a session on [using TIGER data from the Census Bureau](http://stateofthemap.us/saturday.html#schedule/saturday/updating-openstreetmap’s-tiger-imports-to-tiger-2013). Representatives from international development and disaster relief organizations will discuss how OpenStreetMap has supported their efforts in helping others.
The conference will also offer hands-on workshops for all skill levels, networking happy hours, and a sprint day to conclude the event by putting project ideas into action.
Photo © [Justin Miller](http://www.flickr.com/photos/incanus).
This year’s conference will be the largest gathering of OpenStreetMap contributors to date, so why not join in on the fun? Registration is [open](http://sotmsf.eventbrite.com/), and all sessions will be available via livestream and later recorded video from [stateofthemap.us](http://stateofthemap.us/).
Bonnie Bogle runs everything “behind the scenes” at Development Seed – from finances to logistics to the office. She develops efficient systems without a lot of overhead, allowing Development Seed to stay small, agile, and focused on building open source tools. In addition to her role as operations manager, Bonnie leads communications, managing the blog, Twitter accounts, and most other external messaging. She is active in the local technology community, having organized monthly technology meetups in Washington, DC for more than two years and promoting other local events in her weekly Week in DC Tech blog post. She was also the lead organizer of DrupalCon DC, an international conference that drew more than 1,400 people, where she organized and ran all event logistics, communications, and coordination.
