JumpStart International has sponsored a program to produce complete, free, and open public-domain street maps in developing countries. JumpStart’s project was piloted in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, where participants are being trained in OpenStreetMap: GIS surveying and cartography skills and techniques to produce a data set for a street map of the West Bank using web-based open source software. Participants are gaining practical technical skills in mapping and connecting with a rapidly growing international community of mapping enthusiasts and experts using new web communication technologies.
By creating free and open maps for governments, NGOs, educational institutions, and the private sector, the FreeMap progam will serve as an economic multiplier for local development by creating:
- better transparency in government planning for civil services
- better relief and reporting for humanitarian efforts
- better fluidity in private markets
- the potential to generate job opportunities that enable businesses to enhance their services