Mapping for Impact: Introducing Open Mapping to Civil Society in Sri Lanka (sotm2025)

The open mapping movement in Sri Lanka has gained significant traction in recent years, with grassroots organizations demonstrating how open geospatial technologies can serve as tools for advocacy, resilience, and participatory governance. Supported by the Vriddhi Project, implemented by UNOPS Sri Lanka, this initiative introduced OpenStreetMap (OSM) and complementary open-source geospatial tools to 113 civil society organizations (CSOs) in Sri Lanka. These CSOs represented diverse sectors including women’s rights, land rights, environmental protection, youth development and disaster risk reduction. The approach was structured around four pillars. Initiation and Engagement examined how the unfamiliar concept of open mapping was contextualized in local languages, building trust and digital confidence among grassroots actors. Capacity Building and Toolkits focused on the design of non-technical training modules and the deployment of user-friendly tools that directly informed local advocacy. Challenges and Lessons Learned highlighted issues of digital inequality, connectivity gaps, institutional skepticism, and gendered barriers to participation, while also reflecting on strategies to sustain momentum in remote and conflict-affected areas. Outcomes and Impact showcased case studies, including mapping project outcomes, visualizing land disputes, and documenting community assets, demonstrating how open mapping enhanced transparency, collaboration, and storytelling across civil society initiatives. By embedding open mapping practices into grassroots workflows, this project illustrates the transformative potential of locally driven geospatial innovation. It further underscores the critical role of civil society in advancing open data ecosystems and sustaining participatory development in South Asia. This session will take the audience on a journey through the practical, human-centered introduction of OpenStreetMap and open geospatial technologies to civil society organizations (CSOs) across Sri Lanka. This initiative empowered 113 organizations working in diverse sectors—ranging from women’s rights, land rights and environmental protection to youth development and disaster risk reduction. The presentation will be structured around four key pillars: 1. Initiation & Engagement: How the idea of open mapping was introduced to grassroots-level organizations unfamiliar with geospatial tools, Methods used to tailor the concept of “open data” to local contexts in multiple languages, Strategies for building trust and digital confidence among participants. 2. Capacity Building & Toolkits: Designing training modules suitable for non-technical audiences, Demonstrations of tools like Field Papers, OSM Tracker, QGIS, and the HOT Tasking Manager, Interactive mapping sessions held in underserved communities, and how they unlocked new insights and local advocacy potential. 3. Challenges & Lessons Learned: Navigating digital divides, internet accessibility issues, and organizational skepticism, Overcoming gendered barriers in tech participation, Building momentum in remote and conflict-affected areas with limited exposure to open data culture. 4. Outcomes & Impact Stories: Real-world case studies: mapping flood-prone areas, land disputes and visualizing community assets, Reflections on how open maps enhanced transparency, collaboration, and storytelling within civil society projects, Future pathways for sustaining open mapping culture at the grassroots level. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ about this event: https://2025.stateofthemap.org/sessions/MM8TEB/