Working Groups

Working Groups are the main way in which the Foundation supports OSM in specific areas. Some are more active than others. Working Groups may include a member of the board.

Like everything in OpenStreetMap, we are very open and always welcome new working group members and helpers. If you support the ideals of OpenStreetMap and open data and want to help, just email the group that interests you.

Follow the links on this page to find out more about what each group does and who its members are.

Licensing Working Group

Handle issues relating the the current license for OSM data
Migrating to a new license.

Data Working Group

Resolution of issues in copyright violation, disputes, vandalism, and bots, beyond the normal means of the community.
Helping to set policy on data.

Operations Working Group

Planning and maintenance of the OSM API and servers.

Engineering Working Group

Handling software development paid for by the OSMF
Putting out calls for proposals on tasks of interest, and accepting proposals on other tasks
Offering a platform for coordination of software development efforts across the OSM ecosystem
Managing OSM’s participation in software mentorship programs

Communication Working Group

Maintaining blog.openstreetmap.org and OpenStreetMap on X, Mastodon, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Supporting fundraising
Responding to press contacts
Oversight of design and content on osmfoundation.org

StateoftheMap Organizing Committee

Organization and execution of the annual OpenStreetMap Foundation Conference "The State of the Map"

Membership Working Group

Administering the membership database
Answering routine membership queries
Increasing OSMF Membership

Local Chapters and Communities Working Group

Encouraging local groups to become Local Chapters
Seeking ways to help local communities build cohesion
Facilitating a global exchange of ideas among Local Chapters and communities
Reviewing and improving the Local Chapters affiliation scheme

Historic

Management Team
Local Chapters Working Group - Responsible for running the process of setting up federated OSM-Foundation local groups. This is now done by the Secretary. It has now been restarted as a group focusing on encouraging local community growth.