2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria
| General Information |
    2017 Hurricane Irma and Maria Response is an Activation of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) to provide map data to assist the response to, and recovery from, these hurricanes which devastated parts of the Caribbean in 2017 starting on 5 September. This is still an active disaster response and recovery project, with emergencies still to manage and a lot of people to assist in their basic needs and longer-term recovery. Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic traveled through the northern British Virgin Islands and towards Florida after passing a string of small eastern Caribbean islands, impacting civilians and infrastructure. The hurricane first severely impacted the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, the French and Dutch parts of Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands. It then impacted the eastern and northern coasts of Puerto Rico, northern part of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the northeastern part of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida. Then followed Hurricane Maria which started to hit the same areas on 19-20 september and evolved in less than 12 hours from Category 1 to Category 5 when reaching the Lesser Antillas. Devastations by extreme winds, floods, landslides are reported throughout Dominica, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Follow the situation report for Hurricane Maria from Humanity Road! Read more about this activation update on the webpage. |
For aid organizations
Map and data services
About OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap offers an online map (and spatial database) which is updated by the minute. Various tools and services allow data extracts for GIS specialists, Routable Garmin GPS data, Smartphone GPS navigation, and other device-compatible downloads. With an internet connection, regular syncing is possible with open access to the community contributed data as it comes in, with OpenStreetMap's bulk data downloads ideal for use offline. In addition, maps can also be printed to paper.
Browse the activation area to get a feel for the data that is currently available. Different map styles including an Humanitarian style can be selected on the right side, and some data may not render (appear) on the map, but could be exported from the underlying database (See export section below).
Paper maps
Poster size Maps and normal sized paper atlases of custom areas can be printed:
- FieldPapers Paper Maps with grid for field survey or general navigation purposes,
Exporting OpenStreetMap data
Anyone can use OSM data for free under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) as long as OSM contributors are credited. Exports of the OSM data for affected areas of Hurricanes Irma and Maria can be downloaded from the OSM Export Tool, and the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) platform (
@humdata). Datasets are being published through the Export Tool as mapping projects are being completed on the Tasking Manager. Please check back frequently for new datasets listed in the table below.
The exports listed in the table below contain formats for Garmin (.imp) and .mwm which works in the mobile app MAPS.ME
Usage of OSM data for humanitarian missions
- CartONG
- Salinas CartONG Map
- Many more maps from CartONG that utilize OpenStreetMap on their website
- CrowdRescueHQ
- National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation (NAPSG)
- Standby Task Force (SBTF)
For mappers
- HOT response September 5 - November 30 complete; thank you! See below for other mapping or links to local mapping projects.
How you can contribute
Learn to map
- You can contribute to the response via the internet by tracing buildings, roads, waterways, etc. (as requested by project). To react rapidly to support humanitarians deploying, we need a lot of contributors for remote editing. Visit the Missing Maps beginners section to get started.
- For more information visit LearnOSM.org for modular training on a wide variety of OSM topics from beginner to advanced.
Mapping
- Please choose from highest priority first. Pre-disaster situations should be simple to complete fast, just validating the essential missing infrastructures. Post-disaster mapping could require much more work and more complex planning of emergencies, but will require newer specific imagery source.
- Generic instructions on how to use the Task Manager and map roads, buildings and waterways can be found here.
- For experienced mappers, information on validating the tasks can be found here.
Areas being covered by projects in Tasking Manager can be seen on the uMap for 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Projects
| Project No. | Priority | Location | What to map | Imagery source | Mapping status | Validation status | Exported datasets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active OSM-US projects for Hurricanes Maria and Irma | |||||||
| US Project 129 | Medium | Hollywood, Miami-Dade Metro Area, Southeastern Florida (USA) | Building only | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | In progress (53%) | In progress (1%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| US Project 128 | Urgent | Puerto Rico (USA) | Roads validation only in JOSM - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | In progress (87%) | Not needed? (14%) | Download Puerto Rico roads data (daily since 2017-09-22 on HDX) |
| US Project 125 | Medium | Saratosa (South) and Arcadia, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Roads validation only in JOSM - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | In progress (75%) | Not needed (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| US Project 122 | Medium | Clearwater Building Import, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Import buildings and validation - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | In progress (97%) | In progress (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| US Project 121 | Medium | Tampa Building Import, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Import buildings and validation - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | In progress (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| US Project 119 | Low | Miami-Dade Metro Area, Southeastern Florida (USA) | Validation and road improvement - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | In progress (93%) | In progress (1%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| Archived projects for Hurricane Maria | |||||||
| Project 3782 | Done | Puerto Rico recovery (Caguas and Aguas Buenas area) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-12-04) |
| Project 3716 | Done | Puerto Rico 11 (Mayagüez to San Germán) (beginner friendly, but some dense areas around Mayagüez!) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-30) |
| Project 3696 | Done | Puerto Rico 10 (Arecibo to Utuado) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-29) |
| Project 3694 | Done | Puerto Rico 9 (Sabana Grande to Adjuntas) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-23) |
| Project 3684 | Done | Puerto Rico 8 (Florida and Manati) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-21) |
| Project 3671 | Done | Puerto Rico 7 (Ponce to Jayuya) (beginner friendly, but some dense areas around Ponce!) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-12) |
| Project 3665 | Done | Puerto Rico 6 (Comerio to Vega Baja) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-02) |
| Project 3661 | Done | Puerto Rico 5 (Cidra to Santa Isabel) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-15) |
| Project 3656 | Done | Puerto Rico 4 (Carolina and Trujillo Alto) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-11-05) |
| Project 3643 | Done | Puerto Rico 3 (south-east, from Guayama to Humacao and Gurabo) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-23) |
| Project 3633 | Done | Puerto Rico 2 (Guajataca Dam) | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-16) |
| Project 3631 | Done | Puerto Rico 1 (North-East, between Loíza and Naguabo) and Isla de Vieques | Buildings only | ESRI/All | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-05) |
| Project 3595 | Done | Saint Croix (US Virgin Islands) | Buildings only | Bing/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-05) |
| Project 3593 | Done | Montserrat (Northwest) (UK) | Roads and buildings | DigitalGlobe Premium | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-03) |
| Project 3589 | Done | Dominica | Buildings mostly + unoffsetting | Bing | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-20) |
| Archived projects for Hurricane Irma | |||||||
| Project 3579 | Done | Saint-Martin (French part) - pass 2 | Roads and buildings | Specific hi-resolution imagery | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-16) |
| Project 3547 | Done | Keys 1 (East), Southern Florida (USA) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download Florida Keys data (2017-09-19) |
| Project 3540 | Done | Bonita Springs, Southwestern Florida 2 (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Sufficient (30%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3537 | Done | Naples, Southwestern Florida 1 (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3536 | Done | Isabela de Sagua (Cuba) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-10) |
| Project 3535 | Done | Moron-Bolivia-Primero (Cuba) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-11) |
| Project 3534 | Done | Caibarien (Cuba) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-10) |
| Project 3521 | Done | Saint Thomas and Saint John (US Virgin Islands) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Arcgis Online | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3520 | Done | Nassau 3 (North) (The Bahamas) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Arcgis Online | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3518 | Done | Nassau 2 (South) (The Bahamas) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3516 | Done | Homestead 1 (South), Southeastern Florida (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Sufficient (58%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3515 | Done | Inagua islands (The Bahamas) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3514 | Done | Saint-Barthélemy (France) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3513 | Done | Anguilla (UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3512 | Done | Antigua (Antigua and Barbuda) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3511 | Done | Nassau 1 (South-East) (The Bahamas) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3508 | Done | Providenciales (Turks and Caicos Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3506 | Done | Cockburn Island (Turks and Caicos Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) |
| Project 3504 | Done | Road Town (British Virgin Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) British Virgin Islands (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3503 | Done | Barbuda (Antigua and Barbuda) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) |
| Project 3502 | Done | Spanish Town (British Virgin Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) British Virgin Islands (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3501 | Done | Norman, Peter, and Cooper Islands (British Virgin Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM Data (2017-09-07) British Virgin Islands (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3500 | Done | Anegada Area (British Virgin Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) British Virgin Islands (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3499 | Done | Jost Van Dyke Area (British Virgin Islands, UK) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) British Virgin Islands (2017-09-08) |
| Project 3491 | Done | Saint-Martin (French part) - pass 1 (followed by project 3579) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-05) |
| Project 3486 | Done | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) - pass 1 (followed by projects 3573, 3592) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-23) |
| Project 3485 | Done | Sint Eustatius (The Netherlands) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Complete (100%) | Download OSM data (2017-09-07) |
| US Project 124 | Done | Naples, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Roads validation only in JOSM - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Complete (100%) | Not needed (2%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Non-started or interrupted archived projects | |||||||
| Project 3738 | Cancelled | Puerto Rico 12 (Caguas to Aguas Buenas) | Buildings validation | ESRI/All | Interrupted (20%) | Interrupted (4%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-24) NOT YET VALIDATED |
| Project 3592 | Interrupted | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) - pass 3 | Roads and buildings validation only | Specific hi-resolution imagery | Complete (100%) | Interrupted (68%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-23) |
| Project 3573 | Interrupted | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) - pass 2 (followed by project 3592) | Roads and buildings | Specific hi-resolution imagery | Sufficient (99%) | Sufficient (92%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-23) |
| Project 3542 | Cancelled | Fort Myers (Central) and Rocky Bay, Southwestern Florida 4 (USA) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Not started (0%) | Not started (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3541 | Interrupted | Fort Myers (South-West) and Sanibel Island, Southwestern Florida 3 (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Interrupted (4%) | Not started (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3539 | Cancelled | Pine Island, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Not started (0%) | Not started (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3538 | Interrupted | Cape Coral, Southwestern Florida (USA) | Roads and buildings - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Interrupted (1%) | Not started (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3526 | Cancelled | Miami (South) and Kendal (North), Souteastern Florida (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Not started (0%) | Not started (0%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| Project 3522 | Interrupted | Saba (The Netherlands) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Interrupted (3%) | Interrupted (3%) | Download OSM data (2017-10-07) |
| Project 3517 | Interrupted | Homestead 2 (North) and Kendal (South), Souteastern Florida (USA) | Buildings only - pre-disaster situation | Bing/Mapbox/DigitalGlobe | Interrupted (43%) | Interrupted (14%) | Download Southern Florida data (2017-11-28) |
| General data exports on HDX | |||||||
Antigua and Barbuda  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
British Virgin Islands  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
Dominican Republic  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
Haiti  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
Puerto Rico  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
Saint Kitts and Nevis  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
United States Virgin Islands  |
Download OSM data (NOT FULLY VALIDATED): roads, buildings, waterways, points of interest (daily since 2017-09-22) | ||||||
Available imagery
OSM default imagery sources
For much of the impacted area of Hurricane Irma and Maria, Bing was used as the default imagery. For Puerto Rico it was determined that Esri World Imagery was most consistent across the island.
- Bing provides a global imagery data source that is the 'default' Imagery available for OSM (default option in most editors).
- Mapbox provides a global imagery source and has been found to be more recent in areas impacted by Irma and Maria.
- DigitalGlobe provides two global imagery sets and the Premium imagery has been found to be more recent in certain areas impacted by Irma and Maria.
- Esri World Imagery is very consistently aligned with GPS traces on Puerto Rico although may be older than other imagery in the area, when no GPS available, align features to Esri.
Alternative imagery sources
- View Puerto Rico Imagery for alternative imagery sources of Puerto Rico.
How to add/use alternative imagery
In many cases better imagery is available than the default; when possible we set up a remote link directly via the Tasking Manager, so there is nothing to do, the iD editor and (as long as enabled) JOSM will automatically add the imagery.
Additionally, with JOSM, it's relatively easy to add special imagery if the license is appropriate for tracing into OSM. For more details see JOSM Imagery Help
Other projects in AOI
Edit-a-thon (Mapathon) events
- Please register your event.
- Find an avent to attend on MissingMaps.org.
- Announce your event on the calendar displayed on the home page of this wiki.
Local projects
Other links
- Provide any relevant links here...
About this activation
About HOT
To learn more about the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), explore more of our wiki pages (portal: HOT) or our website hotosm.org. We are a global community of mostly volunteers, we are also a US nonprofit organization, able to contract with other organizations (email info
hotosm
org to contact our staff), we are also a US 501-c-3 charitable organization.
History of this activation
Reactivity of the OSM Community
- September 5th – The HOT Community had been watching the development of Hurricane Irma.
HOT activates
- September 5th – HOT Lead, Blake Girardot, declares an activation for Hurricane Irma.
- September 18th – Hurricane Maria is added to catalog of disaster mapping events.
- September 22nd – Received request from American Red Cross for buildings in Puerto Rico.
- October 3rd – Received request from United States Federal Emergency Management Agency for Puerto Rico basemap.
- October 25th – HOT delivers 'first pass' of entire Puerto Rico buildings.
- November 30th - HOT concludes response.
Coordination
This activation is being co-lead by:
Local leads are Victor Ramirez (Puerto Rico).
You may also chat with HOT on Slack: discussions are archived and don't require a permanent connection.
Support team
This activation is being supported by:
- Mhairi O'Hara
- Nate Smith
- Dale Kunce
- Pete Masters
- Alekno
- Verdy_p
- vtcraighead
- Sparks
- Maligna
- Scott
- David
- Nils
Efforts made
As of October 25th:
- Hurricane Irma: 2100+ mappers, 540,000+ buildings, 14,000+ kilometers of roads
- Hurricane Maria: 5300+ mappers, 950,000+ buildings, 30,000+ kilometers of roads
HOT updates
- HOT activates for three disasters: hurricane Irma, Mexico earthquake, Bangladesh floods, 2017-09-09.
- HOT activates for five disasters (update), 2017-09-26.
- Fall 2017 disaster response: calling all mappers!, 2017-10-10.
- OSM Puerto Rico emerges stronger and ready to help rebuild!, 2017-10-27.
Press coverage
- Irma : mobilisation citoyenne pour rétablir les réseaux de communication, Initiatives, Libération, 2017-09-07.
- Après Irma, des internautes mobilisés pour cartographier en urgence les zones dévastées, Pixels, Le Monde, 2017-09-08.
- Ouragan Irma : des "hackers citoyens" se mobilisent au secours des victimes, Société, WeDemain.fr, 2017-09-11.
- Face aux ouragans, les multiples facettes de la solidarité numérique, Service-Direct.fr (initially from NextImpact.com), 2017-09-21.
- How Philly devs are lending a hand to Puerto Rico relief workers, Technical.ly Philly, 2017-09-29.
- Volunteers are helping Puerto Rico from home, with a map anyone can edit, The Rundown, PBS News Hour, 2017-10-01.
- A Mapathon to Pinpoint Areas Hardest Hit in Puerto Rico, New York Times, 2017-10-02.
- Red Cross Aid Workers from Around the Globe Help Americans in Wake of Hurricanes, American Red Cross, 2017-10-02.
- Help Puerto Rico Recover by Mapping Damaged Areas, Atlas Obscura, 2017-10-09.
- When Cartography Meets Disaster Relief, CityLab.com, 2017-10-11.
- Why Thousands of People Around the World Are Mapping Puerto Rico's Buildings and Streets, Justice, Earther.com, 2017-10-12.
- The Crowdsourced Maps Guiding Puerto Rico's Recovery, Wired.com, 2017-10-13.
- How Students Are Assisting Puerto Rico Recovery Efforts From Their Laptops, The University Network (TUN.com), 2017-10-13.
Donate
Emergencies such as this put a tremendous strain on OSM resources, particularly our servers and software. Your donations help keep OSM's systems operating in top form.
Donate to the OpenStreetMap Foundation.
HOT also need your donations, to help funding humanitarian mapping projects and development/maintenance of systems such as the Tasking Manager and Export Tool.