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Relaunching the YouthMappers Academy: A Global Hub for Open Mapping Education

YouthMappers Staff

In summer 2024, YouthMappers was awarded a Cesium Ecosystem Grant to improve community resilience and sustainability by training young people in 3D geospatial technologies. This post by YouthMappers describes the work completed.

We’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of the YouthMappers Academy, an online learning platform designed to equip students, educators, and volunteers with the foundational and advanced skills needed to thrive in the open mapping ecosystem, now including 3D geospatial data and analysis. Whether you're just beginning your journey with OpenStreetMap (OSM) or looking to deepen your expertise, our curated modules support learning at every level.

Originally launched in 2021 with just six tracks, the Academy was initially available only to members of the YouthMappers network. Now, we’re proud to relaunch the platform as a completely open-source, year-round resource, available to anyone—YouthMappers, mapping enthusiasts, educators, and the broader open mapping community. It’s hosted on an open platform, removing barriers to access and making it easier than ever to learn and contribute.

The Academy has grown to include 13 self-paced courses, covering topics such as the OSM ecosystem, tools like iD Editor and JOSM, field survey design, data management, and gender considerations in mapping. Each module is designed to not only build practical skills but also foster critical thinking and community engagement around open geospatial data.

YouthMappers Academy badges. Courtesy YouthMappers.

YouthMappers Academy badges. Courtesy YouthMappers.

One of the most exciting additions in this relaunch is the brand-new Introduction to 3D Data course, along with complementary training videos and related field exercise—made possible through a Cesium Ecosystem Grant. This grant-funded work allowed us to collaborate directly with Cesium to create a training experience that brings mapping into the third dimension. The course gives learners an engaging entry point into 3D geospatial data, showing how these technologies can be applied to humanitarian efforts, disaster response, and urban planning.

Thanks to the Cesium Ecosystem Grants program, we were able to produce high-quality training videos, hands-on activities, and practical demonstrations using Cesium Stories, empowering learners to visualize and share 3D datasets in meaningful ways. From identifying and mapping 3D attributes in the field or remotely to rendering those datasets in interactive 3D environments, this course opens up possibilities for applying open mapping to real-world challenges. Here are a few of our modules focusing on 3D:

Whether you’re contributing to open-source data, supporting research, or strengthening your local mapping chapter, the YouthMappers Academy is your gateway to impactful learning and meaningful action.

Field mapping in Thailand. Courtesy YouthMappers.

Field mapping in Thailand. Courtesy YouthMappers.

We’re proud to continue evolving this resource to meet the growing demand for accessible, high-quality open mapping education, including working with the increasing collection of 3D data. The relaunch of the YouthMappers Academy marks a new chapter in our commitment to democratizing access to mapping knowledge and empowering people everywhere to make a difference through open geospatial tools.

Explore the Academy, and check out other work funded by Cesium Ecosystem Grants.