Draft: MIcrogrant Proposal- OSMLocalizer #74
Description
Microgrant Proposal
Individual/Group Details
- Name: Aadesh Baral
- Group: OSGeo Nepal
- Location: Global
- Contact Details: info@osgeonepal.org, aadeshbaral7@gmail.com
Project Title
Project Overview
OSMLocalizer is an open-source (https://github.com/osgeonepal/OSMLocalizer), web-based application designed to streamline the localization and internationalization of OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. Within the OSM Nepal community, we recognized a critical gap: there was no specialized tool dedicated to language-specific map data editing. Existing platforms, such as MapRoulette, HOT Tasking Manager, are general-purpose and not optimized for high-volume localization workflows. For instance, when using MapRoulette, localizing a single place typically involves opening a project in one tab, which then redirects to an external editor like iD or JOSM to edit data in another tab, and using a separate tab for translation or transliteration, resulting in a fragmented and time-consuming process.
To address this, OSMLocalizer brings together three core capabilities in a single platform:
- An integration with translation and transliteration APIs.
- Organized editing task workflows.
- A built-in OSM tag editor to just edit tags.
These combined tools enable contributors to efficiently and accurately localize map features. For instance, the OSM Nepal community used OSMLocalizer to localize over 5,000 places in just 2–3 months a task that would have taken significantly longer with existing tools, which typically require 2–3 minutes per edit. In contrast, OSMLocalizer allows users to complete each localization task in just 10–20 seconds. As of now, the platform has 48 registered users actively contributing to map data localization.
About You
OSGeo Nepal is a collaborative open-source geospatial developer community in Nepal, made up of over 150 members from both academic and professional backgrounds. This project is the result of close coordination between OSGeo Nepal and the OSM Nepal community, who are active contributors to OpenStreetMap. Together, we combine strong mapping experience with technical expertise, positioning us well to lead, scale, and sustain this initiative.
Moreover, our prior experience—including mine and that of fellow community members—in maintaining and developing organized OSM editing tools like the HOT Tasking Manager demonstrates our ability to lead this project.
Objectives and Impact
What problems will the project address?
OSMLocalizer aims to significantly improve the quality and accessibility of OpenStreetMap (OSM) data by streamlining the process of localization and internationalization. By integrating translation tools, an organized editing workflow, and an OSM tag editor into a single platform, it removes the friction of using multiple disconnected tools, empowering contributors to work more efficiently and inclusively.
How will it benefit the regional and/or global community?
The tool has already proven its value within the OSM Nepal community by enabling the localization of over 5,000 map features in just 2–3 months. Scaling OSMLocalizer for global use will empower other communities, especially those in multilingual, marginalized, or disaster-prone regions, to efficiently localize place names and map features in their languages.
In addition to linguistic localization, OSMLocalizer plays a critical role in humanitarian mapping by ensuring that map data is understandable and usable by local populations during emergencies and recovery efforts. Clear and localized/internationalized map data can be life-saving in times of crisis, making this tool highly valuable for humanitarian organizations and response teams.
How does it align with the OpenStreetMap mission and goals?
OSMLocalizer supports OSM’s mission to create a free, editable map of the world by making it easier for contributors to improve the richness and usability of the data in their languages. It helps make the map more accurate, inclusive, and representative of local knowledge and language diversity, core principles of the OSM movement. By lowering the technical and workflow barriers to localization, OSMLocalizer empowers more users to contribute and collaborate.
Why is this project innovative, valuable, and impactful?
OSMLocalizer is the first tool in the OSM ecosystem built specifically for localization and internationalization at scale. Its innovation lies in integrating task management, translation, and OSM editing in a unified interface, significantly reducing time and effort per edit. It’s also community-driven and open-source, ensuring transparency, adaptability, and long-term relevance. Its success in Nepal shows the clear value of such a tool, and its global potential is immense, especially for regions that are underserved in the current OSM tool landscape.
What is the expected long-term impact of the grant?
The grant will allow us to:
- Migrate the project to an independent domain and stable hosting platform.
- Open up challenge creation to a broader user base.
- Improve the UI/UX and scalability of the platform for global users.
- Conduct outreach and onboarding for global communities, including those involved in humanitarian mapping.
Long-term, OSMLocalizer has the potential to become the go-to tool for OSM data localization and humanitarian use, helping communities around the world make their maps more linguistically, culturally, and practically inclusive. This will strengthen the global OSM ecosystem by supporting more localized, representative, and impactful mapping efforts.
Grant Amount Requested (In EUR)
- Total Requested: € 6000.00
Budget Breakdown
Grant Amount Requested (In EUR)
| Budget Item | Description | Cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| UI/UX Improvements | Designing and implementing a user-friendly interface to improve task creation, editing flow, and overall usability. Includes wireframes, user testing, frontend component development, and integration. Estimated 80 hours @ €20/hour. |
1,600.00 |
| Data Validation Workflow | Developing collaborative data validation features to support verification of existing OSM tags and edits at scale. Estimated 30 hours @ €20/hour. |
600.00 |
| Core Development & Deployment | Improvements in project maintainability(Optimizations, CI/CD workflows and unit tests) and scalability work for global use. Estimated 60 hours @ €15/hour. |
900.00 |
| Hosting & Infrastructure (24 months) | AWS services including: – Amazon RDS PostgreSQL – 1 x EC2 (t4g.medium) instances |
65.00/month × 24 = 1560.00 |
| Domain Registration | 2-year registration for osmlocalizer.org |
~50 |
| Community Engagement & Outreach | OSGeo Nepal community development, Meetups, Events, Community onboarding and feedback cycles (online & offline), | 600 |
| Ongoing Maintenance + Bug Fixes | 550.00 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | 200.00 |
We currently do not have any alternative funding sources for this project. If granted, this would be the first financial support not only for the OSMLocalizer project but also for the OSGeo Nepal community as a whole. This funding would play a pivotal role in uplifting and empowering our community, enabling us to scale our work and establish credibility.
Looking ahead, we plan to explore and implement a self-sustaining model for the project to ensure long-term viability and continued development of the platform.
Why Funding is Essential:
Funding is critical to ensure the successful global launch and long-term sustainability of OSMLocalizer. The current version of the tool was developed and tested within a limited environment, using voluntary developer time and infrastructure support from Kathmandu Living Labs. However, to move beyond a prototype and turn OSMLocalizer into a scalable, reliable, and globally usable tool, financial support is necessary.
Currently, the application is hosted on a limited-capacity server of Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL). However:
- There is no formal hosting/domain agreement with KLL.
- Due to server limitations, the platform suffers from scalability issues, and challenge creation is restricted to select user roles.
- It is still running on KLL’s domain (klldev.org), which creates barriers to broader visibility and ownership.
The key areas where funding will directly contribute to project success include:
-
Hosting and Infrastructure: We intend to migrate from our limited local setup to a scalable cloud infrastructure. Funding will cover hosting costs on AWS, ensuring stability, speed, and data redundancy.
-
Professional UI/UX Design and Implementation: A well-designed interface is crucial to make the tool accessible for users across language barriers and technical skill levels. Funding will allow us to contract experienced designers and developers to build an intuitive, mobile-responsive interface.
-
Collaborative Data Validation Workflow: To support quality assurance in localized data, we need to build a robust verification mechanism. This work requires dedicated developer time, planning, and testing, which can’t be sustained without financial support.
Implementation Plan
Timeline and Phases
Backend Optimization & Global Deployment (3 Months: August 2025 - October 2025)
- Migrate hosting from current KLL infrastructure to AWS with a dedicated domain (
osmlocalizer.org). - Optimize backend performance and enable open challenge creation for contributors globally.
- Improve scalability, error handling, and backup systems for reliability.
- Finalize user management, project permissions, and API enhancements.
Community Outreach & Documentation (3 Months: November 2025 - January 2026)
- Develop onboarding materials: user guide, contributor documentation, and setup guide for localized use.
- Organize remote and local mapathons in collaboration with university chapters and regional groups.
- Gather feedback through workshops and refine the platform based on input.
UI/UX Design & Implementation (4 Months: February 2026 - May 2026)
- Design user interface mockups and interactive wireframes.
- Implement core UI improvements, with a focus on intuitive workflows for localization, editing, and translation.
- Improve responsiveness and accessibility for global users.
Data Validation Workflow (3 Months: June 2026 - August 2026)
- Design and implement a collaborative data validation system.
- Enable users to verify or update localized tags based on existing OSM data and real-world changes.
- Integrate user roles and task progress tracking to support team-based review.
Community Engagement
- Monthly progress updates via OSGeo Nepal’s social channels, mailing lists and blog posts on community.openstreetmap.org.
- Regular Virtual Community meetups
- Open-source development on GitHub to encourage collaboration and transparency.
- Enable contributors to open localization challenges and participate in platform development.
- We will further be collaborating with organizations & communities like Youthmappers KU , GESAN , GES and OSM Nepal as we are jointly working towards the similar goal
SLA, Maintenance, and Sustainability
- Service Standards: Uptime target of 90% post-migration, with regular backups and monitoring.
- Maintenance: The OSGeo Nepal developer team will maintain and update the platform.
- Sustainability: The major features and functionality of this project will be completed using the grant. For the running costs, we plan to implement a community-supported sustainability model, potentially including partnerships, grants, and light-cost services to organizations using the platform for structured localization campaigns. This model has already been a success in another organized editing tool HOT Tasking Manager.
Anticipated Completion: 12 Months
Evaluation and Success Metrics
| Metric | Target Goal | Measurement Tool/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Number of localized OSM features | 15,000+ localized places globally | OSM changeset logs and app usage stats |
| User growth | Reach 200+ registered users globally | Internal user registration data |
| Community Partners | Onboard at least 2 additional OSM communities (outside Nepal). | Internal data |
| Mapathon events conducted | Organize at least 5 local/global events | Event reports and participation metrics |
| Platform uptime | Maintain 90%+ uptime post-migration | AWS monitoring tools and logs |
Conflict of Interest
To the best of our knowledge, neither I nor OSGeo Nepal have any known conflicts of interest with the OpenStreetMap Foundation. While this project was initially developed during my time at Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL) and is currently hosted on KLL’s infrastructure, there are no conflicts of interest in further developing and maintaining the project under the ownership of the OSGeo Nepal community.
Risks
-
Dependency on Overpass API
Risk: OSMLocalizer relies on the Overpass API to fetch map features within a defined Area of Interest (AOI) when creating challenges. Any downtime or rate limits on Overpass can delay or block challenge generation.
Mitigation: Allow importing pre-generated GeoJSON files as an alternative. Explore Overpass Turbo or self-hosted Overpass instance if usage grows. -
Reliance on OSM API for Data and Edits
Risk: The platform depends on the official OSM API to fetch element details and upload changesets. Downtime or rate limiting could disrupt user workflows and editing capabilities.
Mitigation: Identify OSM downtime and notify users early about the downtime. Save changes locally and provide the option to upload changes when OSM API is reachable in case of failure. -
Use of External Translation/Transliteration APIs
Risk: OSMLocalizer integrates external APIs for translation and transliteration. These may have usage limits or require payment, which could become a barrier for challenge creators, especially in low-resource settings.
Mitigation: Explore free/open-source NLP alternatives for basic language support.
Recommendations
"The beauty of OpenStreetMap lies in its openness — it’s free, editable, and anyone can contribute. What makes it even more powerful now is the ability to localize it in just a few clicks. With OSMLocalizer, I’ve been able to easily localize more than 2000 features in Nepali language. Over the past year, this tool has significantly streamlined my contributions, making the localization process faster and very easy. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend checking it out: https://osmlocalizer.klldev.org/."
Rabi Shrestha
Disclaimer
Parts of this proposal, including portions of the wording and structure, were drafted with the assistance of AI (ChatGPT by OpenAI) to improve clarity, consistency, and completeness. All technical content, community context, goals, and vision reflect the actual work, priorities, and direction of OSGeo Nepal and the OSMLocalizer project. The final content has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the OSGeo Nepal Working Group.