Volunteer Mappers needed in Cumberland County

Along with OpenStreetMap US, North Carolina Emergency Management is working with local, state and federal partners to update building footprints in Cumberland County. Volunteer mappers can help improve public safety by contributing directly to the government data creation process.

Using crowdsourcing, this project is intended to improve public data, which will aid agencies, citizens, companies, and nonprofits in making more informed decisions during events such as severe weather and flooding.

"The purpose of Public Domain Map pilot is to develop up to date building footprints, which benefits the public by allowing us to develop accurate building impact information in FIMAN and FRIS," said Gary Thompson, Deputy Hazard Mitigation Chief with NCEM.

FIMAN, or the Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, is an online resource for flood awareness and forecasting. The program displays current and forecasted water levels and building and transportation impacts for hundreds of stream and coastal locations throughout the state. While FRIS, also known as the Flood Risk Information System, contains database driven digitally accessible flood hazard data, models, maps, risk assessments and reports, this site also provides flood insurance study supporting data and hydraulic models for download and use.

The Public Domain Map is designed to multiply the impact of volunteer mappers contributing to the public good through crowdsourcing. Using familiar tools and workflows, volunteers will contribute map data that is approved by agencies before publishing to OpenStreetMap and government datasets.

The Public Domain Map allows map contributors across the United States to edit and contribute to government datasets to leverage the power of crowdsourcing to improve public data. Volunteers contribute map data using familiar tools, which is then approved by agencies before publishing to OpenStreetMap and government datasets.

Visit https://openstreetmap.us/our-work/public-domain-map/ncem/ and learn how you can help improve public safety in Cumberland County.