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USF to host event to promote safe transportation
[10.19.2011]

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Geography department, Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), Bicycle Club and Geographical Society at the University of South Florida will host an OpenStreetMap (OSM) Party on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, from noon to 4 p.m. at the University of South Florida. This party aims at mapping out safe bike and walking paths, bus routes and stops, local amenities, safe zones, cultural and historical spots and other areas of interest on the USF campus and surrounding areas.

Guests are invited to assist in the creation of an interactive map identifying pathways and destinations that will be useful to students and the local community. This will be attained through the use of the OpenStreetMap program and experienced GPS operators, who will be on-hand to assist with data collection.

“USF would greatly benefit from an open-source map added to by students, for students, that the general public could access in making the campus more readily accessible,” said Samantha Brown, president of the Geographical Society at USF. “Considering our collaboration with the Geographical Society of USF and the Bicycle Club of USF, the terrain we cover, both on foot and on bike, should help to increase accessibility as well as safety.”

OSM is a program created through Wikipedia that allows users to create a map that is readily available to others. Due to the legal and technical restrictions on most other online mapping programs, OSM seeks to limit the prevention of individuals from using them in creative and resourceful ways.

For more information, please contact Samantha Bowden or Charles Travis, Ph.D. by phone at (813) 974-2804 or by email at sbowden@mail.usf.edu or ctravis@usf.edu.

-USF-

Filed under:Arts and Sciences Events Geography, Environment, and Planning   
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Author: Meghan Mangrum
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