Meet Mapillary Ambassador: Shravan
Meet Shravan, Mapillary Ambassador from Ahmedabad, India. Shravan is an urban researcher at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University. He is an active contributor on OSM. He was inspired to start using Mapillary by how Google was not allowed to do their Street View project in India. He makes it a point to contribute to Mapillary whenever on a trip or just randomly driving or biking around town. He co-organizes Maptime and Datameet events in India, encouraging people to use Mapillary and improve OSM. He is also active on Twitter @shravanshah.
We asked Shravan some questions to uncover his Mapillary story.
Why are you using Mapillary?
I use Mapillary to improve OpenStreetMap data in my country. I also use it to improve street level imagery in India, as Google Street View doesn’t exist here. I use Mapillary with field papers to improve OSM in India. I use Mapillary to improve urban level problems like transportation, improving slum areas, and land-use. The free access to data makes it a lot easier to contribute and use the data for the services, which can make a big impact on urban and rural areas. I will start working with the state police to improve Mapillary coverage in the state of Gujarat. They will be using Mapillary in various ways, improving transportation infrastructure, analyzing accident zones etc.
Also the JOSM integration of Mapillary has made it a lot easier to map on OpenStreetMap.
Tell us about your favourite sequence
One of my favorite sequences so far is the one I shot in the great Indian desert of Kutch. There is a hill in the middle of the desert and the road takes you up to the end point. I took this sequence when my girlfriend and I were travelling around the 'Rann of Kutch'.
How did you get hooked on Mapillary/what is your favorite part?
I got hooked on Mapillary when mapping streets in a particular area in Bangalore, while working at Mapbox. It’s always fun to contribute to Mapillary. I get a rush when I start using it. My favorite part is to see the map of India turn green with all those Mapillary sequences.
What would you like to tell others about Mapillary?
Try Mapillary once, and I am sure you’ll get hooked to it really soon. It’s easy. The more you help and contribute, the faster the map of the world will turn green.
What is your best Mapillary tip for newcomers?
Try it. I am sure you’ll never look back.