GDGPH at La Consolacion College Mendiola

Last Saturday (October 6), GDG Philippines were invited by Benjamin Caruncho III to La Consolacion College Manila. Community managers Anne Olvido, Chelle Gray and Jomar Tigcal, as well as Geo Advocate Wayne Manuel attended the event. Anne talked about Google Developers Groups (GDGs), Google Docs, Google Forms, Google+, and other Google technologies. Chelle then discussed Google Business Group Philippines and "Thesis Ideas: Where to start?" In the afternoon, Jomar talked about Android Apps development. Wayne did a talk about Google Map Maker and conducted hands-on mapping sessions after.

The events page is available in Google+ while the notes can be viewed here.

Congratulations to the Map Your Town Competition winners!

In case you haven't heard, mapping volunteers all over the country have kicked off a very ambitious plan to hold at least 80 mapUps in just a few months in order to build a better Philippine map. GDGs and mapping volunteers organized mapUps all over the country: Baguio, Pangasinan, Cebu, Bacolod, Dipolog, and Gensan just to name a few. Some RERs even hiked all the way to Sagada!

We'd like to thank everyone who participated, and we hope you'll continue mapping your towns and cities. Through this initiative, your updates can provide assistance to travelers, visitors, even locals, so that nobody gets lost in the Philippines. That makes traveling more fun, right?

After reviewing all the entries, ten mappers contributed the most number of edits. The top 10 mappers will get a netbook each.  For the top mapper, aside from winning a netbook, Google will be donating P100,000 to a public school of his choice.  Congratulations, Reynard Navarro of South Cotabato!

1. Reynard Navarro
2. Kiril Van Aguilar
3. Stephen Kenneth Eliserio
4. Jerome Locson
5. Balbino Guerrero
6. Eulogio Empio
7. Bjorn Aguilar
8. Grace Sojor
9. James Lloyd Atwil
10. Pepito Carillo, Jr.

You will be individually contacted in the coming weeks regarding your shipping details, so please check your emails.

Want see how some of the maps look like now? Take a look!

Bacolod

Baguio

Cebu

Dipolog

General Santos

Pangasinan

Related links: Map Your Town Competition Details / Google MapMaker

Map Your Town Competition - Philippines

UPDATE 07/04/2012: We have moved the deadline in order to accommodate the increasing demand for more mapUps. Please note that the new competition deadline is now August 31, 2012.

Early this quarter, more than 500 active mappers and volunteers joined forces across the Philippines in a series of Google Map Maker events that explored the benefits and fundamental steps toward building even more beautiful country maps.

The events kicked off with a Map Maker workshop in Manila, where Advocates and Regional Expert Reviewers worked alongside budding mappers. Their enthusiasm carried over to three Map Maker Summits is Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, where the Filipino mapping community focused on the ways an accurate country map can lend itself to improved community planning, disaster preparedness and tourism.

We have a very ambitious plan to have MapUps in 80 cities across the Philippines and would like to dedicate this activity for Philippine Tourism. Focus will be given on:

• Tourist spots
• Airports/Ports/Bus Terminals
• Hotels and Resorts
• Police Stations
• Malls / Business Establishments
• Pasalubong Stores
• Barangay / City Halls

To kick things up a bit, we will be awarding the top mappers in the country! Please make sure you read the mechanics below for details on how to join the Map Your Town Competition.

For updates, to request for a MapUp or to conduct one in your area, please visit the Mapping the Philippines site at http://goo.gl/Z944Z.

Mechanics

1. Interested individuals must register at http://goo.gl/Y4SLo.
2. This contest is only open to individuals based in the Philippines.
3. The Map Your Town competition shall start on May 16, 2012 and end on August 31, 2012. Only approved edits during this timeframe shall be considered eligible.
4. MapMaker Advocates and Regional Expert Reviewers are disqualified from the individual contest.
5. The top 10 mappers in the Philippines will be awarded with netbooks.  
6. For the mapper with the most number of contributions in the Philippines, PhP100,000 will be donated to a public school in his/her hometown.

Map Maker Summit Mindanao

After the Map Maker Summits in Manila, Visayas and Luzon, it was Mindanao's turn last April 21, 2012. Map Maker Summit Mindanao was held at STI College General Santos City. Almost 140 participants from Mindanao areas attended the event. There were IT professionals, bloggers, students, teachers, and even policemen and policewoman, and a nun.

Some of the photos of the event:

• From the Photobooth during the Summit
• Aileen Apolo's Album

If you have photos of the summit, please feel free to share it to us.

Photowalk in Laoag and Vigan

Calling all photographers (professional/amateur)! Want to learn how to share your photos through Panoramio and Google+?

The Department of Tourism is hosting a photowalk on April 18, 2012 in Laoag/Vigan. Here's the agenda:

6:30am Registration
6:45 - 7:30 am Overview of Google+ and Panoramio
7:30 -9:00 am Photowalk
9:00 - 9:30 am coffee break
9:30 -10:30 am Photowalk
10:30 - 11:00 am head back to base
11:00 -12:00 break and upload photos

To join this free event, please register here.

*Please bring your camera and laptop (so you can join the hands-on session).

Laoag/Vigan Pilot MapUp

The Department of Tourism and Google have partnered to improve the accuracy of Google Maps in over 80 provinces around the Philippines, so as to help tourism and disaster preparedness in the country. The Department of Tourism is hosting a pilot mapUp for Laoag and Vigan on April 18, Wednesday.

Schedule is as follows:
1:30pm Registration
2:00 - 2:30 pm Overview of Google Map Maker
2:30 - 4:00 pm Mapping/Moderating
4:00 - 4:15 pm Snacks
4:15 - 4:30 pm How to Conduct your own MapUp

Please register here if you wish to join. Kindly bring a laptop as well.

Google Map Maker Summits

To kick off the mapUps for tourism and health establishments, we are inviting mapUp organizers and mappers to attend the Google Map Maker summits in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao!

Here are the schedules:
April 12, 2012
Bacolod
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/cxZ2Z

April 14, 2012
Baguio
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/CiSVe

April 21, 2012
General Santos City
For more details and to register, check out http://goo.gl/3J30Q

For more announcements, please join the Mapping the Philippines mailing list and follow the page here.

Google Map Maker Manila Workshop

Topics:
AM: Google Map Maker
PM: Google Map Maker Moderating, Panoramio and SketchUp

Speakers: Map Maker team

When: March 17, Saturday
Registration: 8:30am
Time: 8:30am to 5:00pm
Session Starts Promptly at 9:00am
Venue: Makati

Slots are limited so sign up now here. For more details please join the Philippine Map Maker Community mailing list at https://groups.google.com/group/mapping-the-philippines.

Due to limited slots, we will be sending confirmation mails to attendees one week before the event.

Update: The venue will be at Asian Institute of Management Conference Center

Summer of MapUps for the Philippine Red Cross

Filipino volunteer mappers organized mapUps across the country to map important healthcare places for the Philippine Red Cross in preparation for the rainy season. 

Malaybalay, Bukidnon

April 27, 2011

Team: Bukidnon Bloggers

Blog post 

(Photo from Irene)

General Santos

April 30, 2011

Team: Soccksargen Bloggers

Blog post

Video

Photo from Orman

Baguio

May 7, 2011 at University of Baguio

Team: University of Baguio with super mapper Theofrenz Cayambas

Photo from Ellen

Iloilo

May 14, 2011 

Team: Iloilo Bloggers Society

Photo from Mari Claire

Manila

May 21, 2011 at RedFox Training Center

Team: GTUG Philippines

Photos  

(from RedFox)

Makati

May 28, 2011 at Asian Institute of Management

Team: Tech Tanod

Cebu

May 28, 2011 at University of the Philippines - Cebu campus

Team: UP Cebu geology students

Photos

Zamboanga

May 30, 2011 at Ateneo de Zamboanga University

Team: GTUG Zamboanga

Blog post

Photos

Photo from Jerome

Iligan

July 30, 2011 

Team: Iligan Bloggers Society

Blog post

More information about mapping in the Philippines on our sites page. And drop us a line on this form if you are interested to organize a mapUp in your neighborhood.

Summer of MapUps

Volunteer mappers are coming together from all over the country! We are mapping to help the Philippine Red Cross. For more information on how to help, please visit https://sites.google.com/site/mapphilippines/home

Bukidnon MapUp
April 27, 2011, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Malaybalay, Bukidnon

Soccksargen MapUp
April 30, 2011, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
General Santos City Mayor's Office
Event Site: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124046884336491

Baguio City MapUp
May 7, 2011, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
University of Baguio
Sign-up Form: http://goo.gl/1QWpT
Event Site: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199999790039007

Iloilo MapUp
May 21, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Netopia, SM City Iloilo
Sign up Form: http://goo.gl/2y8CT

GTUG Philippines Metro Manila MapUp
May 21, 2011, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
RedFox Training Center,
Sign-up Form: http://goo.gl/Bh7On
Event Site: http://www.gtugphilippines.org/2011/04/may-21-mapping-party.html

GTUG Zamboanga MapUp
May 23, 2011, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Ateneo de Zamboanga University
Sign-up Form: http://goo.gl/jSFzq
Event Site: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183467248372722

Blog and Soul MapUp
May 28, 2011, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Asian Institute of Management (Meralco Caseroom)
Sign-up Form: http://goo.gl/tS2Hd
Event Site: http://blogandsoul.org/

Upcoming: Cebu, Tacloban, Ormoc, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod

If you are interested to host a mapUp, kindly let us know at http://goo.gl/DR2gA

Mapping Parties for the Philippine Red Cross

(Front) Paolo, Brian, Wayne*, Dante*

(Back) Avel, Theo, Aileen, Lakan, Orman, Leonel*

Eight Filipino mappers represented the Philippines during the Google Geo User Summit in Singapore early this month. We had a great time in Singapore learning more about Google's geo products and we also got a chance to present how volunteer mapped data has helped our country during crisis (Ondoy) and the elections (Find Your Precinct). (See our presentation here under NGOs, Edu and Govt).

With 7,100+ islands there's still a lot more areas to map and so we thought we'd do mapping parties for the Philippine Red Cross.

Help the Philippine Red Cross by hosting a mapping party. Just bring together a couple of your friends and start mapping your neighborhood. It's easy! All you need is a Google Account (i.e. Gmail) and you can start mapping via Google Mapmaker. We'll even send you some shirts, just register your mapping party on this form.

Or you can join any of the mapping parties across the country! Here's the schedule (will be updated) -

GTUG PH Mapping Party, May 7 (Jomar will announce the details after Easter)
GenSan Mapping Party, April 30 (details here)
FEU-FERN Mapping Party, TBA
Baguio Mapping Party, TBA
Iloilo Mapping Party, TBA
Bukidnon Mapping Party, April 20 at Malaybalay City
Davao Mapping Party, TBA
Digitalfilipino Mapping Party, TBA
Tech Tanod Mapping Party, TBA

*Wayne, Dante and Leonel are geo advocates :)