OpenGroupMap

The Problem

Communities need shared spatial intelligence—where are the mutual aid networks, community fridges, tool libraries, bike repair stations? But existing solutions (Google Maps) are corporate-controlled, lack community ownership, and don’t support collaborative editing by distributed groups.

Traditional GIS tools are too complex for non-technical users. Consumer mapping apps don’t allow community-maintained data layers. The result: valuable local knowledge stays fragmented in individual heads rather than becoming shared community infrastructure.

What I Built

OpenGroupMap is an open-source collaborative mapping platform designed for community groups, mutual aid networks, and grassroots organizations to:

Crowdsource Geographic Data

• Anyone can add/edit points of interest with rich metadata (descriptions, hours, contact info, photos)
• Version control and moderation tools prevent vandalism while enabling distributed contribution
• Privacy controls allow groups to keep certain layers visible only to verified members

Coordinate Collective Action

• Event mapping for protests, community meetings, and mutual aid distribution
• Real-time updates during emergencies (e.g., “This community fridge is stocked” vs “This one needs donations”)
• Integration with messaging platforms for location-aware coordination

Visualize Shared Resources

• Custom map layers for different resource types (food, tools, skills, childcare, housing)
• Filter and search to find exactly what communities need when they need it
• Export capabilities for offline use and data sovereignty

The Tech Stack

• Frontend: React + TypeScript with Mapbox GL JS for performant mapping
• Backend: Node.js + Express API
• Database: PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension for geospatial queries
• Map Tiles: OpenStreetMap + Mapbox for base layers
• Hosting: Self-hostable with Docker for community ownership

Lessons Learned

Data Sovereignty Matters Early versions used Google Maps API—communities hated being dependent on a platform that could shut them down or monetize their data. Switching to open infrastructure (OSM + self-hosting) unlocked adoption among privacy-conscious groups. Lesson: tools for community organizing must be community-controlled.

Moderation Is Product, Not Afterthought Collaborative editing without abuse protection fails immediately. We shipped v1 with naive “anyone can edit” model—got spammed within days. Building in approval workflows, trusted contributor tiers, and rollback capabilities turned chaos into functional crowdsourcing. Trust architectures are load-bearing features.

Mobile-First for Field Use Desktop web worked for planning, but real usage happened in the field: “Where’s the nearest community fridge?” while holding groceries. Responsive mobile UI with location-aware search became the primary interface. The lesson: understand the moment of use, not just the use case.

Open Source ≠ Free Support Releasing as open source attracted contributors but also created support burden. Documentation, onboarding, and governance frameworks took more time than initial code. The real work of open source is community stewardship, not just publishing repos.