Microgrant Proposal

Individual/Group Details

• Name: Markus Peloso
• Group: –
• Location: Switzerland
• Contact Details: [Provided separately via email to [email protected]]

Project Title

Redesign of the OSM Apps Catalog to reach a wider audience

Project Overview

The main goal of the OSM Apps Catalog is to make existing OpenStreetMap-based solutions, tools, and applications more visible, discoverable, and accessible to a broader public. While many great software tools already exist within the OSM ecosystem, they are often presented in technical lists or developer-oriented formats that are not user-friendly for the general public.

The current OSM Apps Catalog is functional but not fully optimized for accessibility, engagement, or outreach beyond the technical community. This project proposes a comprehensive redesign of the OSM Apps Catalog to make it more attractive, intuitive, and useful for a broader, non-technical audience while also supporting developers more effectively.

Key features of the proposed redesign include:

• App Store-style interface: A modern, categorized browsing experience similar to mainstream app stores (like Google Play Store, Apple Store, F-Droid), making it easier for non-technical users to discover and explore apps by theme or use-case (e.g. mapping, navigation, editing).
• Category-specific detail views: Each app category will feature customized detail views tailored to the needs and expectations of users interested in that category.
• Developer-focused section: A dedicated category for developers, with filterable OSM related libraries, APIs, and software packages.
• Donation prompt & transparency: Apps that accept donations will clearly display this option, including guidance on how users can donate. The goal is to increase awareness and motivation to support developers through small contributions.
• Daily featured app: A visually appealing promotional section will highlight a different OSM-related app each day, encouraging discovery and usage.
• Full multilingual support: App descriptions and metadata will be presented in multiple languages wherever possible, with integration of translation contributions from the community (e.g. via OSM Wiki or Wikidata). This will make the catalog more inclusive and accessible to users worldwide.

The project will deliver a redesigned front end with improved usability, stronger call for contributions and better discoverability of apps that use and support the OSM ecosystem.

About you

I am a trained software developer with a strong focus on modern web technologies. I have been contributing to OpenStreetMap for over eight years, beginning with simple edits such as adding POIs (see my OSM profile). Over time, I became more deeply involved by creating thematic maps (e.g. sustainable.zottelig.ch), editing and maintaining OSM Wiki content (see my Wiki profile), and contributing to various software projects within the OSM ecosystem (see my GitHub contribution activity).

My skills (my CV in German) in frontend development, UI/UX design, and community-driven open source work make me well positioned to deliver a high-quality, user-centered redesign of the OSM Apps Catalog.

I have never received an OSMF microgrant before.

Objectives and Impact

This project aims to change that by redesigning the OSM Apps Catalog with a more inclusive user experience, encouraging people from all backgrounds and interests to explore, use, and engage with OSM tools. By presenting these apps in an inviting and intuitive interface, the catalog will serve as a gateway for more people to:

• Use OSM-based tools in their daily lives,
• Start contributing map data,
• Support open tools through donations or volunteer time,
• Get involved in development, documentation, or translation efforts.

This aligns strongly with OpenStreetMap’s mission to empower individuals and communities through open geospatial data and open tools. A well-designed, engaging Apps Catalog can significantly improve visibility for smaller or niche tools, help users find the right applications for their needs, and increase collaboration across the ecosystem by highlighting libraries and developer resources.

In the long term, this project will contribute to a stronger, more connected and better-supported OSM software ecosystem — ultimately leading to more users, more contributors, and more sustainable open solutions built on top of OpenStreetMap.

Grant Amount Requested (In EUR)

Total requested: €4.700

This grant will support approximately 126 hours of development and design work, based on a modest hourly rate of 35 Swiss Francs. This rate is very low for a professional software developer and well below typical Swiss standards, but it covers my basic living costs during the project period.

No additional costs (e.g. tools, infrastructure, or hosting) are expected — the full amount will go toward dedicated development time.

To date, all work on the OSM Apps Catalog has been done voluntarily in my free time. I will continue contributing after the funded phase, but this next step requires a higher level of professionalism and sustained focus that is not possible alongside other commitments. The grant enables me to work consistently and thoroughly on the redesign.

There are no other funding sources involved, and I am offering additional hours on a partially pro bono basis to ensure long-term project sustainability.

Implementation Plan

Timeline

The project will take about 1 to 2 months depending on the start time. Each feature will be implemented as an independent unit and published upon completion. This ensures early value delivery, continuous feedback from the community, and flexible prioritization throughout the development. The process will be tracked using issues in the GitHub Project.

Feature Breakdown and Estimated Effort

Feature	Description	Estimated Time
1. App Store-style interface	Design and implement a categorized, store like overview for easier discovery by non-technical users.	~24 hours
2. Category-specific detail views	Discuss with representatives from different communities and create detailed page templates tailored to user expectations for each app category.	~24 hours
3. App categorization algorithm	Implement a logic-based system to classify apps based on their existing metadata	~18 hours
4. Developer-focused section	Filterable overview of OSM related libraries, APIs, and software packages.	~12 hours
5. Donation prompt & transparency	UI for showing donation options and encouraging support.	~18 hours
6. Daily featured app	Mechanism and interface for rotating daily highlighted app with promotional styling.	~12 hours
7. Full multilingual support	Integration of translated app descriptions and metadata	~12 hours
8. Documentation & Project Communication	Update external documentations, OSM Wiki entry, etc. and make community announcements.	~6 hours

Total Estimated Time: ~126 hours

There are no external dependencies — the schedule is flexible and entirely within my control.

Community Engagement

The project is already hosted on GitHub, with issues and discussions enabled to facilitate community interaction. Throughout the development process, I will actively use these channels to share updates, gather feedback, and respond to questions. I will also create a topic in the OpenStreetMap community forum to discuss the project with the wider OSM community and gather suggestions and feedback.

I will update the relevant OpenStreetMap Wiki page for the OSM Apps Catalog to reflect new features and improvements. After the launch, I plan to publish a blog post on openstreetmap.org to announce the redesign and explain its benefits.

Additionally, I will submit an article to the OSM Weekly newsletter to reach a broader audience within the OpenStreetMap community.

SLA, Maintenance and Sustainability

I will continue to maintain and develop the project voluntarily in my free time after the grant-funded phase.

The project is open source, licensed under AGPL, and hosted on GitHub. It uses GitHub Pages and GitHub Actions for deployment and automation, enabling any software developer to contribute or independently fork and extend the project.

I will provide thorough source code documentation to facilitate contributions and further development.

The information and translations about the apps displayed in the OSM Apps Catalog can be maintained and updated by the community through the respective sources such as the OSM Wiki, WikiData, Taginfo, and GitHub.

Translations of the OSM Apps Catalog are supported via Weblate and can be contributed by volunteers.

Evaluation and Success Metrics

Because I spent my free time developing the Apps Catalog, I did not focus on collecting data on user behavior that could be used as a baseline to measure the impact of this project.
I will begin collecting baseline data in July 2025 to enable future comparisons and evaluate progress.

The following measurable indicators will be used to track the effectiveness of the redesign over a six-month period after implementation:

• App downloads: Increase in the number of users clicking a link to download a app (target: +30%).
• Map contribution interest: More users clicking a link to download a app from the "Improve the map" category (target: +20%).
• Support through donations: Clicks on donation links (target: at least 10 per month).
• Involved in development:
  • More clicks on to view source code from a app (target: +10%),
  • More users clicking on contribute translations to a app (target: +10%),
  • More clicks on issue trackers or community discussion links from a app (target: +10%).

In addition, I am gathering feedback from three representatives of different OSM-related communities to evaluate whether the redesign is helpful for their use cases.

Risks

The project depends on external data sources to populate the OSM Apps Catalog. A potential technical risk is that changes to these data sources APIs or formats could disrupt the catalog's functionality. However, given the stability of the current sources, this risk is considered low. Additionally, the catalog is designed to function even if some sources become temporarily unavailable, and it encourages documentation across multiple platforms such as Wikidata and the OSM Wiki, which adds resilience.

Another risk lies in the categorization and detail information design. The categories and displayed information may not perfectly align with the expectations or needs of the target audiences. To mitigate this, thorough research and active communication with relevant communities will be conducted during the category definition phase to ensure relevance and usability.

Conflict of Interest

There are no financial interests, relationships, or affiliations with the OpenStreetMap Foundation or other organizations that could influence the evaluation of this application. I confirm full transparency and impartiality in the submission of this proposal.

Recommendations: from Community and possibly from Working Groups

Recommendations and testimonials to be added by community members below or linked when available.

---

If you have any questions, comments or requests while reviewing this project, do not hesitate to write a comment - I am open to suggestions.