Following our Kickstarter success, Public Lab is embarking on its own version of March Madness. We aim for our community to self-organize meet-ups and training sessions to show new members of the balloon mapping community how to get started making their own maps! If you are an experienced grassroots mapper on this page you can volunteer to organize an event near you. If you are just getting started on this page you can connect with those putting together an event near you!
###Get Involved!###
This page contains dates and locations for a workshop series to welcome Kickstarter backers into the aerial mapping community.
Help organize a meeting in your area!
Add your name and email beneath a site you can get to or if your area isn't listed, add your name beneath the virtual meeting and/or add your location to the list and see if anyone else could meet in your area!
Have an idea for a site to map in your area?
Add suggestions for sites beneath the area you want to meet.
Interested in participating in a workshop?
Add your name and contact info. below a site you can get to.
If you can't find a site close to you, add your name beneath the virtual meeting and/or add your location to the list and see if anyone else could meet in your area!
###Where are other Balloon Mappers?###
These maps show roughly (by zipcode, with identifying information removed) the locations of people who purchased balloon mapping kits with the recent kickstarter. Take a look and find out if there are others interested in balloon mapping near you!
Balloon kit buyers:
http://batchgeo.com/map/0e2c54d7ed353c559ed76c3f6001c41e
All campaign supporters: http://www.batchgeo.com/map/a0e5669a009a48eb1925686cc3769fbd
Is there no one near you? No worries, collaborate on organizing a virtual meet-up to learn how to balloon map and how to use [Mapknitter](http://www.mapknitter.org) software to make your own maps.
###Dates and Locations###
February 14 London UCL
February 17 London UCL
###Upcoming TBD###
Asheville - March 31st - Saturday 10 AM
organizers:
Interested in participating:
Austin
organizers:
Interested in participating:
Boston
organizers: Jeff Warren, jeff@publiclaboratory.org,
Katie Gradowski, katie.gradowski@gmail.com
Interested in participating:
Jen Hudon, jen.hudon@gmail.com
Arlene Ducao, arlduc(at)mit.edu (depending on date)
Location: Parts and Crafts
NYC - See NY-NJ-CT region page.
Locations include StudioX, GreenMaps, and others TBD.
organizers: Liz Barry, liz at publiclaboratory.org; Manpriya Samra, mksamra at gmail.com.
Interested in participating:
Arlene Ducao, arlduc(at)mit.edu (depending on date)
Portland
organizers: Mathew Lippincott, mathew@publiclaboratory.org
Interested in participating:
We would like to have meet ups in the following places, so if you're able to organize, please put your name and email next to the place and get in touch on the email list:
Chicago
Washington D.C.
Philly
L.A.
Seattle
North Carolina
San Francisco
Toronto
Berlin
Zurich
Somewhere in the Netherlands
A Virtual meeting for those outside of these cities
Anywhere else where mappers are interested in meeting up, add it on!
###Topics###
More on [Balloon Mapping](/tool/balloon-mapping) here
See Balloon [Mapping Quick Start Guide](http://archive.publiclaboratory.org/download/balloon-mapping-quickstart-1.0-en.pdf)
Full List of Screensharing Webinar with GonzoEarth
###Organizational Questions/Requests/Concerns###
email sara@publiclaboratory.org
###Help Desk###
Contact us if you need help working on that first map, or if interested in doing virtual collaborative map making training with the Public Lab Map Tools. We are also looking for people who would like to become leaders in training other people to use MapKnitter, or just want to volunteer to help answer questions.
MapKnitter Training sessions:
Interested in participating? Add your name and email here:
Organizer and point person for MapKnitter Questions:
email stewart@publiclaboratory.org