Mapbox/OpenStreetMap Online Meetup #19 will be held on April 23, 2025

Tokyo, Japan – April 22, 2025 –Mapbox, the leading platform for digital map development, will co-host the 19th Mapbox/OpenStreetMap Online Meetup on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM JST. The event is organized by Professor Daichi Furuhashi’s Laboratory at Aoyama Gakuin University and is free to attend with advance registration required. Register here.

The Mapbox/OpenStreetMap Online Meetup is a collaborative event that brings together the Mapbox platform and the OpenStreetMap user community. Since October 2019, these meetups have fostered open dialogue across disciplines on the future of digital mapping and the evolution of the geospatial industry.

Theme of Meetup #19: "Unlocking the Future of Business with Map Data – Creating Innovative Value with Open Data"

This year marks the 5th anniversary of Mapbox’s business operations in Japan. In celebration, the event will explore how map data and open data — especially OpenStreetMap — are shaping new business opportunities in industries such as smart cities, logistics, and tourism.

Participants will revisit the journey of how Mapbox grew into a global map platform powered by commercial use of open data, and engage in dynamic discussions with long-time geospatial experts. The event will also spotlight the growing influence of Geo-Ten — a popular geospatial event series in Japan — and share behind-the-scenes stories and highlights for this year’s edition.

Meetup #19 Overview

• Event Name: Mapbox/OpenStreetMap Online Meetup #19
• Date & Time: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 19:00–21:00 JST
• Host: Professor Daichi Furuhashi, Aoyama Gakuin University
• Partners: Mapbox, CrisisMappers Japan, OSGeo.JP, OpenStreetMap Foundation Japan
• Participation: Free (advance registration required)
• Registration: https://mapboxjpmeetup19.peatix.com/view
• Format: Online (Zoom link will be provided upon registration)
• Hashtag: #mapboxjpmeetup
• Code of Conduct: View Here

Program Schedule (subject to change)

• 19:00–19:05 Opening – Prof. Daichi Furuhashi (Aoyama Gakuin University)
• 19:05–19:10 Welcome Remarks – Yoshinori Yazawa (Director, Technical Account Manager, Mapbox)
• 19:10–19:15 "Five Years of mapbox/OpenStreetMap Meetups" – Prof. Daichi Furuhashi
• 19:15–19:35 "How Geo-Ten Was Born (Tentative)" – Fumihiko Koyama (Founder of Geo-Ten, CEO of 365y Inc.)
• 19:35–19:55 Guest Talk
• 19:55–20:25 Panel Discussion
  
  • Moderator: Prof. Daichi Furuhashi
  • Panelists:
    
    • Fumihiko Koyama
    • Akihiko Kusanagi (Mapbox Japan Ambassador)
    • Yoshinori Yazawa (Mapbox)
• 20:25–20:35 State of the Mapbox – Asuka Takayama (Marketing Advisor, Mapbox)
• 20:35–20:55 Lightning Talks
• 20:55–21:00 Closing & Next Event Preview – Prof. Daichi Furuhashi
• 21:00 Event Ends