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maptogether

About MapTogether

About MapTogether:

Maps tell powerful stories about the communities and the world in which we live.  Maps are a visualization tool, a way to help us transform columns of data into useful knowledge about the people and places around us. 

The MapTogether project provides free map-related training and tools for community and nonprofit groups around the world.  Our resources include  software, data sets, online mapping services, documentation, and training resources.  In addition, our geographers provide free in-person "community mapping clinics" in cities across the United States and Canada.  The MapTogether team is also available for private consultation and training as well as full-scale GIS application development and hosting.

MapTogether is a social enterprise - we're not technically a not-for-profit but we're not a traditional for-profit corporation either.  If you're unfamiliar with the concept of a social enterprise, we like Wikipedia's definition and explanation.

MapTogether is the first public project launched by the Community Cartography Project, an umbrella organization in Chicago, Illinois which serves as the fiscal agent for MapTogether and our future sibling projects.

MapTogether Team Members:

Brandon Bergren - GIS Developer
Brandon, known as "bdragon" in the Drupal developer community, is a talented developer with experience in PHP and Javascript development and a long history of working with GIS and mapping software.  In addition to handling the bulk of MT's custom map/GIS application development, Brandon also maintains the Drupal mapping modules Location3, Gmap, and OpenLayers.  When he's not working on mapplications, he enjoys electronic music composition and amateur radio.  Brandon lives in Canton, South Dakota.

Jim Craner - Project Manager
After spending several years in the for-profit IT sector, including a stint at a now-forgotten dot.com, Jim spent a year in Americorps as a volunteer nonprofit technology consultant.  He's been working with nonprofits ever since as a technology consultant and project manager, including four years as co-founder and managing director of the Chicago Technology Cooperative.  When he's not traveling for work or for fun, Jim resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Dave Kretz - Graphic Designer
Dave has been working in the non-profit tech sector since 1997, including a year of service in the Americorps VISTA program in 2001-02.  Having also spent time as a corporate graphic designer, Dave brings a broad background of technology experience to the MT team.  Dave's duties include web design, mapping/visualization design, and user experience consulting and he spends his non-design time playing basketball and training for the Chicago Marathon.  Dave lives in Oak Park, Illinois.

Lily Wilcock - Geographer
Lily's formal training in - and enthusiasm for - geography combined with her background in social justice organizing and community resource mapping make her an invaluable asset to the MT team.  In addition to her work with MT, Lily is also an accomplished jazz musician and is active in several community groups.  Lily lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Clients and Projects:

MapTogether was first envisioned in 2008 but wasn't created until early 2009 when MT's parent organization, the Community Cartography Project, acquired the entire GIS and online mapping operations of the nonprofit website/application development firm, the Chicago Technology Cooperative.  This acquisition included all of CTC's key GIS staff, software, systems, intellectual property, and contracts with existing and former mapping/GIS clients.  Because MT has basically "inherited" all of CTC's mapping and GIS operations and staff, certain case studies and articles on this site may interchangeably reference projects as being "developed by CTC," "developed by MapTogether staff," or "created by MT's development partner."  Projects that begin development following the summer 2009 integration of the CTC and MT teams will be clearly labeled as "developed by MapTogether staff."

The most recent projects developed by CTC and/or MT GIS staff, using CTC- and/or MT-developed technology, include: