A quick intro to me, MurphSlaw. I've been interested in the FOAM project since the instant I became aware of it which I understand is a broadly felt sentiment. Typical to many blockchain projects, participation and a sense of involvement comes with developer experience. The participation available to assist as a cartographer has kept me close and connected with the FOAM project and the efforts of the FOAM team. My commitment is currently evolving into preparations for the facilitation and operation of a large cluster of Zone Anchors. I too, [@jslusser](/user/profile/jslusser) , wonder what else I can contribute as a cartographer.
I have worked in businesses with mapping and local directory listings at the core of their service. Adding points of interest (POI) is not difficult but it definitely is tedious work. When I first started, I didn't have a system. Points I added were on a whim and in a random nature across various categories. There is a lot of time lost when looking for and deciding what POI's you are going to add next. Adding POI's across a broad set of categories does lend to a nicer distribution in the area you are developing but I learned it comes at the cost of limiting a greater volume of POI entries within a working session. The method I found most useful in my contributory work was finding and saving lists that contained most of the information needed like addresses, phone numbers, website urls, etc. even if all the entries pertained to a single category or even many locations of the same company. Even though you may resist this method feeling the region you are developing will seem lopsided, in the end it will actually become more densely populated with just as much if not more diversity.
Up to this point, much of cartographer's time with the FOAM map has been a time of getting acquainted with it and there have been a great number of POI entries registered. We now face unique times and I believe that one of the fundamental responsibilities of cartographers is to set the map's agenda. In times like we are currently experiencing with the corona virus pandemic, I can envision cartographers coming together to assist in curating to the common global health theme and creating a positive impact for all other work done by others on the chain.
Imagine FOAM cartographers worldwide uniting focusing their entries to be related to the health industry. It could provide a great foundation for globally inspired and shared testing applications worldwide. Maybe we can add appropriate health related categories of interest within this forum so we can all work together and share lists that can accelerate the entries of POI's worldwide. I currently found a nice resource at the Official website of the Department of Homeland Security and am currently working on adding Port of Entry locations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the State of Illinois. The directory provides listings for every state in the United States which lends to numerous and quick consecutive entries during a cartographer's working session.
Customs & Border Protection
[https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports](https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports)
Other categories of interest where list/link sharing to directories with easy to submit entries could prove beneficial would be company or other listings in categories such as these:
Medical supplies
24 hour clinics
Pharmacies
Clinics
Hospitals
Emergency Services
Hazardous materials
Shipping Ports
Hope this adds to our positive forward momentum!
Best Wishes and Play It Safe...
We'll get though it...
We always do!
MurphSlaw
[#Cartographers](/foam/new/Cartographers)
[#Map_Support](/foam/new/Map_Support)