Nonprofits, apply to Azavea’s Summer of Maps for some free spatial analysis help

Azavea is back with its Summer of Maps.

The B Corp hosts a handful of paid interns every summer who take on spatial analysis projects on behalf of an assortment of U.S. nonprofits — at no cost to them — turning raw data into digestible graphics.

Proposed projects should include a “compelling and challenging spatial analysis problem,” existing data for a fellow to work with and a specific plan for project deliverables.

Philly nonprofits that have previously received mapping services include Clean Air Council, The Common Market, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Science History Institute.

Last May, former fellow Annaka Scheeres shared the process and ethos behind her 2016 project for the American Red Cross, which sought to more accurately map the physical landscape of communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, during digital and data storytelling night of Generocity’s Tech in the Commons series. See the interactive mapping application she worked on here.

“I think with this specific project, it’s pretty easy to see that better maps improve quality of life,” Scheeres told us then. “The American Red Cross is [now] able to make more informed and more accurate decisions.”

Apps for 2019 will close Jan. 27 and selections will be announced in April. Fellowships and projects will be completed between June and August 2019.