After many years of dedicated service, Joost Schouppe is stepping down from the board of OSM Belgium. While he will continue to be an active mapper and an important part of our community, this feels like the right moment to reflect on everything he has helped build.
Joost has been a mapper for more than thirteen years, contributing over 1.4 million map changes across more than 100 countries, spread over more than 3000 mapping days. These numbers are remarkable, but they capture only a fraction of his impact. Above all, Joost is a community builder.
Together with Jorieke and Ben, he launched the first OSM meetups in Belgium, giving mappers a place to learn, collaborate, and meet each other in person. A few years later, he helped organise State of the Map Brussels in 2016.
In January 2017, Joost became one of the founding board members of OSM Belgium. He helped grow the organisation from its early ideas to a stable, respected, and active local chapter. On the global stage, he served on the OpenStreetMap Foundation board (2019–2020) and played a key role in relaunching the Local Chapters and Communities Working Group (LCCWG). In 2023, Joost was involved in organizing State of the Map Europe in Antwerp.
Joost has also been the driving force behind numerous initiatives, including the Road Completion Project and the Belgian Camera Grant Program. Many of the projects that define OSM Belgium today started with Joost or grew thanks to his energy and determination.
Together with the board and the wider community, Joost helped achieve an impressive list of accomplishments in recent years:
- establishing OSM Belgium as an independent vzw/asbl during challenging times
- securing stable funding through corporate memberships
- strengthening collaboration between the OSM community and public institutions
- organising and participating in countless events
- supporting mappers by answering questions, providing advice, and building partnerships
More than anything, Joost is a true community builder. He brought people together - online and in real life - bridged gaps, eased tensions, and made sure everyone felt welcome. The atmosphere and openness that define OSM Belgium today are due in no small part to his efforts.
Joost, thank you for everything you’ve done for OSM Belgium and for the global OpenStreetMap community. We look forward to many more years of mapping, collaboration, and community-building together.