Indigenous peoples face special challenges in planning, policy, and advocacy. Issues of sovereignty, cultural protection, land use management, and handling mineral rights often require the making of maps. Recognizing this, we're excited to announce that Google and IMN are teaming up to host a two-day workshop on the Google campus in Mountain View, California. The goal of the workshop is to inform people from and working with native communities on how to use, access, and benefit from Google mapping technologies.

The mission of Indigenous Mapping Network is to connect native communities with the tools needed to protect, preserve, and enhance our way of life within our aboriginal territories. This endeavor often requires an amalgamation of traditional "mapping" practices and modern mapping technologies.

On February 25th and 26th, 2010, Google and IMN will host a FREE workshop at the Google campus for members and staff of indigenous groups that want to learn about Google geospatial and mobile technologies. Keeping the above concerns of indigenous communities before us, the workshop will focus on the technical aspects of using Google Earth, Google Maps, and Open Data Kit, among other technologies. Special attention will be given to issues of:

• privacy and security of data
• mobile data collection
• data conversion from proprietary to open formats
• geospatial technologies and traditional knowledge

The workshop will be limited to one hundred attendees. So, please complete the online application at http://indigenousmapping.net/maptech/google/geoworkshopapp.html  and submit as soon as possible. Deadline will be January 24, 2010 and notices of applications will be returned by January 31, 2010. If you would like more information, or if you have trouble viewing this form, please email answers to the application questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it