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Program
Organic Maps is excited to apply for the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2025, marking its fourth participation in the program. GSoC is a global initiative by Google that connects open-source organizations with contributors—primarily students and early-career developers—who work on real-world software projects under the guidance of experienced mentors. The program helps foster innovation, improve open-source projects, and provide invaluable learning experiences to participants.
Over the past three years, Organic Maps has had a highly successful track record with GSoC, welcoming talented contributors who have made significant improvements to the project. These past collaborations have led to meaningful code contributions, feature enhancements, and improvements in usability and performance.
- 2022 – Organic Maps GSoC 2022
- 2023 – Organic Maps GSoC 2023
- 2024 – Organic Maps GSoC 2024
With three successful programs behind us, we are eager to once again collaborate with aspiring developers in GSoC 2025, continuing to improve Organic Maps while fostering a new generation of open-source contributors. 🚀
Participating
To participate in Google Summer of Code (GSoC), first ensure you meet the eligibility criteria, including being at least 18 years old and either enrolled in a degree program or a self-taught developer. Explore the list of project ideas below, choose one that aligns with your interests, and start contributing early by engaging with the community, understanding the codebase, and fixing small issues. Getting involved before the application process increases your chances of being selected and helps you build a strong foundation for your proposal.
When preparing your proposal, clearly define the project scope, demonstrate your understanding of the problem, outline potential challenges, and provide a structured timeline. Include details about your skills and experience, along with links to your GitHub, CV, or LinkedIn. Submit your application through the GSoC portal before the deadline. If selected, work closely with mentors, provide regular progress updates, and meet evaluation milestones. Successfully completing GSoC not only earns you a stipend but also provides valuable open-source experience and the opportunity to continue contributing beyond the program.
Ideas
Explore the GitHub Issues for inspiration. Below is a curated list of ideas from the team, but you are welcome to suggest your own!
Bookmarks Backup to Google Drive on Android
Implement a bookmarks backup feature for Google Drive on Android, similar to the iCloud sync available on iOS and following WhatsApp's approach to Google Drive/iCloud backups. This functionality should enable users to securely store their bookmarks in Google Drive and restore them when needed, such as after reinstalling the app or switching to a new device. The implementation should integrate with the Google Drive API, ensuring secure authentication, proper permission management, and seamless multi-device support.
Scope of Work:
- Develop a feature to allow both automatic and manual backups of bookmarks to Google Drive.
- Ensure effortless restoration when migrating to a new device or reinstalling the app.
- Integrate Google API to handle secure authentication and data access.
- Provide multi-device support to sync and restore bookmarks across different devices.
Estimate:
Medium complexity, 175 hours
Required Skills:
- Android/Java
Mentors:
References:
Bookmarks Backup to NextCloud on Android
Implement a bookmarks backup feature for Google Drive on Android, similar to the iCloud sync available on iOS and following WhatsApp's approach to Google Drive/iCloud backups. This functionality should allow users to securely store their bookmarks on any NextCloud server and restore them when needed, such as during device migration or after reinstalling the app. The implementation should integrate with the NextCloud API, ensuring secure authentication, proper permission handling, and multi-device support.
Scope of Work:
- Implement automatic and manual backup of bookmarks to NextCloud.
- Ensure compatibility with any NextCloud server.
- Integrate with the NextCloud API for secure authentication.
- Provide multi-device support to sync and restore bookmarks across different devices.
Estimate:
Medium complexity, 175 hours
Required Skills:
- Android/Java
Mentors:
References:
Opening Hours Parser Revamp
This project aims to redesign and enhance the "opening hours" parser in Organic Maps, improving accuracy, compatibility, and robustness when interpreting OSM-based business hours. Organic Maps relies on OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to display place information, including operating hours. However, parsing these hours correctly is complex due to varying formats, regional differences, and nuanced rules embedded in OSM data.
Scope of Work:
- Improve parsing logic to handle different time formats and regional variations.
- Fix known parsing errors and discrepancies.
- Optimize performance and efficiency of the parser.
- Ensure compatibility with the latest OSM opening hours format.
- Implement automated tests to maintain long-term accuracy.
Estimate:
Low complexity, 175 hours
Required Skills:
- C++
References:
HUD (Heads-Up Display) Mode
Add a HUD (Heads-Up Display) Mode in Organic Maps to enhance navigation while driving. This feature should allow users to project a mirrored version of the navigation screen onto a car’s windshield using a reflective surface, improving visibility and reducing distractions.
Scope of Work:
- HUD Mode Toggle: Add an option in the navigation settings to enable/disable HUD mode.
- Mirrored Display: Implement a mirrored interface to ensure correct readability when reflected on the windshield.
- High-Contrast UI: Optimize the UI for night and day modes to improve legibility.
- Auto-Dimming: Adjust brightness based on ambient light for better visibility at night.
- Compatibility: Ensure smooth performance across various Android and iOS devices.
Estimate:
Medium complexity, 175 hours
Required Skills:
- Android (Kotlin/Java) and iOS (Swift) development
- UX/UI design for automotive displays
References:
CarPlay Improvements
Enhance the CarPlay experience in Organic Maps by addressing user-reported issues and implementing improvements based on feedback. The goal is to optimize usability, responsiveness, and overall integration for a smoother in-car navigation experience.
Scope of Work:
- Review and prioritize user-reported CarPlay issues.
- Fix known bugs affecting CarPlay functionality.
- Improve UI/UX for better readability and interaction.
- Enhance performance and responsiveness.
- Ensure compatibility with the latest CarPlay updates.
A standalone CarPlay-enabled device will be provided for testing and development purposes.
Estimate:
Medium (175 hours) to High (350 hours) - depending on the specific tasks chosen.
Required Skills:
- iOS development (Swift, Objective-C, CarPlay framework)
References:
Photos from Wikidata
Enable the app to dynamically fetch and display photos from Wikidata (Wikipedia) when users open a specific point on the map. This feature will enhance the user experience by providing real-time images of places, improving navigation and discovery.
Scope of Work:
- Enhance the map generator to include links to Wikidata.
- Fetch photos dynamically from Wikidata when users select a place.
- Implement caching to optimize performance and reduce API requests.
- Create a consistent and intuitive UI/UX for displaying images.
Estimate:
High complexity, 350 hours
Required Skills:
- Android (Kotlin/Java) and/or iOS (Swift) development
References:
OpenStreetMap Editor Improvements
Organic Maps allows adding or editing POIs on the map even offline, and uploading all edits directly into OpenStreetMap when the connection is available again. The Editor is designed to be easy-to-use, so that anyone (even your granny) can improve the map data for everyone. Improving and expanding the editing tool is crucial for improving the map data as it allow our users to fill gaps and keeping information up to date.
There are several issues and features related to the Organic Maps Editor. For an overview over the most important ones, take a look at the Collection of Editor issues as well as the Editor UX issues.
The scope of the project includes both fixing bugs as well as expanding the functionality. Some possible tasks to work on:
- Enable business change when editing a POI #3491
- Allow adding and editing of more complex OSM types #4523
- Add category icons to the editor category list #9357
- Make it possible to add OSM note to the specific location #266
- Upload recorded tracks to OpenStreetMap to draw missing roads later, or directly draw roads using the recorded data
- List recently used categories when adding objects to openstreetmap #8033
Scope of Work:
TBD
Estimate:
TBD
Required Skills:
- C++
- iOS/Android for the UI-related tasks
References: