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Our Mapper of the Month for September is Włodzimierz Bartczak (Cristoffs in OSM), from Poland. 
Włodzimierz distinguished himself during the UN Mappers Mapping Championship held on the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, emerging as the winner for the quality and quantity of his contributions. His mapping skills were also showcased in 2022 when he was awarded as Mapper of the Month. Włodzimierz is a highly active member of the community.
We asked him some questions about his contributions to the mapping community.

How has your journey as a contributor in OpenStreetMap been over the past two years? Could you share some highlights or memorable experiences?
The last two years have been surprising. There has been a lot going on, I have spent many hours mapping different places in the world and meeting people from all over the world with whom we are creating OpenStreetMap together. The highlight of this period was the organisation of SoTM Eu in Poland by me. This huge challenge overshadowed all the rest. The amount of work I had to put into preparing this conference was so great that there was very little time left for other activities.

You are the winner of the UN Mappers mapping championship in Jammu and Kashmir, what attracted you to the project? Did you find any challenges in mapping?
On a day-to-day basis, I focus on mapping in Poland, where the amount of data entered into OpenStreetMap is so vast that adding new objects is very difficult and time-consuming. UN Mappers projects tend to focus on places where data is residual or non-existent. Creating a map from scratch is a relaxing activity. I didn't plan to contribute so much to the project, I just had some free time and mapping in Jammu and Kashmir made it enjoyable. The only problem I encountered was the poor quality of the satellite images in some places, which made the work much more challenging.

Your mapping has a very high standard of quality, do you have a method you would like to share with others?
I occasionally conduct training courses on the use of JOSM, so you could say that I am already sharing my skills. However, in this particular case, it was the experience of both using the various tools and reading the satellite images that counted. So there is no specific method, just practice in mapping.

Approximately how much time did you dedicate to mapping in the project during the championship?
This is a very difficult question. It never occurred to me to count the time spent editing OpenStreetMap, in this case it was not some kind of record from my point of view. This project was easy and enjoyable. I approached it as a pastime and did not think about the time spent.

As someone who has been actively mapping with us, what advice or suggestions do you have for other contributors who are just starting out or looking to get more involved?
Taking part in UN Mappers projects is a great way to learn about mapping. The projects are done in places where you don't need to have a huge amount of mapping experience and knowledge of particular tags. In addition, changes are verified, which means the editor gets feedback on their work, so it is a good way to learn mapping.

In our previous interview, you mentioned that you enjoyed mapping because doing so you can help others. Has this motivation continued to drive your mapping efforts, or have you discovered new aspects that keep you engaged?
Nothing has changed, I still consider it to be the easiest way for me to help others by using my own skills. Mapping comes easily to me and this way I can use my time effectively. It is also worth mentioning that I have learnt about some interesting places by improving the mapping in them.

As we celebrate your contributions and recognize your dedication, what message would you like to share with the community of OpenStreetMap contributors worldwide? Is there anything you would like to see more of or any initiatives you would like to suggest for the future?
Thanks to the commitment of the editors, OpenStreetMap has become an essential resource for millions of people around the world and is becoming more and more important every year. So, it's worth sometimes taking a few minutes to make the world a better place. I wish everyone good mapping!
Any initiative that supports the development of the community of editors would be welcome, especially one that encourages community integration between different countries.