Study Case of Erizo Juan Santamaría: from free map to official cartography

Digital  maps  are  a  widely  used  tool  for  accessing  products  and  services,  territorial  planning  or  distribution  of  resources  during emergencies.   Under-representation   of   marginalized   communities   is   an   example   of   historical   socioeconomic   exclusions reconfiguration through geospatial data. Each mapping process of a marginalized community is a learning opportunity because of its own particularities. Whether these are methodological, in terms of access to technologies, level of digital literacy or even political- administrative when the data is to be made official. This article presents with enough detail the case of mapping the urban informal settlement Erizo Juan Santamaría in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The neighborhood was an empty space on OpenStreetMap and now is part of the country’s official cartography. Mapping was conducted by people who live in the community and a research group from a public  university.  The  process  was  carried  out  using  technologies  based  on  free/open  software  and  participatory  cartography methodologies, consistent with a decolonial perspective of public university. The inclusion of Erizo Juan Santamaría in digital maps is a step forward to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the neighborhood through the digital space justice and represents a successful case of reclaiming the right to be represented in the map.