How we build LeelaMaps, and who we're grateful to
LeelaMaps is the free map for things near you — community notes, events, fundraisers, and local sharing. Every day, people use this platform to map food, libraries, safe spaces, handshake partners, skill swaps, and mutual aid. We believe that what people know about their own communities is valuable, and should stay in those communities.
LeelaMaps does not extract profit from our community. The small service fee on payments (currently 3%) covers the real costs of running the platform — servers, storage, payment processing, and the work of keeping the site reliable and safe. Any surplus is reinvested to support resource sharing and creation.
We are committed to keeping LeelaMaps accessible and non-extractive. You can share notes and organize locally without paying. If you choose to use LeelaPay to receive money (for a fundraiser, ticket sale, or to sell something), you know the fee going to us upfront, and you know where it goes.
LeelaMaps brings together information from the public, open communities listed below. Each of these projects shares their data under a license that allows us to use and re-share it — and we honour that by crediting them clearly and linking back to the original.
The community-drawn map of the world. LeelaMaps imports fruit trees, historic sites, cultural landmarks, street art, and seed libraries from OpenStreetMap data — all places that matter to you and your neighbours.
License: ODbL (Open Data Commons Open Database License)
Attribution: Data © OpenStreetMap contributors
We import landmark and cultural site information from Wikipedia to enrich the map with descriptions and historical context.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike)
Attribution: Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; original contributors retain their attribution
A global map of foraging locations — fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and edible plants on public land. Falling Fruit's community has mapped thousands of places where you can find real food growing freely near you.
License: Sharealike (similar to OpenStreetMap's ODbL)
Attribution: Each foraged location includes a link back to the original record on Falling Fruit's site
A global community science project dedicated to documenting biodiversity. LeelaMaps imports wildlife observations — photos, species identifications, and location data contributed by citizen scientists worldwide — to show you the living things around you and help you participate in scientific observation.
License: Per-photo CC licensing set by each observer (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-SA, and derivatives)
Attribution: Each photo includes the observer's attribution and their chosen license, credited with the image
We import events from Visit Gainesville and the University of Florida's GatorConnect calendar so you can see what's happening in the community and on campus.
License & Attribution: Imported with permission; each event links back to its original source
LeelaMaps exists because of the generosity of the open communities listed above, and because of you — the people who use it to share what you know about your own neighbourhood. Every note, every event, every map update is an act of contribution to the place you live.