Crowdmaps are a great way to engage communities around local or regional issues -- both as a way to encourage participation and sharing, and as a visually powerful, location-aware storytelling tool.

Ushahidi is one of the most popular free crowdmapping platforms, especially its simplified web-based application Crowdmap.com. However, the web display of Ushahidi crowdmaps isn't rather clunky on a smartphone web browser. So you might want to recommend that people in your community install the free Ushahidi app on their smartphone. That way, when they want to view (or contribute to) your crowdmap, they'll have an easy and great experience on a small touchscreen.

Get the Ushahidi mobile apps for Android and iPhone.

For example, here's how one Crowdmap.com project, an Atlas of the Rio Grande, looks in the Ushahidi app vs. a mobile web browser.

Crowdmap.com mobile web example

Top: Mobile web browser. Requires lots of scrolling, pinching, and zooming. Hard to navigate. Easy to hit the wrong thing. Can be slow to load if a map contains a lot of pins or associated media files. 

Ushahidi app crowdmap example

Bottom: Ushahidi mobile app. Geolocation feature allows fast discover of nearby crowdmaps, avoids clunky typing and searching for local users. Touchscreen-friendly interface, minimal zooming/scrolling required. Fast loading.

If you're planning a crowdmapping project, include an online information page explaining how people can use this free app for a great experience of your map. Make sure your map is seeded with a few interesting pins, to encourage exploration and engagement.

Also, on your website's page where your map is embedded, mention above the map that mobile users will have a faster, better experiences viewing the map via the Ushahidi app -- and include download links for both app versions.