Today I found out that it’s actually a lot easier to contribute to Open Street Map than I thought. There are some serious gaps in house addresses in my area and I was painstakingly using the built in browser editor in the browser.
But, you can use a FOSS app (available on fdroid) called StreetComplete that makes it a lot easier to help out filling in the gaps in your local map data.
It’s really fun - kind of like Pokémon Go but you are actually making an impact 😁
I’m addicted to Streetcomplete. I’m 20.000+ edits in. I make about 100 with ease on my commute to work.
I’m contributing at my level. But, when I see all the errors, issues and missing object around me, it’s a full time job for at least one months.
Yeah. When I started in 2007 my area was a white canvas. Now we’re mapping fences around tree plantations. It’s a marathon, not a race.
I don’t really know or use Open Street Map, so I wonder:
Can everyone just manipulate the map data? Is there some sort of control mechanism or is it easy to incorporate fake data?
I’m asking because this seems to be a really fallible concept, where people with malicious intents would have an easy way to disturb Open Street Map.
Yes, but similar to Wikipedia (where the same holds true) the forces fo good and honest seem to prevail.
I recently contributed a business change and got a message a few hours later that I had made a mistake and a small explanation on how to fix it.
This probably depends on the area, but at least changes in my area seem to be monitored by good people.
Yes and no. If I remember correctly, it was pokemon go utilizing OSM for the kind of Pokemon you could find in a given area which led to some manipulation. You could probably also get away with changing or hiding something in Nowhere, Idaho.
The bigger issue is probably outdated data. Shops or restaurants in urban areas change fairly quickly, it’s quite hard to keep up with those.
Very glad I saw this. I’ve been getting increasingly fed up with Google Maps. Their map in my area is full of annoying errors, such as routing you through roads that haven’t existed for a decade, or along private roads that are not open to the public. And no matter how many times I report them, nothing ever gets fixed. Going to give OSM a try and hopefully make the switch for good. Already saw that the map in my area is in much better shape than Google’s.
Street complete is amazing. I’ve been obsessed with it for a couple years. I never would have made hundreds of OSM submissions without it. Whenever I’m bored, sitting in some place waiting, instead of doom scrolling, I pull out up and see if there is anything I can contribute to the area
I just started using it but I made a mistake on one of my submissions. Is there any way to undo or edit a submission made in the app?
Edit: There is an undo button on the bottom left in the app.
If push comes to shove, you can always create a note over the same place and mention “sorry I effed up here but don’t know how to revert :(”
And rember Pokemon Go uses osm for their data so you are making an impact on them too.
OMG! I just tried it and its actually fun. Thank you so much :)
Honestly, thanks for your post. It inspired me to actually download the app and i solved a bit of issues around my area today.
It’s actually fun and it also helps other people and increase the quality of OSM overall. This could motivate me to also just go for a walk instead of hanging in front of my computer so again: thx for your post <3
That was my thinking. The OSM is only as good as we make it so the more people know how to fix it, the better for the community 😉
