Over the past year, I made a lot of contributions to Regina’s OSM. Since snow has made surveying difficult, I felt a retrospective on those contributions were a good idea. Many edits came through the StreetComplete app, though more intensive projects have called for desktop editing. Creating a separate network for sidewalks and starting to make indoor maps for a couple buildings are the items I’m most excited about. The changes made to the Regina Wiki page on OSM were pretty large but hopefully will give a good overview of where active mapping projects are at. Creating a wiki page for Regina Transit will hopefully help to make updates to it easier to coordinate.

You can read more on my blog post here: https://www.malleyeno.com/Blog/Winter-Retrospective-2025—OpenStreetMap-for-Regina

In the ancient days, OSM was much simpler. You had the streets and roads. A crossing was considered a barrier along the way for road users (i.e. cars), so one would place a node with https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway=crossing where the crosswalk is located. The routeplanner would apply a time penalty, the rendering engine shows a little icon, and done.

With an extra attribute (namely crossing_ref) a more precise type and the type of markings was indicated.

Then, someone figured out they could also shove in information about the traffic signals. This kind of works for simple crossings, but breaks down for bigger intersections. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=unmarked, https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=uncontrolled and https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=controlled were added. And https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=zebra, cause zebra crossings are so common. And https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=marked, which was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike ~~tea~~ https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:crossing=uncontrolled.

In the mean time, people started mapping cycleways and sidewalks/footways separately, giving rise to a second way of tagging crossings: along the way; as https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway=footway with https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:footway=crossing.

Some ported over the traffic signal metadata over on the way, as they were used to doing on a node. Others starting mapping the traffic lights separately, often as barrier at the precise location where the pedestrian/cyclist/car driver has to wait.

This gives the potential of having the traffic light metadata on three separate locations:

1) Once on the point where the road and the footway meet 2) Once on the footway, marked with crossing 3) Once on the traffic light node on the footway

In other words, the current tagging is a clusterfuck.

Why do I care?

… See full entry

Place: Nor Yungas, Yolosa, Bolivia – Senda Verde Animal Shelter

Senda Verde is a refuge dedicated to the rehabilitation and protection of wildlife in the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia. Unlike a conventional tourist destination, its main mission is to provide care and rehabilitation to rescued animals, many of which have been victims of illegal wildlife trafficking, mistreatment in captivity, or have been affected by the burning of their habitats. Although it welcomes visitors to support its operations, educate, and raise awareness about conservation, Senda Verde primarily focuses on animal welfare and promoting responsible wildlife practices.

Illegal wildlife trafficking consists of the illicit commercialization of wild species that are stolen from their natural habitats. In Bolivia, alarming cases of illegal wildlife trafficking have begun to occupy a prominent place on the media agenda.

Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of rescued native Bolivian wildlife by providing medical care, food, and housing. Their mission is to save and protect rescued wild animals from cruelty and suffering, as well as to inspire people to care for wildlife.

… See full entry