About Me

Hey folks! I’m Gregory Power (they/them) and I’ve been a part of the map since November 2023. I am currently a Data Scientist (Contractor) for Cary, North Carolina—where I manage Cary’s Open Data Portal and other analytics infrastructure. In my spare time I enjoy learning about urban planning and equitable, multimodal infrastructure. I’m also involved with the Pedestrian Working Group, Government Working Group, and my community’s Strong Towns chapter. I enjoy contributing to the open source geospatial software community, with a soft spot for GDAL, QGIS, GRASS GIS, and DuckDB—so everyone can have the tools to understand the world around them. Even though there’s a great set of tools for us to use, it’s nothing without having an open ecosystem of data.

My Mapping

My first project in OpenStreetMap was tracing plans for Cary’s Downtown Park into OpenStreetMap. With the updated layout, Cary’s Integration and Development Team could have a basemap to put our sensor data on. Once I realized OpenStreetMap data was used by all of our applications across the town and beyond, I was hooked. I enjoy mapping multimodal transportation infrastructure, handicapped parking, and restaurants. I’ve trained team members on conducting field surveys with StreetComplete and captured street imagery with Mapillary.

As a Board Member

It’s important that communities have access to data and the ability to make changes to increase the fidelity of the data. These are the objectives I’d prioritize:

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This was harder than I thought it would be. The lesson for re-drawing a road was drag-and-drop. I could not insert an extra node in the Administrative Boundary in order to truncate the triangle.

I had to create a new Administrative Boundary and relate it to the existing boundary. Then delete the node at the top of the old boundary.

Requested review as I’m not sure that is the correct or accurate way to perform the task.

Hello!

I’ve just found out that ~2k out of ~13M relations have no type tag, ~220 of which have the type tag with lifecycle prefix or date namespace suffix, so I’ve decided to review them manually, with the ones with no tags containing the word “type” being the first, correct some mistakes (e.g. missing https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:type=multipolygon) and delete the unnecessary relations (e.g. with duplicate tags). In case I make a mistake, please point it out on OSM Community topic or comment my changesets.

Regards

Kamil Kalata

Panoramax is a rising star at the moment, for OSM, but not only; while Mapillary goes down, sold to Facebook. In my old www.OSMgo.org, the key P showed a Mapillary picture near the actual position in the 3D rendered OSM world. As the API is gone, I replaced it with Panoramax. OSMgo was abandoned by me years ago but the server is still running. As I read more and more about Panoramax, I decided to dig out the old code and use it. First I asked in the Fediverse for help with the API and got a great and fast response, even a good example, thank you all!



There are almost to much pages about it. The real API was a bit hidden but well documented at last. The Idea of decentralised servers but a central directory is great, the Web-UI to see all pictures to. And the API got me a json list of the closest pictures, including a link to the pictures. After researching to define the radius (place_distance) and get the direction of the “shot” (feature.properties[“view:azimuth”]) my old Mapillary could be modified to show the picture in the 3D view and move the camera to see it.

Try it out

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– In English

Trajetória do YouthMappers UFRJ

O capítulo YouthMappers UFRJ é coordenado pela Profa. Dra. Raquel Dezidério Souto (em estágio pós-doutoral) e pelo Prof. Dr. Manoel Fernandes, ambos do Laboratório de Cartografia, da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (GeoCart-UFRJ), tendo sido constituído para desenvolver pesquisas em mapeamento colaborativo com OpenStreetMap e programas relacionados, envolvendo a comunidade, com integrantes internos e externos à UFRJ, residentes no Brasil e no exterior.

A iniciativa faz parte da rede internacional YouthMappers, projeto de longo prazo e abrangência global, fundado por professoras das Universidades do Arizonas e do Texas, com o apoio do USAID (EUA). Atualmente, são mais de 400 grupos, em universidades públicas de todo o mundo.

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– Em Português

YouthMappers UFRJ Trajectory

The YouthMappers UFRJ is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Raquel Dezidério Souto (in post doctoral internship), and Prof. Dr. Manoel Fernandes, both from the Laboratory of Cartography, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (GeoCart-UFRJ, Brazil), and was set up to prepare new mappers and develop collaborative mapping research with OpenStreetMap and related programs, involving the community, with members from inside and outside UFRJ, residing in Brazil and in other countries.

The initiative is part of the international YouthMappers network, a project founded by professors from the Universities of Arizona and Texas, with sponsor and support of the USAID (USA). There are currently more than 400 groups in public universities around the world.

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Using OpenStreetMap (OSM) and JOSM (Java OpenStreetMap Editor) has completely transformed my perspective on places in Ghana. What used to be just names on a map are now vibrant locations I explore, analyze, and contribute to in meaningful ways.

With each mapping session, I am a digital explorer, uncovering hidden details about my country. While tracing highways, POIs, buildings, and rivers, to ensure that every corner of Ghana is well represented, I explore!. From the bustling streets of Accra to the serene landscapes of the Volta Region, my virtual travels take me everywhere without even leaving my seat.

As I explore and see places, I contribute data to solve real-world problems. Through OSM, I have contributed to flood risk assessments, improved accessibility to schools, and even helped emergency responders find critical locations. It’s amazing to know that my little edits can make a big difference in someone’s life.

Mapping is no longer just a hobby; it’s a passion, a responsibility, and a way to make a mark on the world.

One edit at a time! The journey continues!

It’s a huge farce

Die Praxis der Sperren-Festsetzung ist eine Farce!

Wie berechtigt meine Sperren waren, ist hier nicht Thema. Sondern die systemische Willkür, Intransparenz und Unfairness des Sperre(un)wesens bei OSM. Methodisch der MAGA-Bewegung unter US-Präsident Trump kompatibel.

Das Erschreckende: niemand von denen, die sich überhaupt zu meinen Sperren geäußert haben, scheint dieses institutionelle Versagen zu stören. Sollte es aber, auch wenn man meine Sperren für gerechtfertigt hält. Ein faires Verfahren ist Wesenselement einer Demokratie, Verfahrensmodi wie hier in OSM zu erleben sind Kennzeichen autoritärer und totalitärer Regime. Das sollte Common Sense sein, ist es aber leider nicht.

Wie meine letzte Sperre zeigt, kann einem übrigens schon der Vorwurf unkollegialen Verhaltens eine Sperre eintragen. Das Ganze mehr als drei Monate nachdem der Kommentar abgegeben wurde. Das Ganze, ohne dass mir dieser alte Kommentar, einer von mehr als tausend, die ich im infragestehenden Zeitraum abgesetzt hatte, überhaupt genannt wurde - auch auf zweifache explizite Nachfrage nicht. Das Ganze, obwohl der vom Kommentar Betroffene sich mir gegenüber entschuldigt hatte, mithin kein Problem mit meinem Post gehabt zu haben scheint.

Mit letzterem entmündigen die selbsternannten Tugendwächter die User. Ich zumindest lehne eine Einmischung in meine Kommunikation über meinen Kopf hinweg ab. Ich bin erwachsen und kann mich selbst verbal verteidigen und gestehe das auch allen anderen Nutzern hier zu.

Näheres unter https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/unerklarliche-sperrung/138413/2

Woke Bigotterie

Höflichkeit und Fairness von anderen fordern, selbst aber das Gegenteil praktizieren.

Another one got ignored today, another road left unmapped, another place erased because it wasn’t profitable enough to exist on a corporate map. No one noticed, because no one was supposed to.

They don’t talk about the missing footpaths, the streets that don’t appear because they aren’t in a government database, the communities left invisible because they don’t generate ad revenue. They don’t talk about how your map—your view of the world—is decided not by truth, but by business interests.

They call us idealists, hobbyists, dreamers. They say the world has already been mapped. But they are wrong.

We are the ones who see the gaps. We are the ones who refuse to let our neighborhoods, our histories, our stories be erased. We are the ones who put the world on the map—not for profit, but for people.

Yes, I am a mapper. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is refusing to accept a world where only what is profitable is visible. My crime is knowing that no company, no government, no algorithm should have the power to decide what exists.

You may ignore us. You may try to replace us with AI, to wall off geography behind paywalls, to tell people that their contributions don’t matter. But you can’t stop us all. Because the world is ours to map.

After all, we are all alike. We are OpenStreetMap.

🤣 with apologies ++The Mentor++ (8 January 1986). “The Conscience of a Hacker”. Phrack, Inc. 1 (7): 3 of 10 - wikipedia

I’m back home! All the uploads done! Yeah!

Street-level imagery

As I had written about earlier, I was on tour with actually, to be precise, one of the bands I’m in under the title/ program “The Dubliners Experience” in the Netherlands from Jan 15th to Feb 1st. The GoPro Max was our constant companion on the roof of the tour bus. It covers mostly motorways and the areas around concert venues, of course. I also walked around the campsite we stayed at (band life isn’t as glamorous as they make it out to be in the movies after all) with it, but that imagery is not super useful, I’m afraid. How much can you map in a fen, when there are not even leaves on the trees to map species…But still, the area got covered.

I was especially keen to upload to Panoramax, because the coverage was quite poor which does not mean to discredit the people who have already contributed, of course!

I’ll give you some before and after screenshots, some of which I had already shared on Mastodon yesterday.

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Hi OSM folks,

Yesterday I finished mapping West Virginia’s forest landcover for OSM in 5 years! It was a big project and definitely the next one will be a bigger one but because of that I’m gonna do it in a pace that I can maintain. If I have to stop, then I stop. Well, it’s just a hobby for me. As I announced on Mapping USA, I’m mapping Pennsylvania from now on. I’m really interested in the history of that state, The Keystone State.

And yes, I just wanted to try myself out how I could map forest landcover outside of Europe. It seems everyone seems hyped and I like this!

I’m not a robot so I can’t work on it 24/7 due to my personal life and I know i’m not making a 100% accurate landcover, but hey, I learnt some tricks which I’m taking advantage of! Sometimes I also criticise the quality I do but well people usually improve as time flies.

I’d like to thank everyone in the OSM community for giving me help and guidance, and I’m sure I’ll still have questions if it comes to specific areas. :)

Jak už jsem napsal dříve, tak k mapování mého města jsem se dostal z konkrétních důvodů.

Online mapa OSM byla tenkrát nedostatečně zakreslená a mnoho informací bylo zastaralých nebo chybějících. Trápilo mne to. Druhý důvod byl, že jsem se opakovaně setkával s návštěvníky a turisty, kteří něco hledali a na jejich mapě to nemohli najít. Neuměl jsem jim to rychle ukázat. Bylo to pořád dokola.

Jiné mapy tu existovaly, ale kromě komerční varianty tištěných map, nebo mapových cedulí místního mapového vydavatele, nenabízely turistům dostatečně přesné informace. A to jsem chtěl zlepšit.

Rozhodl jsem se pro OSM.

Teď po několika letech by bylo fajn napsat, co se podle mé zkušenosti u uživatelů map změnilo a co ne. Nakonec pár slov, co by se dalo vylepšit.

Předně musím říci, že povědomí konkrétně o mapě OSM, je u bloudících turistů velmi slabé, protože znají a používají většinou jiné online mapy. Pokud je vůbec používají. Mají k tomu své důvody. Málokdy dokáží použít offline mapového klienta. Takže pro mapy musí mít aktivní datový tarif, což je pro cizince v ČR trochu drahá záležitost. A tak první co hledají, je free wifi.

Co dál víme

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Pernahkah berpikir, bagaimana jika kita ingin menambahkan muatan aksara lokal pada titik dan garis di OpenStreetMap, namun tag yang mengakomodasi justru seperti ‘reserved’ untuk ejaan tertentu?

Hal inilah yang menjadi perjalanan saya setelah berinisiatif untuk menyemarakkan OSM dengan memperkaya tag di Riau dan sekitarnya dengan penulisan Arab Melayu melalui hashtag #ArabMelayukanOSMRiau. Tulisan Arab Melayu, di belahan Alam Melayu lainnya lebih akrab dengan sebutan Jawi, merupakan abjad klasik untuk menulis Bahasa Melayu sebelum akhirnya digantikan oleh alfabet Latin pada era pasca-penjajahan di Nusantara.

Tulisan Arab Melayu pada Gurindam Dua Belas yang terkenal. Sumber: yopiefranz.com

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Tapal Batas Desa antara Desa Mantangai Hilir dan Desa Mantangai Tengah adalah Jembatan Saka Diwung.

这次回美国, 我每处专门都用OSM比较, 发现即使在OSM的诞生地, 以及大量互联网使用者, GIS从业者的美国, 非盈利性质的OSM其细化也远远比不上商业化的谷歌地图. 之前我觉得OSM详细, 是因为目光都聚集在了主要公共设施, 比如广场, 公园, 车站, 知名景点. 这些地方OSM的编辑者自然多, 但是下至中小型乡镇, 其覆盖率是真不高. 不过话说回来我在之前看OSM的热点上, 美国也不是极高值. 绘制最多的那块在德国, 瑞士, 意大利, 法国, 波兰等中西欧国家, 不知道那里等实际情况如何.

About me

I started mapping in June 2020 as a way to find parks and trails near my home in Redmond, Washington. My daughter loves adventures and provides huge motivation. I am a former compiler engineer and bring a passion for great tooling. I love being able to work with others on an expansive, vivid, and important project.

My mapping

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2025年1月自從參加完台灣維基媒體的年度大會後，我就想說找時間來完善馬祖的地理資訊和百科條目內容。

complete guide of uploader https://help.mapillary.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020825811-Mapillary-Desktop-Uploader-the-complete-guide

Insta 360 X3 (但我用X2) https://help.mapillary.com/hc/en-us/articles/11951588568604-Insta360-X3

Kartavoice https://voice.kartalink.com/WjekAMMTqpKjqgUL/

Today I will talk about the new version 0.8 of userscript that adds several useful features to osm.org.

You can view existing features of the script and install it on GitHub or in the OSM Wiki

⚡️ Faster rendering

My first PR was merged to openstreetmap-website code, and now the Map Data layer loads instantly. Be sure to try it. Thanks to the maintainers for help!

For the script, this means a huge acceleration in rendering large relations and GPS tracks (yes, tracks, read more!):

icon 👥 near relations is clickable 😉

📸 Photos from Panoramax, StreetComplete, Wikipedia Commons

Now they are displayed directly on the website. In notes, in tag history, and in changesets.

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Épicerie coopérative

Merhaba arkadaşlar, Antalya bölgesini düzenleyeceğim. Harita API’sinde koordinat ve isim ekleme özelliği var mı? Eğer varsa, çok basit bir şekilde tüm ülkeyi Google Places ile eşleştirebilirim.