Streetcars Rule

I’m trying to make a map of a streetcar line that I think ought to be built.

Little did I know when I first started my job in Antarctica that I’d become obsessed with editing OpenStreetMap during my empty hours at work. While I made an account back in 2019, that was simply to add a missing sidewalk from my mission in India that bothered me. Last month, I was playing around with some maps, seeing how different engines would interpret a cycle route I frequently took back home, and I noticed the trail was laid out with a bit of jank. I decided I had an account and the fix would be easy, so I went ahead and did it. I then saw the sidewalk options, and started playing with infilling the sidewalks around the route.

That was a mistake.

I have since spent hours adding sidewalks everywhere I’ve been. As I learned the tools and improved my methods, I started looking at other options. Street lamps, lowered curbs with tactile paving, and power poles were next. I started looking into other ways to contribute and installed Street Complete on my phone. I saw my office trailer wasn’t listed on the map at McMurdo, so I used OSMTracker for Android to map it out (Turns out, my phones GPS combined with the poor signal so far south makes things a bit more challenging). I then started using it to map all the infrastructure I could reach. I spent 2 hours on one of my few 2-day weekends down here out in -10F weather mapping out the power poles and lines connecting them.

Needless to say, this has become a bit of an obsession, but I suppose if I’m going to have that, I can at least use it to do some good in the world, no matter how small. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some suburban sprawl to map out. Those sidewalks aren’t going to add themselves!

mapa:

Today, I had a good time at the national office and Mapathon center of Unique Mappers Network-the OpenStreetMap Nigeria Community NGO (osm.org/#map=18/4.899962/6.921081) to engage newbies, signing them up and training them on how to contribute to OpenStreetMap. Among them are Ngozi,Fortune,David and Chika (NMak,verified,Peter Msiion D and Victoria Jaja). Please, check out for them to welcome them and share your success stories and motivation for OSM volunteering. Fortune(verifiedfortune) joining Unique Mappers IT cohort 1 for 2025 would be contributing for the next 6 months as part of his IT task. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7329531711480926209 ![ ]

On 3rd May, We got back to our Map Nigeria Monthly Mapathon to sustain active OSM community participation in Nigeria, especially as we have mapping projects being coordinated in collaboration with TomTom one of Unique Mappers Network partner https://tasks.openstreetmap.us/projects/815#coordination . Volunteers joined from across the states and universities in Nigeria in a virtual coordinated mapathon, especially, the Unique Mappers Team we recently established in Abuja,Kaduna.Ile-Ife and Enugu.

In the first quarter of 2025, we have mobilized,signed-up and trained more than 100 newbies coordinated in a new whatsaap group of the community whatsaap group for orientation purposes. However, mapping contributions has been quite slow as the recent high increase in internet data subscription in Nigeria makes it more difficult for both old and new OSM volunteers to sacrifice the high cost of internet for voluntary mapping in OSM. You can hardly find free internet broad band access to engage volunteers in Mapathon.

… See full entry

Today 12th May 2025, I got to the place i’m suppose to do my IT, [INDUSTRIAL TRAINING], As at 10am in the morning when asked to come. I met 2 other people David and Ngozi, they welcomed me while i waited for the National Coordinator DR VICTOR .N. SUNDAY of unique mapper. After was, the National Coordinator DR Victor sunday came in, with out wasting much time, another person enter named chika i guess so, so he introduced OpenStreetMap to all of us that were there together. He said a lot of things about the OpenStreetMap, As what we use in carrying out mapping and it’s also free, like a volunteer thing. It was exciting to have DR Victor Sunday, the coordinator teach and talk about the OpenStreetMap, Me been introduce to OpenStreetMap, its not my first time but i was able to get a clear picture of what an OpenStreetMap was all about, which it was intresting, Now i can say i know how to map a building. yoooo!!! With everything that went on, everyone had to practice for themselves on learning how to do the mapping there self, which was cool and right now we are done with the classes on mapping as at 1:56PM, Everyone is expected to sign up with OpenStreetMap and map out at least 10 buildings showing you have learnt something for the day, hmmm its really a lot today though, i’m happy to have come here today and i’m ready for it. This is my passion, This is my dream,for the next six [6] months i will be here, i hope to achieve a lot, and thats it.

Un script python pour nettoyer les données OSM

گالری کاشی و سنگ اهورا

Manila

The State of the Map Call for Proposals deadline is approaching fast, and I know that feeling - staring at a blank page, wondering if your OSM experience is “conference-worthy.” Here’s the truth: if you’ve ever mapped something, solved a problem with OSM data, or helped someone learn about OpenStreetMap, you have a story worth sharing at State of the Map 2025!

Photo from SotM 2024, CC BY-SA 2.0

What to Present On?

I think that often, the biggest hurdle isn’t writing the proposal - it’s deciding what to propose.

Talk About What You Know: Your OSM Journey

The best State of the Map talks come from personal experience. Think about:

• What tool or technique do you use that others might not know about?
• How has your mapping journey evolved?
• What do you know now that you wish you’d have known when starting?

Share What You Learned the Hard Way

… See full entry

Day 1) Home

忘れるかもしれないので備忘録として書き留めておく。

種別	編集ルール
一般道（2車線以上）	センターラインのある一般道。
一般道（2車線未満）	5.5m以上の一般道。見た目2車線分の広さがあるような道路。センターラインこそないものの、道路の中心を境に舗装が塗り分けられていたりする。通過交通に使われることも想定するので、5.5ｍ以上の道路に接続していない場合は住宅地区の道路に格下げする。
住宅地区の道路	5.5m未満3m以上の一般道。1.5車線、なんとか離合はできるかも。5.5ｍ以上の道路でも、5.5ｍ以上の道路に接続していない場合は住宅地区の道路として扱う。
路地	3m未満2m以上の道路。ぎりぎり1車線、対向車が来たら焦る。
敷地内道路（全般）	敷地（学校やGS等）の中の道路。団地内の道路も含む。
小道（自動車通行不可）	2ｍ未満の道路。明示的に車両通行禁止となっていないが、車は無理だろうという道路。
歩道	標識や車止めなどで明示的に車両通行禁止となっている道路。

幅員は 自治体の提供する幅員マップを参考にはするが、必ずしも正確ではないので、最終的には見た目で判断する。

We know OpenStreetMap is one of the most powerful and collaborative geospatial databases in the world. It relies on contributions from everyday users, developers, humanitarian workers, and mapping enthusiasts to keep data accurate and up to date.
But like any open data project, OSM faces issues. And understanding the types of issues we encounter is essential to maintaining map quality. One simple and effective way to think about OSM data problems is, to divide them into two broad categories:

1. Existing Issues: Errors in the Map

These are problems that exist within the current OSM data. The features are already mapped, but something about them is incorrect, inconsistent, or outdated.

Common examples:

• Incorrect tags: A residential road tagged as a motorway.
• Geometry errors: Buildings that are misaligned, roads that don’t connect properly, or rivers overlapping with buildings.
• Outdated features: A shop that closed years ago but still shows up on the map.
• Inconsistencies: Using different tags for the same type of feature in nearby areas (amenity=school vs. building=school).

2. Non-Existing Issues: Missing from the Map

These are features or data that should be on the map but are completely absent. The problem here is not about fixing what’s wrong, it’s about recognizing what’s not there at all.

Common examples:

• Unmapped buildings visible in satellite imagery.
• New roads or paths that haven’t been digitized.
• Missing POIs like schools, hospitals, or shops.
• Lack of metadata such as opening hours, accessibility info, or addresses.

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Why This Distinction Matters

Thinking in terms of “existing” vs. “non-existing” issues helps:

… See full entry

طريق غير معبدة

This article is also available in Taiwanese Mandarin (台灣華語) and Taiwanese Hokkien / Taigi (台文)

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In 2025, OpenStreetMap Taiwan Community has started to cooperate with Wikidata Taiwan Community to organize Street View Tour again, and in April, the tour was to Huwei and Tuku townships in Yunlin county. The funding source of this tour was Wikimedia Association of Taiwan, and the lunches for the two days (4/26 and 4/27) were sponsored by TomTom company.

The tour gathered outside the Yunlin High Speed Rail station in the morning of 4/26, and then set off to Huwei and Tuku townships to take photos of various temples related to Yunlin Liufang Mazu religion. Even though this was a street view tour, there were a lot of problems with the 360 camera this time 🫠, the one in the author’s car was always crashed (overheated?), while the one in the other car was never able to connect to the cell phone. The one on the car I was driving was always crashed (overheating?), while the one on the other car could not be connected by cell phone. Nonetheless, 53,854 street photos were uploaded to Mapillary this time (including both flat and 360 panoramic photos, some of which have not yet been uploaded at the time of writing this diary).

… See full entry

Pertanyaan mimin SGPC alias tukangsampat at the OpenStreetMap sederhana.

Banyak variasi jalan gang yang tergambar di peta OSM di Indonesia yang tidak seragam. Sebaiknya, untuk standarisasi sebaiknya, jalan gang di Indonesia:

• ditanda sebagai alley (highway:service, service:alley)
• ditandai sebagai jalan setapak untuk pejalan kaki (highway:footway) - yang artinya satu jenis tag dengan jalan setapak biasa
• atau sebagai jalan bersama (highway:living_street)

Cukup banyak gang di kota-kota maupun pedesaan di Tanah Air yang terasa terlalu lebar untuk sepeda motor namun sempit untuk kendaraan roda empat, tetapi dalam editor tag Allowed Access (motor_vehicle) bisa diartikan baik roda dua maupun roda empat, jadi sulit mencari pengecualian. Saat ini, versi mimin adalah merupakan sebuah alley.

Silahkan tanggapi di kolom komentar dan argumennya.

Para que servem os dados do OpenStreetMap?

O OpenStreetMap (OSM) é um projeto colaborativo que tem como objetivo criar um mapa mundial livre e editável. Mas para além de um simples mapa, o verdadeiro poder do OSM está nos seus dados geográficos abertos, que são utilizados por milhares de pessoas, empresas e governos em todo o mundo. Mas afinal, para que servem os dados do OpenStreetMap? 1. Navegação e Mobilidade Urbana

Muitos aplicativos de GPS e navegação utilizam os dados do OSM para oferecer rotas, calcular distâncias e estimar tempos de viagem. Serviços como o OsmAnd, Maps.me e até partes do Mapbox e Uber usam esses dados. Além disso, o OSM é essencial para soluções de mobilidade urbana, como planejamento de ciclovias, linhas de ônibus e análise de acessibilidade. 2. Planejamento Urbano e Infraestrutura

Prefeituras, engenheiros e urbanistas utilizam os dados do OpenStreetMap para:

Mapear ruas, calçadas, escolas e hospitais;

Identificar áreas sem infraestrutura básica;

… See full entry

Ajude a manter os mapas sempre atualizados!

O Projeto COCAR é uma iniciativa colaborativa que disponibiliza mensalmente mapas atualizados do Brasil e da América Latina para dispositivos Garmin, baseados no OpenStreetMap — o mapa livre e aberto que todos podem editar.

Para que esses mapas continuem precisos e úteis, contamos com o apoio da comunidade! Precisamos de voluntários para verificar e atualizar as notas deixadas por outros usuários no OpenStreetMap e inserir novas informações nos mapas, como ruas, estabelecimentos, nomes de vias e muito mais.

… See full entry

Está difícil dar visibilidade ao seu projeto para a comunidade mundial, entre tantos eventos pagos e/ou presenciais? Nós temos um convite especial pra você!

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Participe e concorra à publicação do seu relato como capítulo de livro a ser lançado em 2026

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Comunicamos que parte dos projetos de países lusófonos apresentados na Mostra de Projetos de Mapeamento do III Workshop Mapeamento Participativo e Cartografia Social - MPCS 2025 serão selecionados para publicação como capítulo do segundo volume do livro da série literária Estudos de caso em mapeamentos colaborativo e participativo, a ser lançado no início de 2026, com o selo da editora IVIDES.

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As informações sobre o envio de propostas para o evento, 100% online e gratuito e aberto à comunidade, podem ser encontradas no no site oficial.

https://ivides.org/workshopmpcs2025

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As inscrições para a mostra de projetos de mapeamento estarão abertas até 20 de maio de 2025.

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Podem participar grupos e coletivos externos ao meio acadêmico também, as propostas serão avaliadas da mesma maneira, segundo os critérios estabelecidos e disponibilizados no portal oficial do evento.

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Podem ser inscritas iniciativas desenvolvidas em países lusófonos: Angola, Brasil, Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau, Guiné Equatorial, Moçambique, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe e Timor Leste.

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A organização agradece ao patrocínio da FAPERJ e da empresa IVIDES DATA e à parceria com os laboratórios Lageot-UFF Campos, GeoCart-UFRJ, LiGA-UFRRJ, Programa de Pós-graduação em Geografia da UFRJ, Observatório do Mapeamento Participativo (IVIDES.org e GeoCart) e a Associação de Geógrafos Brasileiros (Seção Campinas-SP).

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… See full entry

Is it difficult to present your project for the world community among so many paid and/or in person events? We have a special invitation for you!

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Send your submission and be in with a chance of having your story published as a chapter in a book to be released in 2026.

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We would like to inform you that part of the projects from the lusophone countries, presented at the Mapping Projects Exhibition of the III Workshop on Participatory Mapping and Social Cartography - MPCS 2025 will be selected for publication as a chapter in the second volume of the book series Case Studies in Collaborative and Participatory Mapping, to be released in early 2026 under the IVIDES publishing lable.

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Information on submitting proposals for the event, 100% online and free and open to the community, can be found on the official website.

https://ivides.org/workshopmpcs2025

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Applications for the mapping project exhibition will be open until May 20, 2025.

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Groups and collectives external to the universities can also take part. Proposals will be assessed in the same way, according to the criteria established and made available on the event’s official website.

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Initiatives developed in Portuguese-speaking countries can be sent in Portuguese language: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.

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The organisation would like to thank FAPERJ and the company IVIDES DATA for their sponsorship and the partnership with the laboratories Lageot-UFF Campos, GeoCart-UFRJ, LiGA-UFRRJ, the Postgraduate Programme in Geography at UFRJ, the Participatory Mapping Observatory (IVIDES.org and GeoCart) and the Association of Brazilian Geographers (Campinas-SP Section).

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… See full entry

oh well, imgur doesn’t seem to work.