OpenStreetMap
I had the idea it would be easy to do a few quick fixes to some regional shortcomings of OpenStreetMap. It turned out that I was totally wrong. Quick is a term anyone new to OSM should erase from his vocabulary, if my experiences are something like typical. It was frustrating from the very start and it did not change the few times I tried to contribute to the project.
I do not think that OSM can reach really many users if it stays like this. It is just not possible to do a few quick additions to the maps without spending a lot of time to find out how to do even the simplest changes. It should be possible, for example, to intuitively mark a road as closed when road works pop up. There would have to be buttons for frequent changes like closing a road due to road works. Would operating the maps, putting in changes, would be an intuitive task, I am sure many more would contribute and there would be much less missing in the maps and the map would be more up to date.
Sorry for the negative comment to a project I think is basically a good project. But I really think there should be changes to make it a lot easier for newbies to contribute. I am not ready to put in that much time just to figure out how to do things.
Discussion
Comment from Warin61 on 17 June 2019 at 23:15
HI,
Quick changes can be done, once you learn the basics.
So you have to learn. Similar to any other thing there is a requirement for the operator to have some knowledge. If you don’t put in the work then you will not be able to contribute fully. The more detailed OSM becomes the more there is to learn. If you are only interested in one subject you can concentrate on it and then ignore the rest. Most people start doing a little bit. And then see something else they want to do .. and so over time some develop in ways they never intended. Others drop out.
Now the part that is out of OSM control. Once these changes are made it takes time for the map makers to make a new map and distribute it. Some of these operate on a schedule, one schedule is one year between updates. So if a road is closed for a day or a week or a month it make little sense to put it in their map. Others update daily… but do their map users? In short, while well intentioned, short term changes don’t really work well. u.
You will find similar things occur in other areas. Where you chose to spend your time is up to you, find something you enjoy doing. If it is not OSM that is fine.
Comment from Mateusz Konieczny on 18 June 2019 at 21:18
Can you describe what you tried to do and what went wrong?
Comment from Mateusz Konieczny on 18 June 2019 at 21:21
You tried to change it using in-browser editor, right?
It can be done by selecting road that is now closed, clicking on its icon in editing menu (on hover you get “change feature” hint and switching to “Road closed”).
I wonder how it may be improved, but it depends on what went wrong.
For start - is walk-through in iD explaining now that one may change feature type in this way?
Comment from Mateusz Konieczny on 18 June 2019 at 21:24
I now opened https://github.com/openstreetmap/iD/issues/6552 with idea that may be a good way to improve situation a bit (or not and maybe it is not worth implementing).