• Intro
• Installation
• Mapping Buildings :: Startup
• Mapping Buildings :: Basics on using building_tools + terracer
• Mapping Buildings :: More Advanced

One of the keys to using JOSM is to teach yourself to use the keyboard at the same time as you use the mouse. Once you have a small selection of keyboard shortcuts in your head things will go much quicker.

BuildingsTools plugin (Wiki)
Terracer plugin (Wiki)

2 mins tutorial: Drawing Buildings in JOSM
(from the HOT team; a little old, but still accurate)

Most of my time post-survey is spent mapping houses & roads - it is rare that a road is not already mapped, though naturally they always need checking and sometimes correcting. In contrast, it is rare in the areas that I survey that any houses are mapped at all.

Startup Sequence

Here is an account of my current startup sequence after launching JOSM from *menu | Education | JOSM (latest snapshot):–

1. Items ready before JOSM launch:–
   → File directory with tracker contents
       (here ~/osmtracker/2017-05-28_10-53-09/)
   → GPX file (a GPS ‘breadcrumbs’ file of locations during the survey)
   → JPG files (GPS-located photos of street- & road-signs, housenames, etc.)
   → 3GPP files (GPS-located sound files)
   → .osm file (JOSM desktop saved from previous session)
2. launch JOSM
3. press alt-shift-D to switch continuousDownload OFF
4. ctrl-O to load 2019-03-10.osm
   (desktop save from earlier session)
5. press ctrl+U to update all data from the server
6. File | Open Recent ⏵| 2017-05-28_10-53-09.gpx
   (the area covered on the screen is now huge, so press ‘+’ & ctrl+arrow-keys to navigate back to Axmouth Drive (last edit position))
7. press alt-shift-D to switch continuousDownload back ON
8. load menu: | Imagery | Esri World
   (it’s the best of a bad bunch)
9. load menu: | Imagery | Postcode
   (needs to be last else it gets lost)
10. load menu: | Windows | Mapillary image
    (it should already have a ☑, so press shift+comma)