Oh, silly html parsing. it cut of the <1m in the above comment. so lets try again:

Yes as mentioned, there are going to be some false positives, but my impression has been that the fast majority of the <1m reports one can be fairly confidant that they truely are bugs. For example http://tools.geofabrik.de/osmi/?view=routing&lon=-3.19580&lat=51.54010&zoom=15&overlays=unconnected_major1,unconnected_major2,unconnected_major5,unconnected_minor1,duplicate_ways it is quite clear that the mapper hadn't realised that ways need to be connected and it is imho quite safe to simple connect all of them without too much worry of false positives. But yes, in other areas it is not as clear, and one should always err on the side of caution.

@emj, Yes as mentioned, there are going to be some false positives, but my impression has been that the fast majority of the <1m reports, I'd be very confident that they are truely bugs. For example, if you look at http://tools.geofabrik.de/osmi/?view=routing&lon=-3.19580&lat=51.54010&zoom=15&overlays=unconnected_major1,unconnected_major2,unconnected_major5,unconnected_minor1,duplicate_ways it is kind of obvious that this person hadn't realised that ways need to be connected and one can simple connect them without too much worry about false positives.

@Pink Duck, yes it would be nice to be able to mark false positives, but it in a fully automatic reporting that gets rerun every day or so, it is hard to keep track of which errors belong to which "ignore". However, I think it supports the "noexit" tag on nodes for ways that aren't connected.

Ich nehme mal an, das mit "unsichtbar bleiben", erscheinen nicht auf der haupt "Mapnik"-Karte gemeint ist? Der Hauptgrund liegt vermutlich daran das die Kuestenlinien waerend des renderings getrennt behandelt wird, und nur alle paar Wochen neu importiert wird. Dies wird gemacht, da die Kuesten linien ein relativ aufwendiges pre-processing unterlaufen muessen. Es kann also leider ein weilchen dauern bis die Aenderungen erscheinen.

Eine weitere Erklaerung findet man unter http://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/276/why-do-the-changes-i-have-made-to-coastline-not-appear-on-the-map

Not directly what you want, but in a bit of a convoluted way, the following might be a bit of a help in some situations. As I don't have an android phone, I haven't tried it though

Skobbler has a turn-by-turn navigation app for the android (and iPhone) based on OSM data. It also includes a categorized bug button, for navigation bugs. So what might be possible is that if you see that it sends you down a not allowed path, thus hinting at that the turn restriction is not yet in OSM, you can hit the bug button and select the turn-restriction issue category. Back at home, you can then see those bugs on http://www.skobbler.co.uk/osmbugs with the route you took and what was suggested and from that information, you hopefully will be able to add the turn restriction with JOSM or potlatch.

It doesn't really work if you are in "dedicated mapping mode" though rather then just getting from A to B and happen to stumble upon some errors.

Otherwise, for this kind of things, I find audio mapping kind of works well, where you can use georeferenced voice notes to your self. E.g. "No right turn coming from South on Street A". It is sufficiently simple to do even while driving and allows you to record the necessary data, but perhaps not the easiest in postprocessing afterwards.

Unter osm.wiki/DE:ODbL/We_Are_Changing_The_License findest Du mehr Informationen zum Wechsel und den Beweggruenden. Ausserdem gibt es dort auch eine Uebersetzung der Lizenz ( osm.wiki/DE:Open_Database_Licence_-_Licence_Text ) und der Vereinbarung ( osm.wiki/DE:Open_Database_License/Contributor_Terms )

Kurz zusammen gefasst ist aber folgendes zu den Gruenden zu sagen. Als OpenStreetMap vor 6 Jahren gegruendet wurde gab es keine geeignete Copyleft lizenz fuer Datenbanken wie OSM. Abgesehen davon das es keine bessere Lizenz gab, war es damals auch nicht klar das CC-BY-SA nicht geeignet ist. Da sich inzwischen aber die CC-BY-SA fuer unsere Zwecke als ungeeignet herausgestellt hat, wie Creative Commons selbst ausdruecklich gesagt hat, muss die Lizenz gewechselt werden um Rechtssicherheit gewaerleisten zu koennen.

Inzwischen gibt es die ODbL, zu der gewechselt werden soll, die im Gegensatz zu CC-BY-SA ausdruecklich fuer Datenbanken entwickelt wurde und somit die entsprechende Gesetzeslage abdeckt. Sie ist zwar eine algemeine Lizenz (also nicht von OSM geschrieben), wie CC-BY-SA oder GPL auch, die Autoren hatten aber OpenStreetMap als einen der Usecases immer im Hintergedanken und die OSM community entsprechend feedback gegeben hat.
Es ist weiterhin eine Copyleft lizenz mit Namensnennung. Nach ca. drei Jahren Vorarbeit und jede Menge Diskussionen in der Community, ist es nun soweit, das versucht wird die Daten zu relizenzieren und somit waere es sehr hilfreich das jeder den neuen Bedingungen zustimmen wuerde, damit OSM nun endlich eine geeignete Lizenz bekommt.

Die OSMF kann die Daten auch nicht nach Gutduenken weiter lizenzieren, sondern nur entweder unter der ODbL, der jetzigen CC-BY-SA oder einer anderen freien und offenen Lizenz und letzeres auch nur mit einer 2/3 Mehrheit aller aktiven mapper.

Das der Vertrag nach englischem Recht abgeschlossen wird, liegt schlicht und ergreifen daran das die OSMF als traegerverein der ganzen Infrastruktur ihren Sitz in England hat, da dort das Projekt vor 6 Jahren gegruendet wurde.

Nobody forces you to use Bing maps if you don't want to use Silverlight. However, the 100s of Million of users who do use Microsoft Products may on the otherhand find it useful and a few of them probably will start contributing to OSM which can potentially be a huge increase for OSM. So I think it is great to see Bing Maps probing and trialing out OSM.

Of cause, I would have also preferd if it didn't use Silverlight, so that I as a Linux user, or for that matter on a public Windows Computer, could try it out. And do wonder why they are doing it, given that all other companies have managed to create a javascript map library without problems. But in the end due to the Share-A-Like nature of the License, Microsoft can't embrace and _extend_ OSM without giving back.

I might as well point out, that there is another "OpenStreetBugs" site by skobbler ( http://www.skobbler.co.uk/osmbugs ), which could also do with some bug fixing. Those are navigation bugs reported by the skobbler smart phone navigation users. Unfortunately quite a few are bad or useless bug reports, but there are also quite a bunch of good ones too.

Die englischen seiten http://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/178/how-often-does-the-main-mapnik-map-get-updated und http://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/102/i-have-made-edits-but-they-dont-show-up-on-the-map geben eine gewisse Uebersicht, wie der ganze Prozess funktioniert und wie lange man erwarten kann das es dauert bis die hochgeladenen Daten in den Karten erscheinen.

Ansonsten noch herzlich wilkommen im Projekt und viel Spass beim mappen.

For some answers about how far behind the main (mapnik) map is see the new Q&A page at http://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/178/how-often-does-the-main-mapnik-map-get-updated

@JohnSmith, do you have any examples of why you think the minutely expiry is broken? I would guess it is more likely that the servers are overloaded and thus the maps sometime appear to not update, but it is also possible that there are bugs. Not too long ago there was a fix to the process for a bug that was introduced nearly a year earlier, but because no one reported it, it wasn't fixed. So if you do have some clear examples, it is worth reporting any bugs in trac.

@FK270673: There is no secrete priority list in mapnik, even though the process might sometimes feel a bit unpredictable due to the various interacting factors.

keep in mind that GPS generally does not have an accuracy better than about 10 - 50m. So if the existing road is no more than e.g. 10m out from your trace, you should keep in mind that your trace may well be no more accurate than theirs and only averages of traces will help iteratively over time.

It looks fine now, so I suspect it just hadn't / only partially updated the rendering of the map yet.

However I did notice, that your footpath was not connected to the road, which means routers won't be able to use it. Ways need to be connencted (share nodes), if you can travel along them.

I hope you had fun with your mapping party.

It is great to see the translation of the map into more language as it nicely shows the diversity of the OSM community. In case you hadn't seen it already, it is actually currently " Project of the week " to try and improve translations as much as possible. It is a shame though that Lao doesn't work in Potlatch. It may be worth filing a bug about it in trac in case it isn't a bug in Flash.

I see that neither the website, potlatch nor josm currently seem to be translated into Lao and it might be fun and helpful to translate some of it at translatewiki.net for the osm website potlatch and launchpad for josm.

Ich versuche mal auf die anderen Punkte etwas einzugehen. Wobei ich ebenfalls kein Jurist bin...

"Außerdem wird dadurch für OSM eine neue Lizenz geschaffen" Die Lizenz wurde weder von OSM(F) noch explicit fuer OSM geschrieben, sondern wurde von einer Gruppe von Rechtsanwaelte (OpenDataCommons) geschrieben damit es erstmals eine gute Licence fuer diese Zwecke gibt und die ganzen Probleme die du fuer CC-BY-SA in Hinblick auf Datenbanken erwaehnst zu addressieren in dem es die weltweit verschiedenen Rechtsformen verwendet die fuer Datenbanken ueblich sind. Da OSM eines der groessten Freien Datenbank projekte ist, hat sich OpenDataCommons natuerlich den usecase OSM angeschaut und die OSMF hat auch aktive ihr feedback waeren der verschiedenen Review sessions der Lizenz mit eingebracht. Insofern auch wenn es eine neue Lizenz ist, wird sie hoffentlich in zukunft auch von vielen anderen freien Datenbank Projekten verwendet.

"Und ich traue der Foundation nicht. Nicht, weil ich etwas gegen sie habe, aber das könnte sich zukünftig ja ändern. Wer weiß, wer dann dort das sagen hat? Oder was ist, wenn sie Pleite geht und die Rechte von wer weiß wem aufgekauft werden?" Wie du im naechsten Satz selbst sagst schraenken die Contributor terms ein was die Foundation damit machen kann. Insofern, selbst wenn EvilBigCorp OSMF "aufkaufen" wuerde koennten sie die Daten nicht "stehlen" denn wenn sie die Daten unter etwas anderem als einer Freien Lizenz und ohne die Zustimmung der Aktiven mapper aendern wuerde, waere das ein Vertragsbruch zwischen OSMF und dir und deine Lizenz an sie wuerde automatisch erloeschen. Ich haette es allerdings auch begruesst wenn "Free and Open" definiert waere z.B. wie hier http://www.opendefinition.org/okd/

"Auch wenn ich das Bedürfnis verstehe, etwas gegen die Rechteinhaber in der Hand zu haben, finde ich diese Möglichkeit doch etwas fies. Meiner Meinung nach wiederspricht so etwas dem Sinn einer freien Lizenz, die ausdrücklich für jeden gilt." Wieso? Wenn sich der jenige an die Lizenz haelt, gibt es keine moeglichkeit ihm die Lizenz zu entziehen. Nur wenn er sich nicht an alle teile haelt Z.B. das er die Daten wieder unter der gleichen Lizenz weitergibt kann die Lizenz entzogen werden. Das kann man doch eigentlich nur als fair bezeichnen. Es ist sogar extra eine Karenzzeit eingebaut, das ein Lizenzverstoss aus Unwissenheit oder "Dummheit" diese Klausel nicht ausloessen kann, sondern nur wer sich ausdruecklich weigert die Lizenz zu akzeptieren kann die Lizenz entzogen werden.

Germany is a rather unique case within OSM with by far the biggest and most active community. According to recent statistics ( http://neis-one.org/2010/06/12/wo-erfolgen-die-meisten-edits-in-osm-de/ ) 34% of all worldwide mappers map in Germany. In comparison in the UK (i.e. England, Scotland and Wales), there are only about 7% of worldwide mappers (the two numbers are computed in different intervals and via different methods, so not directly comparable but give a rough picture) So yes, the level of detail especially outside of cities is much lower in the UK than in Germany. With the UK still one of the more active countries though, I would guess that the picture isn't much better in most other countries either, although I can't say anything about New Zealand.

Why some countries are so much more successful in recruiting mappers than others I don't think is known. But it is imho clear that we still need to attract a lot more mappers in most countries to get to the level OSM aims for and what can be seen in the better mapped areas around the world.

I thought I'd mention for completeness sake that there are quite a few other programs on various mobile phones including all Nokia phones that allow you to record gpx tracks and export them. There is a nice list of them at osm.wiki/Software/Mobile_phones

Hello and welcome to the project.

The fact that some place names (or other features) show up at some zoom levels but not others is a bit of an artefact from how the maps get rendered. On the main map style you see (called "mapnik") the rendering avoids overlapping names, as that would look ugly. Unfortunately the way it does that is by dropping one of the labels and which one gets dropped can depend on the zoom level. The other map style (called "osmarender") behaves differently in that respect. There isn't anything you can do about that at the stage of editing

However I'd like to point out the difference between the "data" and the "maps". The data (which is what you edit) tries to represent the world as detailed and accurate as possible from a neutral point of view. There is no concept of zoom levels in the data, just geographic position.

From this data it is then possible to generate all sorts of different maps such as the ones you see on the openstreetmap webpage. Everyone who creates a new mapstyle can then choose which aspects of the data are relevant to them and should be shown at which zoom level. Some nice examples of the various specialist maps created from openstreetmap data can be found at (osm.wiki/OSM_Online_Browsing)

But you can't just make webmaps. You can also use OSM on a GPS device like garmins or on the mobile phone, or for routing, or for even more crazy things like jewellery and clocks... (osm.wiki/Using_OpenStreetMap)

So OSM is really all about the variety of things you can do with free geodata, which is why it is important when editing the data to simply describe reality as accurately as possible, rather than having one particular application in mind (like the map you see on the main page).

For the second part of you question, you might be able to use the data overlay on the main page, or separate projects like http://www.openstreetbrowser.org/ or http://olm.openstreetmap.de/ that show a subset of the tags.

I hope that helped clarify things a bit

happy mapping!

@ianlopez1115: The dual licensing is only there for the moment I believe, while OpenStreetMap figures out if, how and when it will move over to OdBL. I.e. asking new contributors to agree to both CC-BY-SA and OdBL/DbCL until the current contributors decide what to do, without making this decission harder and harder with every new contributor.

The new Signup page does have a box to tick "Consider all my contributions as PD", but this is purely a statement of personal preference (and for OSMF to get a better picture) and doesn't have any real legal relevance as the OSM data will remain solemnly under CC-BY-SA for now or potentially in future under ODbL.

@avar: Yes, it would be good to have a translatable and "human readable" summery of the contributor terms at the top, to ensure new contributors feel more comfortable with agreeing.

In some way, I am glad that your main concerns are with the process rather than the license it self. This is hopefully much easier to try and discuss any possible concerns and try and improve for the future.

Yes, I do think too not everything in the process and with communications has always gone as ideal as would have been nice, but it is very important to keep in mind that all the people involved in the process (apart from the professional copyright lawyers who wrote OdBL for the Open Knowledge Foundation), are volunteers, i.e. people like you and me who use their limited time to try and help the cause for better more open maps as well as they can.

And I do think they have done an incredible job in ensuring a good and workable license that corresponds as closely as possible to the current license as well as reflecting the current opinions of all mappers as much as is possible in a diverse group. As Matt has pointed out, they have repeatedly communicated it on various mailinglists, both high volumne general lists like talk, as well as more focused specialist lists such as legal-talk. Posted it on the forums, in irc on blogs and discussed it at length on the wiki. There have also been repeated calls for anyone willing to join the Licensing Working Group to do so to ensure the process is as inclusive and transparently as possible. But the task they try and accomplish, i.e. to get 200.000 people across the globe with hugely diverse backgrounds and interests to all agree to a single license, which unfortunately has been dictated by unworkability of the current license, is basically impossible. So please bear in mind when criticising the current process that some glitches are unfortunately inevitable and try and be as constructive as possible. Even professional politicians have often failed at communicating things much simpler than this.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't and won't continue to work hard on improving the communications process and ensure that any potential licensing change is as inclusive as possible.

Oh, google indeed has a zoom level 19. Hadn't realised that.

Shame those geofabrik links didn't work, as those show a Google Map and a OSM map next to each other to be able to compare to too nicely. Zoomed in to central Berlin, Germany and Dortmund, Germany, shows that the detail rendered at a given level is often much higher than for google. http://mapcomparator.gmapify.fr/ is another interesting site to compare google maps, yahoo maps, bing maps and OpenStreetMap and see how the cartography and richness of data between them vary quite strongly.

But yes, both of those are beside the point of zoom level 19. However there are still very few places where a zoom level 19 is really necessary, and Z18 becomes too cluttered. The resources required to provide the extra level potentially are quite substantial though. Already Z18 tiles regularly need to be deleted to not run out of disk space. But eventually there probably will be a Z19 level as more and more people start micromapping.

To render small set of own tiles, you can use osmarender too, if you adapt the style files to include higher zoom levels. Or use mapnik and for example the generate_tiles.py script.

Where OpenStreetMap has the data, the OSM mapnik tiles generally show a much higher and richer level of detail than google's tiles.

As an example here are two links to well mapped areas showing the more varied nature of OSM tiles compared to google:
http://tools.geofabrik.de/mc/?mt0=mapnik&mt1=googlemap&lon=7.45475&lat=51.51973&zoom=16
http://tools.geofabrik.de/mc/?mt0=mapnik&mt1=googlemap&lon=13.3777&lat=52.51604&zoom=17

However, there are still quite a few areas in the world (including many areas in India), where OpenStreetMap doesn't yet have as detailed data. With a constantly increasing number of people contributing to the map that will hopfully change soon.

It is possible to render your own maps and custom tiles. One of the ways is described at http://weait.com/content/build-your-own-openstreetmap-server But most of the ways do unfortunately need a bit of work to set up, although not a huge amount. Kosmos ( osm.wiki/Kosmos ) might be another option.