What a week!

I have conducted two OSM Help Desk sessions as announced, on February 28 and March 2 where I was able to meet and discuss with a total of five different OSM contributors about the issues troubling them. From the discussion topics and the feedback from the attendees I can say that it was a fruitful conversation for all involved. I want to thank all who attended for the friendly environment.

The OSM Help Desk had to enter a small hiatus just after it had started due to my unavailability because of the in-person meet-up of the Open Mapping Hub Asia-Pacific team in Pokhara and Kathmandu last week. It was a completely different experience, and it was great to meet with the actively engaging student communities of the geomatics engineering departments of Kathmandu University and Tribhuvan University Western Regional College. You can follow what happened (and what’s more to happen) via the Hub’s accounts via Twitter and Facebook.

Discussion Topics:

• How can I be a HOT Validator? Is filling a Google Form enough?

In order to become a part of the global validator team, one should be an experienced and active OSM contributor (account older than 6 months and OSM activity within the past 12 months) with experience on editing on JOSM and Tasking Manager. There people then are required to take the validation training . Then depending on the quality of both edits and validation, the contributor can be a part of the validator trainee or the global validator team. You can learn about how to become a validator via here. It is also strongly recommended that you enroll and complete the HOT Validation course within the activation training available via HOT Training Center.

• What are the points around the frame of FieldPapers atlases?

The QR code and the points around the map frame of FieldPapers atlases are acting as links to the online atlas you’ve created. The QR Code contains the URL for your atlas page, to help identification of the atlas while uploading scanned field notes. The points are acting as reference points to help FieldPapers to accurately display your scanned and upload atlasses as basemaps, accounting for the correction of image and shape deformations which might occur during scanning. For more info about FieldPapers, please refer to the wiki.

• Can I use RapiD in JOSM?

Yes, you can add the MapWthAI plugin in JOSM and use AI-assisted mapping in JOSM, too. When run, MapWithAI plugin downloads the AI-generated missing road segments to JOSM as a separate layer. You’ll then need to inspect and verify individual road segments to be added to OSM on the MapWithAI data layer and select the individual segments you want to add to the OSM database. When you select “Add Selected Data”, the selected road segments are added to the main data layer. It is recommended to check and adjust the tagging if necessary, and run a validation check before uploading. You can read more about how to use the MapWithAI plugin here.

• What are the available imagery sources in OSM?

While may not be completely accurate and up-to-date, potential imagery sources are listed in the OSM wiki. It is a good rule of thumb to use only the imagery layers available in OSM editors by default, if you are not sure about the licensing terms of the imagery you want to use. There may be other regional imagery sets available for OSM editing, most included on the link above, which you can add manually. Alternatively, you can use your own imagery for OSM editing: osm.wiki/Vertical_Aerial_Photographs

Before Closing

Have similar questions? Want to chat about certain OSM-related issues over a coffee? Please go ahead and book a slot for the next available Help Desk session via this link. Mondays 09:00 UTC, Wednesdays 06:00 UTC, online.

Also, a bit short notice, but feel free to join the UNVT Online Workshop on March 16 to learn about the United Nations Vector Tile Toolkit with us. More related events and workshops to follow.