Kaart: Miscellaneous JOSM Tools/Items/sandbox

Introduction

There are a variety of tools in JOSM that can be used to help with mapping. Some of these are more advanced features while others are things that are important to know.

Prerequisites

You will need:

• JOSM installed/updated
• Updated plugins
• OSM account

Skill Instruction

Locking Layers(Making a Sandbox)

Sandboxes are a useful learning tool that can help an editor practice different editing techniques, complex tagging, etc. all from the safety of a controlled environment. Making a quality sandbox takes practice.

Here are some things to keep in mind when making a sandbox:

• What's the editing focus? Geometry, relations, tagging, etc.
• How much data do you need in your sandbox for it to work correctly?
  • Relations like routes may require more data whereas POIs don't need as much.

To make a sandbox:

• Find the data you want to use for your sandbox in JOSM.
• Create a New layer
• Download the sandbox area in your new layer. You can use the download in current view or define a bounding box to select the desired area.
  • Whatever you download will be part of your sandbox.
  • Modify the data as needed to set the stage for your sandbox.
• Right click on your sandbox layer and select discourage upload.
• Right click on your sandbox layer and select Save As.
  • Give it a name and make sure the file extension is .osm and that it is saved in an easily accessible location on your computer.
• Find your sandbox on your computer and open it in a text editing platform like TextEdit(Mac) or Notepad(Windows).
• Look for upload='false' in the first couple lines of the code and change it from false to never so it reads: upload='never'.
• Save your changes and close the text editor.

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• Now open your sandbox in JOSM to test it.
  • Edit a feature and attempt to upload--The upload button should be disabled.
• Create an answer key version of your sandbox showing the correct tags or final outcome.

Remember to clearly label your sandbox and answer files so users know which is which.

Saving a Session in JOSM

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In some cases you may want to save a session that you are working on to edit later. You can do this with the hotkey Option/Alt + CMD/Ctrl + S or by clicking the button on the menu (File→Save Session). This will preserve layers and edits that have not been published yet to work on at another time.

When you do reload your saved session, make sure to update your dataCMD/Ctrl + U to check for conflicts. This is especially important in areas that are being consistently updated.

Tag Multiple Objects Tool

The tag multiple objects tool CMD/Ctrl + T is a great tool for editing separate tags for multiple objects. It allows you to search for multiple tags and compare their values side by side and edit those values. This tool is part of the utils2 plugin and has a few different functions that we'll cover here.

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How to Use

Before you use this tool you'll want to keep these things in mind:

• What tags do you need to edit?
• What kind of features have these tags?
• Would filters help narrow down your search results?
• If you use CMD/Ctrl + A to select all this will also include features without tags.

This tool takes some practice to use efficiently so be patient and take your time when editing with this tool.

Some of the functions include:
How to add tags for comparison	Tags you want to compare will be entered in the search bar at the top of the window. These follow the same syntax as JOSM filters and must be separated by a space. Hit enter to search for the desired tags. Note: Your past tag searches will be saved much like overpass queries. Click the drop down box to see past searches.
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There are buttons for node, way, relation, area and multi-polygon	These allow you to select all features of the selected type. Simply select the feature type you want to enable/disable to add/remove them from your list. The feature type will change colors from white to light grey when it is enabled/disabled. You will also see a change in the symbols in your list.
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How to sort the values for a specific tag	The different tags in your search will appear in the order you listed them in your search. To sort the values for a specific tag simply click on the tag at the top of the list. Values can be sorted either ascending or descending. It will be in alphabetical order both ways.
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How to view/edit a feature(s)	You can edit and view the tag values in this window. Basic hotkeys like copy/paste and Shift + select can be used to select and edit values. You can copy/paste a value into any of the tags listed in the window. Be careful doing this as it is very easy to make mistakes in this window. You have to close the window to undo any mistakes. You can also select a feature and edit a specific part of that value by double clicking in the box. You are able to select multiple ways, but you cannot change them all at once in this window. To select multiple features click on the object icon on the side and use Shift + select to make your selection. From there, right click on the object icon to bring up a mini menu. You will then be able to choose from zoom to objects, select, remove tag, and duplicate tags from the first. Use select to select all of the desired features. You can then use the Tags and memberships window to mass edit the desired tags.
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Finding Imagery Dates

Obtaining the imagery dates within JOSM and ID is possible, but you should be aware that this information is not always available. Some imagery sources will provide you with the date it was captured while in others cases it will provide the date it was made available for use which can be years apart from each other. Keep this in mind when deciding which imagery is the most up-to-date in a given area.

JOSM

In JOSM you will need to first add one or more imagery sources.

To find the imagery date:

• Right click on the imagery
• Open the setting for the desired imagery source
• Click on Show tile info
  • This will bring up a popup with various information about the imagery source including when it was captured(if available).

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ID Editor

To find the imagery date:

• Select the imagery source you want to use then click on the Show Background Panel or use CMD/Ctrl + Shift + B then click on Show Tiles.
  • Each tile within OSM will now have a vintage date associated with it. Keep in mind that this won't always be available.

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Suggested Bookmarks

• Kaart: JOSM Usage/sandbox
• Kaart: JOSM Download and Optimization/sandbox