this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
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Today I found out that it's actually a lot easier to contribute to Open Street Map than I thought. There are some serious gaps in house addresses in my area and I was painstakingly using the built in browser editor in the browser.

But, you can use a FOSS app (available on fdroid) called StreetComplete that makes it a lot easier to help out filling in the gaps in your local map data.

It's really fun - kind of like Pokémon Go but you are actually making an impact 😁

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[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'm addicted to Streetcomplete. I'm 20.000+ edits in. I make about 100 with ease on my commute to work.

[–] agent_flounder@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I installed it. Judging by the mass of blank info, I guess I'm the only person around here using it lol. 😳

[–] joeldebruijn@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

I became nr 10 or so in my country just by adding nearly everything SC can ask in ... a 10 block radius around my house.😁

[–] gonzoknowsdotcom1@monero.town 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] nexussapphire@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

iOS apps generally require a $100 yearly fee to post to the app store and if they submitted a waiver as a nonprofit apple would probably take years to accept it.

Also apple has a tendency to quietly kill and/or stall small apps that pose a threat to features they incorporate into their os from what I've heard.

[–] lukecooperatus@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ugh yeah the small 4-person worker cooperative I'm part of has been trying to get Apple to let us enroll in their developer program for literally weeks now. Every time we clear some other nonsense requirement, there's a new one right behind it; and we haven't even gotten to the "pay $100 for the privilege of undergoing this process" part yet.

I can't believe Apple ever managed to build an application ecosystem around their products when they are so unfriendly to developers.

[–] Rexios@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago

What? If you’re going to pay for it you just sign up and pay… If you don’t have your company registered before attempting that that’s on you. And if you’re really desperate you could just use a personal developer account which you can set up in like 1 minute. Not sure how this is an issue for you.

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

once you complete every quest on your commute, what do you do?

parallel streets βœ…

and then?

[–] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

that turns the commute into a promenade

[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago

That's exactly what happened. Fortunately I have 4 different offices and I can work from 'home' anywhere so sometimes I go work at a friend's place instead of working at my place.

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is there an open street map based map app that shows live traffic? I'm trying to get my grandfather to switch to open source, and he says it's the one feature he needs.

[–] thejevans@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, unfortunately not. Getting traffic data would mean users volunteering to share location data, would need a centralized system to process everything, and would need a critical mass of users sharing said data to be anywhere near useful. The other possibility would be to pay for data from a provider like Google under an enterprise license that doesn't require sharing data back, but I don't know if that is even an option.

For now, I use both on my phone. I use OSM when biking or walking, I use Google Maps when driving, and I use my local transit web app when taking transit. I plan to switch my Pixel phone to GrapheneOS and to sandbox Google services that I still need. That being said, the ultimate way around needing traffic information is to try to live in places and in such a way that driving is not very necessary, but I know that is a huge ask for a lot of people.

EDIT: To be clear, MagicEarth does have live traffic as @Schlemmy@lemmy.ml pointed out and is based on OSM, but is not itself open source.

[–] sixfold@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

time for some kind of anonymizing location data sharing service, peer to peer or federated protocol? that might be interesting, or sketchy, not sure which.

[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

MagicEarth has got a live traffic layer for you.

[–] nawordar@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If it is free as in beer, but not as in freedom, and is developed by a company, then what is their business model?

[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

This is what they've put on their FAQ

Magic Earth is free for all our end-users but we also have a paid Magic Earth SDK for business partners. For instance Selectric.de (a supplier for navigation solutions for ambulances and fire trucks), Smarter AI (developing ADAS systems) or Absolute Cycling (using the platform on bicycles). For more info on the SDK, you can check magiclane.com.

[–] thehellrocc@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, it's not open source though.

[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago

Indeed it isn't. But is privacy focused and sort of the best next thing.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't really know or use Open Street Map, so I wonder:

Can everyone just manipulate the map data? Is there some sort of control mechanism or is it easy to incorporate fake data?

I'm asking because this seems to be a really fallible concept, where people with malicious intents would have an easy way to disturb Open Street Map.

[–] brainlessnick@feddit.de -1 points 1 year ago

Yes, but similar to Wikipedia (where the same holds true) the forces fo good and honest seem to prevail.

[–] Thymos@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

I just installed StreetComplete because of your post and it's a lot of fun! I guess I'll be doing this on my walks from now on :-)

Honestly, thanks for your post. It inspired me to actually download the app and i solved a bit of issues around my area today.

It's actually fun and it also helps other people and increase the quality of OSM overall. This could motivate me to also just go for a walk instead of hanging in front of my computer so again: thx for your post <3

[–] rikudou@lemmings.world 1 points 1 year ago

kind of like PokΓ©mon Go but you are actually making an impact

I caught the whole first generation + my favorite Celebi. How's that for an impact?

[–] UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh heck yea! My neighborhood is better mapped on OSM than Google Maps even now! Very fulfilling to see.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My shed is mapped in OSM.

Meanwhile Google maps has not got the shed and has the entirety of my property about 10 ft east of its actual location. Essentially terraced up to a neighbouring property even though it's not connected to that property and there is an alleyway.

But I suppose I could say that doesn't really matter for street navigation, which is what Google maps is actually for.

[–] UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago

Naaah mate... it can matter a lot lol. We have a road closure (for the past few months) in our neighborhood. Google maps still hasn't updated it. I routinely see drivers driving up to it and getting annoyed for having to turn back. This wouldn't have happened had they used OSM tho!

[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

There is a "road" near my house in OSM that does not exist and OSM is always trying to route me though it, which is very annoying. Is there any way to mark them for removal? StreetComplete doesn't seem to have that capability.

[–] StorageAware@lemmings.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You could use the editor on the website which although messy, would work fine for removing a road on mobile. Or you can use an app like Vespucci which is more advanced, but it also has a bit more of a learning curve. Or you can create a note like others have recommended but depending on the activity in the area might not be seen for a while.

[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wow you're right! I didn't know they have an online editor. I thought the app is the only way to submit changes. I'm able to delete the section of the road that don't actually exist in my area, let's see if the changes will be accepted. Thanks!

Yep, StreetComplete is one of the many editors for OpenStreetMap! Just to name a few:

Mobile (Android & iOS Mixed):

  • Vespucci.
  • EveryDoor
  • Go Map!!

Desktop:

  • iD (the online editor on the website)
  • RapiD
  • JOSM
  • Level0

And many more! There's a list on the OpenStreetMap wiki.

[–] Shaul@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It seems like a very helpful service. I don't use cell data which means no GPS to contribute to it. I only use apps through wi-fi exclusively.

[–] sixfold@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

Pretty sure you can download the maps ahead of time, GPS doesn't require data, then upload the fixes when you get home.

[–] MixedRaceHumanAI@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

This is my pastime whenever I don't have anything to do online. It's fun to point something on OSM and remembering the establishments you've walkthrough.

If you'd like to be able to search for house addresses in osmand+ you can download these map packs.. A total life saver..

https://github.com/pnoll1/osmand_map_creation