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OpenStreetMap is the second most-important resource on the Internet, after the Wikipedia.

Semaphor 4y ago
And if you are on android, there’s a super simple and easy, lightly gamified, app to help improve their data: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete
- tim_hutton 4y ago
  This is an excellent app, it works very well. Thanks for linking.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    I’ve been using it to update the > 4 years out-of-date streets around my apartment, it really makes it super easy just when walking somewhere.
- jbaber 4y ago
  My kids loved using this on long walks in the neighborhood. Until we'd heavily trodden some paths and the only questions were about road surfaces and streetlamps :)
  - Aachen 4y ago
    Street lighting is useful though! My partner wanted to go running but when it gets dark early it would be after dark, and there wasn't a good map of which roads are lit. I since filled in the data and OsmAnd can display it (map settings -> details -> street lighting), but it took a while to get stuff filled in and my partner has since stopped running x). It may help other people plan such trips, or tell people where they can feel more safe while walking after nightfall. The data is virtually nonexistent in most places, at least until StreetComplete started asking for it, but I imagine that many will find it a useful addition if it starts being rendered or used in route calculations now that it's available here and there. (Which then leads to more people seeing the use and contributing that data, which again makes it more useful.) Finding your way in an unfamiliar place in pitch blackness is a lot harder regardless of safety.
- smusamashah 4y ago
  There is also Every Door which i find less annoying. Street complete puts lots of noise on the map. I don't know the answer to my selected questions all the time. Every door lets you fill in whatever you can. https://every-door.app/ https://every-door.app/
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    While that is nice, it’s a lot more cluttered. That may be useful when you specifically go out to do mapping, but Street Complete is far easier to do on the side while going somewhere for different reasons. edit: I will keep both though ;)
  - blargpls 4y ago
    If you have a problem with specific quest types, you can disable them in the settings. If you feel like the question / answer should be improved, check the StreetComplete issue tracker for existing issues / discussions and if there isn't any matching, create a new one.
- andyjohnson0 4y ago
  Thanks for mentioning this! I've installed it and it looks like an interesting app.
- 0xFF0123 4y ago
  Thanks for a great recommendation!
Ptchd 4y ago
Libgen and scihub are pretty important too.
molly_radstowe 4y ago
I'd argue it's #1
einpoklum 4y ago
I'd say it's even more important than Wikipedia. Static articles on various subjects may require a bit of effort, but dynamic zoomable maps are not something you can get another way (except for commercial offerings).
- aembleton 4y ago
  That's the Web interface, the real value is in its database. Many applications can make use of that data for maps or for geolocation information or to get all of the railway stations in a city.
nicbou 4y ago
I contribute to OSM, especially when I travel in less populated areas. A reliable map of petrol stations is invaluable in remote areas. People are sometimes curious about it, and comparing it to Wikipedia is the best way to explain the importance of it. Good maps are incredibly important. Separating that from financial incentives is necessary.
leethargo 4y ago
Not sure of the rank position, but the Internet Archive is quite valuable as well.
shp0ngle 4y ago
I gave up trying to edit mistakes on OSM. I edited something, one month later someone reverted it back without any explanation. And the UX for discussion is even worse than on Wikipedia, which is saying something. So I have no idea why it was reverted, no idea how to contact the guy and no mood to investigate. So my street has a wrong name and I am too lazy to change it
- habi 4y ago
  Every item on OSM (node, way, relation) is versioned and has a history. If you can link us to your changes I’m happy to try to help find out why your change was reverted. Usually that’s only the case for blatant errors, copying from proprietary maps (ehm, Google Maps) or vandalism. We’re trying to be a friendly bunch, and I’d like to get you back as an editor.
  - shp0ngle 4y ago
    I don’t want to ask here (don’t want to mix up my identities), where should I actually ask? In what forum
    - Aachen 4y ago
      https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contact_channels https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contact_channels any of these (some may be more or less active). If you're looking for a forum specifically, the answer is https://community.openstreetmap.org https://community.openstreetmap.org
    - n4r9 4y ago
      One option you have is to find the changeset that undid your edit and start a discussion with the user in question. To find the changeset, navigate to the location on openstreetmap.org, right-click, query features, and select the feature in question. The web page should then look like this: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/93668654/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/93668654/ In the left pane click "View history" to see all the changesets affecting that feature. Find the one you want, then click the link next to "Changeset #". The web page should then look like this: https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/104465654 https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/104465654 The comment on the changeset might already contain enough information to answer why it undid your edit. If not, the left pane now has a text box for you to add a comment to the discussion. The user in question should receive a notification/email when you comment, and will hopefully engage in the discussion.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

And if you are on android, there’s a super simple and easy, lightly gamified, app to help improve their data: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete

tim_hutton 4y ago
This is an excellent app, it works very well. Thanks for linking.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  I’ve been using it to update the > 4 years out-of-date streets around my apartment, it really makes it super easy just when walking somewhere.
jbaber 4y ago
My kids loved using this on long walks in the neighborhood. Until we'd heavily trodden some paths and the only questions were about road surfaces and streetlamps :)
- Aachen 4y ago
  Street lighting is useful though! My partner wanted to go running but when it gets dark early it would be after dark, and there wasn't a good map of which roads are lit. I since filled in the data and OsmAnd can display it (map settings -> details -> street lighting), but it took a while to get stuff filled in and my partner has since stopped running x). It may help other people plan such trips, or tell people where they can feel more safe while walking after nightfall. The data is virtually nonexistent in most places, at least until StreetComplete started asking for it, but I imagine that many will find it a useful addition if it starts being rendered or used in route calculations now that it's available here and there. (Which then leads to more people seeing the use and contributing that data, which again makes it more useful.) Finding your way in an unfamiliar place in pitch blackness is a lot harder regardless of safety.
smusamashah 4y ago
There is also Every Door which i find less annoying. Street complete puts lots of noise on the map. I don't know the answer to my selected questions all the time. Every door lets you fill in whatever you can. https://every-door.app/ https://every-door.app/
- Semaphor 4y ago
  While that is nice, it’s a lot more cluttered. That may be useful when you specifically go out to do mapping, but Street Complete is far easier to do on the side while going somewhere for different reasons. edit: I will keep both though ;)
- blargpls 4y ago
  If you have a problem with specific quest types, you can disable them in the settings. If you feel like the question / answer should be improved, check the StreetComplete issue tracker for existing issues / discussions and if there isn't any matching, create a new one.
andyjohnson0 4y ago
Thanks for mentioning this! I've installed it and it looks like an interesting app.
0xFF0123 4y ago
Thanks for a great recommendation!

Ptchd 4y ago

Libgen and scihub are pretty important too.

molly_radstowe 4y ago

I'd argue it's #1

einpoklum 4y ago

I'd say it's even more important than Wikipedia. Static articles on various subjects may require a bit of effort, but dynamic zoomable maps are not something you can get another way (except for commercial offerings).

aembleton 4y ago
That's the Web interface, the real value is in its database. Many applications can make use of that data for maps or for geolocation information or to get all of the railway stations in a city.

nicbou 4y ago

I contribute to OSM, especially when I travel in less populated areas. A reliable map of petrol stations is invaluable in remote areas. People are sometimes curious about it, and comparing it to Wikipedia is the best way to explain the importance of it. Good maps are incredibly important. Separating that from financial incentives is necessary.

leethargo 4y ago

Not sure of the rank position, but the Internet Archive is quite valuable as well.

shp0ngle 4y ago

I gave up trying to edit mistakes on OSM. I edited something, one month later someone reverted it back without any explanation. And the UX for discussion is even worse than on Wikipedia, which is saying something. So I have no idea why it was reverted, no idea how to contact the guy and no mood to investigate. So my street has a wrong name and I am too lazy to change it

habi 4y ago
Every item on OSM (node, way, relation) is versioned and has a history. If you can link us to your changes I’m happy to try to help find out why your change was reverted. Usually that’s only the case for blatant errors, copying from proprietary maps (ehm, Google Maps) or vandalism. We’re trying to be a friendly bunch, and I’d like to get you back as an editor.
- shp0ngle 4y ago
  I don’t want to ask here (don’t want to mix up my identities), where should I actually ask? In what forum
  - Aachen 4y ago
    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contact_channels https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contact_channels any of these (some may be more or less active). If you're looking for a forum specifically, the answer is https://community.openstreetmap.org https://community.openstreetmap.org
  - n4r9 4y ago
    One option you have is to find the changeset that undid your edit and start a discussion with the user in question. To find the changeset, navigate to the location on openstreetmap.org, right-click, query features, and select the feature in question. The web page should then look like this: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/93668654/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/93668654/ In the left pane click "View history" to see all the changesets affecting that feature. Find the one you want, then click the link next to "Changeset #". The web page should then look like this: https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/104465654 https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/104465654 The comment on the changeset might already contain enough information to answer why it undid your edit. If not, the left pane now has a text box for you to add a comment to the discussion. The user in question should receive a notification/email when you comment, and will hopefully engage in the discussion.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]