14 ms·

OpenStreetMap Is Turning 20

470 points by gemanor 2y ago

Nic0 2y ago
Damn, I hate those news, it make me fell old. I did some editing, maybe 15 years ago when I was on a LUG (Linux User Group, does this exists anymore ?). Good time.
- mindracer 2y ago
  LUGs still exist I regularly attend my local one
nyyp 2y ago
I'm very glad OpenStreetMap is still around. It has often contained data that I couldn't easily find elsewhere, and I've enjoyed being able to contribute to the places I care about.
punnerud 2y ago
I love that you can host your own version of OpenStreetmap, and even create a street address lookup from coordinates (reverse geocode) only with a bit of Python and SQLite, using the OSM data: https://github.com/punnerud/rgcosm https://github.com/punnerud/rgcosm
- karussell 2y ago
  Also have a look into this work: https://nominatim.org/2023/02/06/nominatim-lite.html https://nominatim.org/2023/02/06/nominatim-lite.html
politelemon 2y ago
OSM is the only implementation of maps that has been done with privacy in mind. It's a real shame that DDG chose to drop it for a much worse alternative. OSM has been an absolute necessity when out hiking in the sticks, and knowing that someone has done work to map this trail out without expectations from me. It's also led to many useful derived maps like public toilets and parking and accessibility. I've always made it a point to try and contribute back whenever I can.
- circularfoyers 2y ago
  I believe they did it because OSM in most places is very outdated or even non existent for businesses, which was probably one of the top uses of it in a search engine. Having contributed quite a lot to OSM, I can say though that it was generally a lot better for hiking tracks than Google maps.
  - hk__2 2y ago
    Agreed. For up-to-date info on businesses I rely on Google Maps, but for hiking it’s totally useless compared to OSM. I still buy some "official" paper maps of the area I hike in because I’ve had bad surprises with OSM, mostly because some mappers sometimes invent some paths based on outdated, blurry aerial imagery, with no real experience of the area. I wish there were a tag like checked_at on paths to mark those that were verified vs. those that were only drawn on Bing Imagery.
    - enigmo 2y ago
      there are tags for this but I don’t see it used much around here, see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:check_date https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:check_date as a starting point
- zikduruqe 2y ago
  I'm an avid cyclist and always update routes, document drinking fountains, shelters, bicycle repair stations and update businesses that I see need it.
  - viscousviolin 2y ago
    Thanks for all your input! How long does it usually take you to complete a single update? I'm curious about helping out with the effort in my neighbourhood.
    - zikduruqe 2y ago
thefz 2y ago
Having an offline, updated map in my pocket is invaluable when hiking and cycling in the mountains. I have been contributing to it as much as I can, to at least give something back.
- kjrfghslkdjfl 2y ago
  Currently, I use google maps "offline maps" for this. However, one thing it can't do is give you directions in offline mode. Meaning, I can have the map in offline mode but not ask it to find me a path from A to B. Do you know of an OSM app that can do this is offline mode?
  - Rygian 2y ago
    As sibling comments point out, you can try OsmAnd or Organic Maps.
    - kjrfghslkdjfl 2y ago
      [dead]
- bdjsiqoocwk 2y ago
  Do you know of an OSM app that gives directions to get from A to B, and works offline?
  - lolc 2y ago
    I primarily use Osmand. Organicmaps is another option.
    - bdjsiqoocwk 2y ago
      Which one is better? Coming from someone who doesnt know much about OSM, what I immediately notice is that accoridng to the play store osmand has in-app payments whereas organic maps doesn't.
jesperlang 2y ago
OSM has the potential to be the open, available source of truth for so much of our data. From there, we can simply build curated UIs that displays what we need (keep in mind that OSM is not a “map”). Opening hours for example. Today this info is either on a webpage or google maps. Sometimes contradicting each other, where a Facebook status update has the most accurate info.
- eisa01 2y ago
  Which makes it a shame that Overture's Place data don't contain the opening_hours: https://github.com/OvertureMaps/schema/discussions/243 https://github.com/OvertureMaps/schema/discussions/243 (Overture is a "standardized" version of OSM, except for the Places data where they use Microsoft and Meta data)
- hk__2 2y ago
  Unfortunately OSM doesn’t solve the problem if the POI owners don’t use it; and in my experience they often don’t even know it exists. Even in my densely-populated area with tons of OSM contributors a lot of POIs are still outdated because restaurant and store owners care only about their website/Instagram/FB or Google Maps and don’t know about OSM. When I started contributing ~12 years ago a main contributor used to say it was a waste of time to map restaurants because the data quickly becomes outdated if nobody’s there to check; I don’t know if he still thinks the same.
  - globular-toast 2y ago
    This will be massively controversial I'm sure, but I'm starting to think it should be illegal for companies to get the (unpaid) public to contribute to their own private database. Those store owners don't want to make the data available to Google, they want to make it available to the public. Companies like Google are abusing the public to further their own goals at the detriment to us all. Pay someone to do it? Fine. It's yours. Get it from the public? Then it's public data and you have to make it available to the public.
    - hollow-moe 2y ago
Ruthalas 2y ago
If you appreciate OSM, consider installing the StreetComplete mobile app[0]! It lets you contribute to OSM in a very simple manner, via simple questions like, "Is there a marked crosswalk here?" I'm not affiliated, I just think it's cool. It's very satisfying to complete quests in your local area. [0] https://streetcomplete.app/ https://streetcomplete.app/
- yonatan8070 2y ago
  Turns out I have new mini-hobby now, thanks!
- eisa01 2y ago
  And until there's an iOS version [1], you could try EveryDoor - especially great for POIs [1] https://github.com/orgs/streetcomplete/projects/1 https://github.com/orgs/streetcomplete/projects/1 [2] https://every-door.app https://every-door.app
  - raybb 2y ago
    For folks not too familiar with OSM, POI are points of interest, usually shops, parks, water access, restroom, etc. Just one point and a few labels. Much easier to map on the go than sidewalks or buildings that require more precision.
- nurgasemetey 2y ago
  Is it normal that website gives 403 Forbidden?
  - ainonsense44 2y ago
    No
- deng 2y ago
  Yes, I can also confirm that it's a great way to lose weight, as it gives long walks a sense of purpose. ;-)
- 2y ago
moffkalast 2y ago
All hail OSM, the only online mapping service that actually lets you access the raw tile server for completely free without any login or tokens or anything, making it the absolute ideal for app integration. May it stay funded forever and maybe get some satelite data one day. Completely unironically. Honestly it is a bit surprising that there hasn't been like a government programme or a crazy billionaire wanting to improve their image somewhere that would launch a rideshare cubesat and have it continuously record an actually open source dataset for all.
- pastage 2y ago
  There are lots of government programs doing that, lots of companies trying to compete with Google has invested in OSM. The success really is that it has all gone into OpenStreetmap. OSM could do a better job acknowledging these partners, but honestly Steve Coast is right it is the people of OSM that matters. The companies and government are only a very small part of OSM.
deng 2y ago
The amount of data OSM has nowadays is a treasure. It's just a shame that there's no well done generic web frontend that would make all this data accessible in a way that could rival Google Maps. The official openstreetmap.org web site just provides bare functionality with an almost unusable search, and otherwise focuses on editing OSM data. Probably the best generic "frontend" for OSM is Organic Maps, which however is confined to Android and iOS. I think if there would be a web version of Organic Maps, this could greatly accelerate OSM adoption.
- pietervdvn 2y ago
  It depends on what exactly you want. Google Maps does more then just being a map, such as navigation, streetview, reviews,... In either case, I've heard quite some people being in love with Qwant Maps. And I try to get to build specialized maps with https://mapcomplete.org https://mapcomplete.org
  - deng 2y ago
    Qwant Maps is discontinued, sadly. Features I would want most from a web frontend for OSM: * Smarter search in the local area that is currently focused, with possibility to search for generic terms like "atm", "bus stop", "bakery", etc. * Display of shops/restaurants/markets/etc with additional information like opening hours (which are available in OSM, I've added a ton of it through StreetComplete and often wondered why I even bother as no one will ever see them). I can easily live without reviews, they are easily gamed and would need a ton of moderation. * Public transport information. There's currently work ongoing in Organic Maps to support this. * Navigation, yes, to some degree. I think this area is actually already quite well covered through services like Komoot, for instance. For car navigation, you probably will never beat Google Maps because of the available current traffic information there.
    - seb1204 2y ago
      First three points heavily dependent on good local mapping and tagging of POI. The public transport is a topic that is very very hard for local mapping. There is little point in mapping 20 bus stops around me without adding details like network, business etc. these details again are often not easy to get. An public transport overlay would be better in my opinion.
Neil44 2y ago
I recently started using TomTom amigo for car navigation in preference to Google maps and I noticed it uses openstreetmap data. Data seems good.
- izacus 2y ago
  TomTom uses their own data though (they're a major provider of car navs and navigation devices).
  - Freak_NL 2y ago
    They are using OSM augmented with their own data. TomTom employs some mappers to fix issues they run into.
- AlexTrask 2y ago
  Try using organic maps. Free software with OSM data
wcedmisten 2y ago
I really enjoy using OSM for my projects! It can be a bit daunting to figure out how to use the data because there are so many different tools in the ecosystem. I wrote this article recently to help anyone looking to get started querying OSM: https://wcedmisten.fyi/post/how-to-query-osm/ https://wcedmisten.fyi/post/how-to-query-osm/
- jcynix 2y ago
  Nice intro, thanks!
sylware 2y ago
I want a reasonably good, plain and simple C99 implemented, tile renderer. Is there any or I have to use the python3 one that to avoid to pull an abomination of c++ or rust compiler?
tictacttoe 2y ago
First, happy customer of OSM and it’s impressive what they’ve built! That said, I’ve noticed their company website field is sparsely populated. Any recommendations for acquiring the place website URL through an API or ethically scraping it at scale? I’m specifically wondering about options that wouldn’t involve Google Places.
- lolc 2y ago
  Read up on what OSM is before you scrape! And maybe Overpass will work for you: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API
- habi 2y ago
  Do NOT scrape OpenStreetmap, you can download the full dataset for yourself: https://planet.osm.org/ https://planet.osm.org/ and search for what you want in it. If you want regional extracts, you can simply download them from Geofabrik at https://download.geofabrik.de/ https://download.geofabrik.de/
jcynix 2y ago
Adding (or correcting) opening hours for businesses, libraries, shops, etc in OSM is quite tedious sometimes IMHO. Maybe that could be a useful task for some AI? Pass it a photo of the data and a location and let it generate the needed additions to OSM ...
smusamashah 2y ago
Is there a good UI for OpenStreetMap which is as good as Google Maps? I really want to contribute to OSM but the UI is not as simple as Google Maps. I do keep putting things on Google Maps but i have started to feel guilty about it.
- LucasBrandt 2y ago
  StreetComplete is a really easy way to start contributing!
- Self-Perfection 2y ago
  Best (simplest) options for contribution are: - StreetComplete - gamification of adding missing properties for existing objects. Consider it as most basic and limited - https://every-door.app/ https://every-door.app/ - the best option to update and add amenities (shops, restaurants, etc) on the go. - iD browser editor available at https://www.openstreetmap.org/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/ - you will need at least this complexity to add objects with geometry (linear or area)
  - smusamashah 2y ago
    I have both of these. Street complete is not for day to day use. That means I won't open it in time of need and find a chance to add something. Every door is a better one but still not as simple as Google Maps. I do believe we need an OSM wrapper which has as simple UI as Google maps.
K2h 2y ago
On ios i have been a beta tester and use the free program go map!! [1] When out and about. I find it fast and fun for osm updates on the go. [1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/go-map/id592990211 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/go-map/id592990211
cletus 2y ago
I fully support the OSM effort. Interestingly, through OSM and even Apple Maps you see just how difficult it is to build a mapping dataset. One story I heard was that the Chinese government intentionally makes its published maps inaccurate by basically offsetting it by a few meters. I'm not sure if this is still current. I'm not sure of the reasoning. It's not like it would stop an invasion if the highway was a few meters from where you thoguht it was. Anyway, to counter that humans basically had to adjust the published maps by overlaying them onto satellite photos to remove the error. AI helps with this but it's still labor intensive. IN addition to being labor-intensive, there are so many disparate data sources that you need to match up. Much of that data conflicts. The likes of Yelp and even Foursquare exist primarily by selling location data. Even something like listing the opening hours of a business is incredibly labor intensive. Google has (had?) a system where an AI would call the business to ask their hours of operation. I think they had to modify it to say it was an automated call. Oh you want directions? I guess you need accurate direction data for roads. You probably need to know where bike paths are. Different locales can define a bike path differently. In some places bikes can share the road with cars. In others they can't. You want to integrate public transit? Well, every place is going to have a weird API. It's a good example because something that seems so simple involves a ton of labor and integrating thousands of data sources. Disclaimer: Xoogler.
- dieortin 2y ago
  > One story I heard was that the Chinese government intentionally makes its published maps inaccurate by basically offsetting it by a few meters It’s still current but much more complex than this, and offsets can be of more than 500 meters (that’s not just a few). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_geographic_data_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_geographic_dat... I still don’t think it makes much sense currently. I would guess any opposing army would get coordinates for a strike from satellite imagery, and not from maps (let alone Chinese ones)
- Doctor_Fegg 2y ago
  > You probably need to know where bike paths are Which is famously something OSM does _much_ better than Google.
contrarian1234 2y ago
It's a shame it's not become a bigger thing. I feel uptake has pretty much stagnated. The weird/pointless attribution requirement has really kneecaped them. A lot of open government data can not be relicensed under a more restrictive license and can't be injested. And if you want to use their data it's also inherently problematic when you need to watermark every map that uses OSM data I hope some day a truely open data set is compiled - b/c honest I find the attribution requirement doesn't even serve the function of giving the authors/contributors any kudos
- ygra 2y ago
  Basically every service that provides maps requires attribution. The problem with OSM is that they cannot reasonably include other data with a license that also requires attribution at the usage site. That little »© OpenStreetMap contributors« in the corner would balloon into 600 different entries. Unless they all are fine with not being mentioned, but they typically do that not for free. There are a number of exceptions. A few CC-BY datasets can be used in OSM because the owner is fine with an entry on a Wiki page is sufficient attribution; Bing and Esri allow their aerial images to be used and only require the changeset to mention the source; etc. But each of those is a separate agreement.
pietervdvn 2y ago
Another way to contribute is my project https://mapcomplete.org https://mapcomplete.org I'm trying to build a somewhat generic map view, which features many thematic maps (e.g. shops, restaurants, bicycle pumps, toilets, ...) Most data comes from OpenStreetMap, but it also allows to make changes, upload pictures, show wikipedia or make reviews with mangrove.Reviews
- n4r9 2y ago
  Can I use this to update the location of e.g. a restaurant that is in the wrong place?
  - ygra 2y ago
    Yes, the point-based maps typically allow you to move a feature.
    - n4r9 2y ago
      I can't see how to do this in the mapcomplete UI. Take this link for example: https://mapcomplete.org/food.html?z=16.1&lat=51.40090813031708&lon=-0.2510977501203797 https://mapcomplete.org/food.html?z=16.1&lat=51.400908130317... . The restaurant "Kefi" is incorrectly located on an entirely residential road. I believe it is probably supposed to be "To Kefi", which you can see here on Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/To+Kefi+(Greek+Restaurant+%26+Cafe)/@51.4122578,-0.2900125,18z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1skefi+google+maps!3m6!1s0x48760b8298d2dff9:0xa6d50a55c7ea2d8!8m2!3d51.4122577!4d-0.2876306!15sChBrZWZpIGdvb2dsZSBtYXBzIgOIAQFaBiIEa2VmaZIBEGdyZWVrX3Jlc3RhdXJhbnTgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F11rd6kryr8?entry=ttu https://www.google.com/maps/place/To+Kefi+(Greek+Restaurant+... I've tried dragging the icon, right-clicking it, or left-clicking it and looking in the popoup menu for a location field to edit, but no luck.
      - ygra 2y ago
        In the popup when clicking it there's a "Move object" near the bottom. You must be logged in for that to appear, though.
fabioborellini 2y ago
I love OSM and its default web app, especially when travelling. The commercial maps are too dynamic and fuzzy, zooming in may make previously visible POIs go away. It also gives a general view of what is available in a given place. I can’t find a supermarket using google maps in a new country, the search function usually fails and I don’t even know if I should use English, my native language or the destination’s language to find places. A more oldschool and less dynamic map allows to look for basket or cart symbols.

470 points by gemanor 2y ago

Nic0 2y ago

Damn, I hate those news, it make me fell old. I did some editing, maybe 15 years ago when I was on a LUG (Linux User Group, does this exists anymore ?). Good time.

mindracer 2y ago
LUGs still exist I regularly attend my local one

nyyp 2y ago

I'm very glad OpenStreetMap is still around. It has often contained data that I couldn't easily find elsewhere, and I've enjoyed being able to contribute to the places I care about.

punnerud 2y ago

I love that you can host your own version of OpenStreetmap, and even create a street address lookup from coordinates (reverse geocode) only with a bit of Python and SQLite, using the OSM data: https://github.com/punnerud/rgcosm https://github.com/punnerud/rgcosm

karussell 2y ago
Also have a look into this work: https://nominatim.org/2023/02/06/nominatim-lite.html https://nominatim.org/2023/02/06/nominatim-lite.html

politelemon 2y ago

OSM is the only implementation of maps that has been done with privacy in mind. It's a real shame that DDG chose to drop it for a much worse alternative. OSM has been an absolute necessity when out hiking in the sticks, and knowing that someone has done work to map this trail out without expectations from me. It's also led to many useful derived maps like public toilets and parking and accessibility. I've always made it a point to try and contribute back whenever I can.

circularfoyers 2y ago
I believe they did it because OSM in most places is very outdated or even non existent for businesses, which was probably one of the top uses of it in a search engine. Having contributed quite a lot to OSM, I can say though that it was generally a lot better for hiking tracks than Google maps.
- hk__2 2y ago
  Agreed. For up-to-date info on businesses I rely on Google Maps, but for hiking it’s totally useless compared to OSM. I still buy some "official" paper maps of the area I hike in because I’ve had bad surprises with OSM, mostly because some mappers sometimes invent some paths based on outdated, blurry aerial imagery, with no real experience of the area. I wish there were a tag like checked_at on paths to mark those that were verified vs. those that were only drawn on Bing Imagery.
  - enigmo 2y ago
    there are tags for this but I don’t see it used much around here, see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:check_date https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:check_date as a starting point
zikduruqe 2y ago
I'm an avid cyclist and always update routes, document drinking fountains, shelters, bicycle repair stations and update businesses that I see need it.
- viscousviolin 2y ago
  Thanks for all your input! How long does it usually take you to complete a single update? I'm curious about helping out with the effort in my neighbourhood.
  - zikduruqe 2y ago

thefz 2y ago

Having an offline, updated map in my pocket is invaluable when hiking and cycling in the mountains. I have been contributing to it as much as I can, to at least give something back.

kjrfghslkdjfl 2y ago
Currently, I use google maps "offline maps" for this. However, one thing it can't do is give you directions in offline mode. Meaning, I can have the map in offline mode but not ask it to find me a path from A to B. Do you know of an OSM app that can do this is offline mode?
- Rygian 2y ago
  As sibling comments point out, you can try OsmAnd or Organic Maps.
  - kjrfghslkdjfl 2y ago
    [dead]
bdjsiqoocwk 2y ago
Do you know of an OSM app that gives directions to get from A to B, and works offline?
- lolc 2y ago
  I primarily use Osmand. Organicmaps is another option.
  - bdjsiqoocwk 2y ago
    Which one is better? Coming from someone who doesnt know much about OSM, what I immediately notice is that accoridng to the play store osmand has in-app payments whereas organic maps doesn't.

jesperlang 2y ago

OSM has the potential to be the open, available source of truth for so much of our data. From there, we can simply build curated UIs that displays what we need (keep in mind that OSM is not a “map”). Opening hours for example. Today this info is either on a webpage or google maps. Sometimes contradicting each other, where a Facebook status update has the most accurate info.

eisa01 2y ago
Which makes it a shame that Overture's Place data don't contain the opening_hours: https://github.com/OvertureMaps/schema/discussions/243 https://github.com/OvertureMaps/schema/discussions/243 (Overture is a "standardized" version of OSM, except for the Places data where they use Microsoft and Meta data)
hk__2 2y ago
Unfortunately OSM doesn’t solve the problem if the POI owners don’t use it; and in my experience they often don’t even know it exists. Even in my densely-populated area with tons of OSM contributors a lot of POIs are still outdated because restaurant and store owners care only about their website/Instagram/FB or Google Maps and don’t know about OSM. When I started contributing ~12 years ago a main contributor used to say it was a waste of time to map restaurants because the data quickly becomes outdated if nobody’s there to check; I don’t know if he still thinks the same.
- globular-toast 2y ago
  This will be massively controversial I'm sure, but I'm starting to think it should be illegal for companies to get the (unpaid) public to contribute to their own private database. Those store owners don't want to make the data available to Google, they want to make it available to the public. Companies like Google are abusing the public to further their own goals at the detriment to us all. Pay someone to do it? Fine. It's yours. Get it from the public? Then it's public data and you have to make it available to the public.
  - hollow-moe 2y ago

Ruthalas 2y ago

If you appreciate OSM, consider installing the StreetComplete mobile app[0]! It lets you contribute to OSM in a very simple manner, via simple questions like, "Is there a marked crosswalk here?" I'm not affiliated, I just think it's cool. It's very satisfying to complete quests in your local area. [0] https://streetcomplete.app/ https://streetcomplete.app/

yonatan8070 2y ago
Turns out I have new mini-hobby now, thanks!
eisa01 2y ago
And until there's an iOS version [1], you could try EveryDoor - especially great for POIs [1] https://github.com/orgs/streetcomplete/projects/1 https://github.com/orgs/streetcomplete/projects/1 [2] https://every-door.app https://every-door.app
- raybb 2y ago
  For folks not too familiar with OSM, POI are points of interest, usually shops, parks, water access, restroom, etc. Just one point and a few labels. Much easier to map on the go than sidewalks or buildings that require more precision.
nurgasemetey 2y ago
Is it normal that website gives 403 Forbidden?
- ainonsense44 2y ago
  No
deng 2y ago
Yes, I can also confirm that it's a great way to lose weight, as it gives long walks a sense of purpose. ;-)
2y ago

moffkalast 2y ago

All hail OSM, the only online mapping service that actually lets you access the raw tile server for completely free without any login or tokens or anything, making it the absolute ideal for app integration. May it stay funded forever and maybe get some satelite data one day. Completely unironically. Honestly it is a bit surprising that there hasn't been like a government programme or a crazy billionaire wanting to improve their image somewhere that would launch a rideshare cubesat and have it continuously record an actually open source dataset for all.

pastage 2y ago
There are lots of government programs doing that, lots of companies trying to compete with Google has invested in OSM. The success really is that it has all gone into OpenStreetmap. OSM could do a better job acknowledging these partners, but honestly Steve Coast is right it is the people of OSM that matters. The companies and government are only a very small part of OSM.

deng 2y ago

The amount of data OSM has nowadays is a treasure. It's just a shame that there's no well done generic web frontend that would make all this data accessible in a way that could rival Google Maps. The official openstreetmap.org web site just provides bare functionality with an almost unusable search, and otherwise focuses on editing OSM data. Probably the best generic "frontend" for OSM is Organic Maps, which however is confined to Android and iOS. I think if there would be a web version of Organic Maps, this could greatly accelerate OSM adoption.

pietervdvn 2y ago
It depends on what exactly you want. Google Maps does more then just being a map, such as navigation, streetview, reviews,... In either case, I've heard quite some people being in love with Qwant Maps. And I try to get to build specialized maps with https://mapcomplete.org https://mapcomplete.org
- deng 2y ago
  Qwant Maps is discontinued, sadly. Features I would want most from a web frontend for OSM: * Smarter search in the local area that is currently focused, with possibility to search for generic terms like "atm", "bus stop", "bakery", etc. * Display of shops/restaurants/markets/etc with additional information like opening hours (which are available in OSM, I've added a ton of it through StreetComplete and often wondered why I even bother as no one will ever see them). I can easily live without reviews, they are easily gamed and would need a ton of moderation. * Public transport information. There's currently work ongoing in Organic Maps to support this. * Navigation, yes, to some degree. I think this area is actually already quite well covered through services like Komoot, for instance. For car navigation, you probably will never beat Google Maps because of the available current traffic information there.
  - seb1204 2y ago
    First three points heavily dependent on good local mapping and tagging of POI. The public transport is a topic that is very very hard for local mapping. There is little point in mapping 20 bus stops around me without adding details like network, business etc. these details again are often not easy to get. An public transport overlay would be better in my opinion.

Neil44 2y ago

I recently started using TomTom amigo for car navigation in preference to Google maps and I noticed it uses openstreetmap data. Data seems good.

izacus 2y ago
TomTom uses their own data though (they're a major provider of car navs and navigation devices).
- Freak_NL 2y ago
  They are using OSM augmented with their own data. TomTom employs some mappers to fix issues they run into.
AlexTrask 2y ago
Try using organic maps. Free software with OSM data

wcedmisten 2y ago

I really enjoy using OSM for my projects! It can be a bit daunting to figure out how to use the data because there are so many different tools in the ecosystem. I wrote this article recently to help anyone looking to get started querying OSM: https://wcedmisten.fyi/post/how-to-query-osm/ https://wcedmisten.fyi/post/how-to-query-osm/

jcynix 2y ago
Nice intro, thanks!

sylware 2y ago

I want a reasonably good, plain and simple C99 implemented, tile renderer. Is there any or I have to use the python3 one that to avoid to pull an abomination of c++ or rust compiler?

tictacttoe 2y ago

First, happy customer of OSM and it’s impressive what they’ve built! That said, I’ve noticed their company website field is sparsely populated. Any recommendations for acquiring the place website URL through an API or ethically scraping it at scale? I’m specifically wondering about options that wouldn’t involve Google Places.

lolc 2y ago
Read up on what OSM is before you scrape! And maybe Overpass will work for you: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API
habi 2y ago
Do NOT scrape OpenStreetmap, you can download the full dataset for yourself: https://planet.osm.org/ https://planet.osm.org/ and search for what you want in it. If you want regional extracts, you can simply download them from Geofabrik at https://download.geofabrik.de/ https://download.geofabrik.de/

jcynix 2y ago

Adding (or correcting) opening hours for businesses, libraries, shops, etc in OSM is quite tedious sometimes IMHO. Maybe that could be a useful task for some AI? Pass it a photo of the data and a location and let it generate the needed additions to OSM ...

smusamashah 2y ago

Is there a good UI for OpenStreetMap which is as good as Google Maps? I really want to contribute to OSM but the UI is not as simple as Google Maps. I do keep putting things on Google Maps but i have started to feel guilty about it.

LucasBrandt 2y ago
StreetComplete is a really easy way to start contributing!
Self-Perfection 2y ago
Best (simplest) options for contribution are: - StreetComplete - gamification of adding missing properties for existing objects. Consider it as most basic and limited - https://every-door.app/ https://every-door.app/ - the best option to update and add amenities (shops, restaurants, etc) on the go. - iD browser editor available at https://www.openstreetmap.org/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/ - you will need at least this complexity to add objects with geometry (linear or area)
- smusamashah 2y ago
  I have both of these. Street complete is not for day to day use. That means I won't open it in time of need and find a chance to add something. Every door is a better one but still not as simple as Google Maps. I do believe we need an OSM wrapper which has as simple UI as Google maps.

K2h 2y ago

On ios i have been a beta tester and use the free program go map!! [1] When out and about. I find it fast and fun for osm updates on the go. [1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/go-map/id592990211 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/go-map/id592990211

cletus 2y ago

I fully support the OSM effort. Interestingly, through OSM and even Apple Maps you see just how difficult it is to build a mapping dataset. One story I heard was that the Chinese government intentionally makes its published maps inaccurate by basically offsetting it by a few meters. I'm not sure if this is still current. I'm not sure of the reasoning. It's not like it would stop an invasion if the highway was a few meters from where you thoguht it was. Anyway, to counter that humans basically had to adjust the published maps by overlaying them onto satellite photos to remove the error. AI helps with this but it's still labor intensive. IN addition to being labor-intensive, there are so many disparate data sources that you need to match up. Much of that data conflicts. The likes of Yelp and even Foursquare exist primarily by selling location data. Even something like listing the opening hours of a business is incredibly labor intensive. Google has (had?) a system where an AI would call the business to ask their hours of operation. I think they had to modify it to say it was an automated call. Oh you want directions? I guess you need accurate direction data for roads. You probably need to know where bike paths are. Different locales can define a bike path differently. In some places bikes can share the road with cars. In others they can't. You want to integrate public transit? Well, every place is going to have a weird API. It's a good example because something that seems so simple involves a ton of labor and integrating thousands of data sources. Disclaimer: Xoogler.

dieortin 2y ago
> One story I heard was that the Chinese government intentionally makes its published maps inaccurate by basically offsetting it by a few meters It’s still current but much more complex than this, and offsets can be of more than 500 meters (that’s not just a few). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_geographic_data_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_geographic_dat... I still don’t think it makes much sense currently. I would guess any opposing army would get coordinates for a strike from satellite imagery, and not from maps (let alone Chinese ones)
Doctor_Fegg 2y ago
> You probably need to know where bike paths are Which is famously something OSM does _much_ better than Google.

contrarian1234 2y ago

It's a shame it's not become a bigger thing. I feel uptake has pretty much stagnated. The weird/pointless attribution requirement has really kneecaped them. A lot of open government data can not be relicensed under a more restrictive license and can't be injested. And if you want to use their data it's also inherently problematic when you need to watermark every map that uses OSM data I hope some day a truely open data set is compiled - b/c honest I find the attribution requirement doesn't even serve the function of giving the authors/contributors any kudos

ygra 2y ago
Basically every service that provides maps requires attribution. The problem with OSM is that they cannot reasonably include other data with a license that also requires attribution at the usage site. That little »© OpenStreetMap contributors« in the corner would balloon into 600 different entries. Unless they all are fine with not being mentioned, but they typically do that not for free. There are a number of exceptions. A few CC-BY datasets can be used in OSM because the owner is fine with an entry on a Wiki page is sufficient attribution; Bing and Esri allow their aerial images to be used and only require the changeset to mention the source; etc. But each of those is a separate agreement.

pietervdvn 2y ago

Another way to contribute is my project https://mapcomplete.org https://mapcomplete.org I'm trying to build a somewhat generic map view, which features many thematic maps (e.g. shops, restaurants, bicycle pumps, toilets, ...) Most data comes from OpenStreetMap, but it also allows to make changes, upload pictures, show wikipedia or make reviews with mangrove.Reviews

n4r9 2y ago
Can I use this to update the location of e.g. a restaurant that is in the wrong place?
- ygra 2y ago
  Yes, the point-based maps typically allow you to move a feature.
  - n4r9 2y ago
    I can't see how to do this in the mapcomplete UI. Take this link for example: https://mapcomplete.org/food.html?z=16.1&lat=51.40090813031708&lon=-0.2510977501203797 https://mapcomplete.org/food.html?z=16.1&lat=51.400908130317... . The restaurant "Kefi" is incorrectly located on an entirely residential road. I believe it is probably supposed to be "To Kefi", which you can see here on Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/To+Kefi+(Greek+Restaurant+%26+Cafe)/@51.4122578,-0.2900125,18z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1skefi+google+maps!3m6!1s0x48760b8298d2dff9:0xa6d50a55c7ea2d8!8m2!3d51.4122577!4d-0.2876306!15sChBrZWZpIGdvb2dsZSBtYXBzIgOIAQFaBiIEa2VmaZIBEGdyZWVrX3Jlc3RhdXJhbnTgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F11rd6kryr8?entry=ttu https://www.google.com/maps/place/To+Kefi+(Greek+Restaurant+... I've tried dragging the icon, right-clicking it, or left-clicking it and looking in the popoup menu for a location field to edit, but no luck.
    - ygra 2y ago
      In the popup when clicking it there's a "Move object" near the bottom. You must be logged in for that to appear, though.

fabioborellini 2y ago

I love OSM and its default web app, especially when travelling. The commercial maps are too dynamic and fuzzy, zooming in may make previously visible POIs go away. It also gives a general view of what is available in a given place. I can’t find a supermarket using google maps in a new country, the search function usually fails and I don’t even know if I should use English, my native language or the destination’s language to find places. A more oldschool and less dynamic map allows to look for basket or cart symbols.