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Just used it yesterday. It's a great little app to browse OSM data as it is. Much better than Google Maps at finding walkable trails. If only it had the feature

Just used it yesterday. It's a great little app to browse OSM data as it is. Much better than Google Maps at finding walkable trails. If only it had the features of overpass turbo, e.g. searching for points tagged with specific attributes.

lioeters 2y ago
I agree, Organic Maps is often better than Google Maps for walkable trails, bicycle and hiking paths. I found there are some paths mapped on OSM that are not mapped at all on GMaps. On the other hand, GMaps is better for up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours. Its navigation system is better too. As much as I'd like to drop all Google services from my life, Maps is too useful to let go.
- beardyw 2y ago
  What's wrong with OSM itself?
  - ah27182 2y ago
    Is OSM good at keeping up-to-date with commercial data? I always thought it wasn’t so good, but maybe I’m wrong
    - beardyw 2y ago
      We seemed to be talking about trails. Maybe I misunderstood.
    - jbaber 2y ago
      No. Even though I navigate with Osmand regularly, I must use Gmaps to find stores' existence, address, hours, phone number, url. Gmaps is the yellow pages. Osmand is a map.
      - ihatehn 2y ago
        OSM can have those details it just takes a local community on top of keeping things updated. Even Google often relies on users for that stuff.
        hk__2 2y ago
        > OSM can have those details it just takes a local community on top of keeping things updated. Even Google often relies on users for that stuff. Google has an infinitely-larger community; a local community is not sufficient in dense areas where businesses are opening and closing every day. France has the third largest OSM community and yet some neighborhoods of its largest cities are full of outdated businesses.
        SamWhited 2y ago
        Interestingly, in Atlanta I've had the opposite experience. In town OSM always seems to be better (Google has a lot of outdated open hours and the like). Outside of town in the cheaper burbs which is the only place I can afford to live though few people are editing OSM and it's pretty out of date. That being said, I switched to Organic maps years ago. For 90% of places I go, it turns out I go to them repeatedly day-to-day, so I added them to the map the first time and update them when I go there and the hours have changed. Then they're on the map the rest of the time when I need to look up hours or what not so I rarely have anywhere around here that I go to that's not on the map anymore. When I do, I add it and next time it's on there and it works well enough 99% of the time.
        lolc 2y ago
        You highlight a function of OSM that is hard to get across to people: I can fix the map! For example, bicycle routing in my area was unreliable, because it would try to route me over rough trails. Just adding a few tags improved the experience dramatically. And then it was fixed not only for me, but everybody else too. Meanwhile, other people fixed other annoyances, and the map works better across many areas. Google instead decides to hide things that interest me, and shows sponsored places I don't care for. I have zero recourse.
- okasaki 2y ago
  Though G maps works in a browser, so you don't necessarily need a phone with google services running.
- alx_the_new_guy 2y ago
  You can download one of the dozens of OSM-editing apps like: - streetcomplete - vespucci - everydoor and either add that information yourself or leave a note for other people
  - dmd 2y ago
    If I had the information I wouldn’t be looking it up.
    - palata 2y ago
      I guess the point of the parent is that if more people were contributing information, then you would get it from OSM.
      - failbuffer 2y ago
        For relatively static info, sure. For real time bus/rail status you need integrations to countless public transit systems. For stuff like store times, etc, you need sufficient market power so that business owners are incentived to provide that info.
        zaik 2y ago
        I added/updated hundreds of opening hours to OSM. A few people updating the opening hours to the shops they go to is already worth a lot.
        dmd 2y ago
        And did you update it again a few days later when they changed their opening hours? Google - a real person - calls every week to update.
        zaik 2y ago
        Maybe this is a cultural difference, but in my city opening hours are pretty stable. Sometimes they're even engraved in the store sign. There are exceptions though.
- LtWorf 2y ago
  > GMaps is better for up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours Not in my country. They don't even keep track of national holidays, and very often keep listing establishments that closed down years ago. Also, you might be standing in front of a restaurant and when asking google maps for nearby restaurants, if that one isn't blessed, you'll get directions to a 3km restaurant instead.
  - hnrepostsold 2y ago
    this is a cognitive bias. it's really interesting. google used to be good, because if the hours were there, someone had put effort in. they were 95% accurate for CONUS. but over the last 6~ years the quality has degraded. Only about 65% accurate now. And to me, that's worse than unuseful, because i can't plan, i need to verify, so i might as well have gone to the store website anyways. also who the heck needs open and close times? if you need that level of precision you need a personal assistant.
    - LtWorf 2y ago
      > also who the heck needs open and close times? Uh I do? Not all restaurants are open for both lunch and dinners, and in every country there's different ideas on what's the appropriate time for having a meal.
      - BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
        yup, I do too. It's no fun driving 20 miles just to find the office/store/restaurant/petrol station is closed either
- sleepless 2y ago
  This largly depends on the location you are referring to. In many german places / cities, OSM data is often more accurate than Google Maps, even for commercial infos like opening hours. In the end it is up to people to ensure data is up-to-date. Apps like StreetComplete can help with that. Organic Maps also allows for some editing.
  - rcMgD2BwE72F 2y ago
    >StreetComplete I much prefer Every Door, especially for updating opening hours and any kind of place details. Have you tried it?
- drpixie 2y ago
  Australia "up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours" is about all that appears on Google Maps :(
- sebtron 2y ago
  GMaps is usable from a web browser, although definitely less performant than the native app.
  - hedora 2y ago
    It gets worse at that on a regular basis, at least on iOS, where they can’t factory install the background tracking daemons.
- szszrk 2y ago
  I would argue on the "navigation system" being better in gmaps, though. It used to be the navigation. Nowadays in many places it just shows bullshit. Two scooter ubereats drivers will go through a park, or a tractor through a literal field, and it will guide you through there like it's route 66. Not to mention google changes my route multiple times in a 3 hour drive, even without notifying me - I just avoid it at all cost, as it requires too much attention while driving. So many places have better OSM-based coverage nowadays. If you want to make OSM data better (like that business hours you mentioned) I find Street Complete [0] app fun and absolutely friction less way to do that. [0] https://streetcomplete.app/?lang=en https://streetcomplete.app/?lang=en
  - BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
    gmaps used to be nice for traffic too but these days it shows delays and suggests to reroute at every traffic light as if the whole city was at a standstill sometimes even when roads are not busy at all...
sebastiennight 2y ago
I just wish Organic Maps would revert that new "feature" which prompts you for your location again and again multiple times per use, multiple times per day.[0] Guys, if the device has location services disabled, your app should get the hint after I dismiss the prompt for the n!th time. [0]: https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/1128 https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/1128
- Terretta 2y ago
  Interesting. Insofar as that's new, and they tripped a family sensor, that could well be related since we're BnL not supposed to track minors in any way.
kzrdude 2y ago
OSMAnd is great for openstreetmap data, it's a real expert user app for maps.
- jech 2y ago
  > OSMAnd is great I switched from OSMAnd to Organic Maps a few years ago. Organic Maps is way faster, and I actually understand what all the buttons do. It has some minor limitations, though: it cannot keep the GPS on when you switch to a different app, and it doesn't do track recording.
  - RicoElectrico 2y ago
    Track recording is in the works. The reason that it takes so long is that OM devs want it to be polished rather than a slapped together UX trainwreck. That, and the fact current mobile OSes are hostile towards any background activity even if it's justified and lightweight on resources.

lioeters 2y ago

I agree, Organic Maps is often better than Google Maps for walkable trails, bicycle and hiking paths. I found there are some paths mapped on OSM that are not mapped at all on GMaps. On the other hand, GMaps is better for up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours. Its navigation system is better too. As much as I'd like to drop all Google services from my life, Maps is too useful to let go.

beardyw 2y ago
What's wrong with OSM itself?
- ah27182 2y ago
  Is OSM good at keeping up-to-date with commercial data? I always thought it wasn’t so good, but maybe I’m wrong
  - beardyw 2y ago
    We seemed to be talking about trails. Maybe I misunderstood.
  - jbaber 2y ago
    No. Even though I navigate with Osmand regularly, I must use Gmaps to find stores' existence, address, hours, phone number, url. Gmaps is the yellow pages. Osmand is a map.
    - ihatehn 2y ago
      OSM can have those details it just takes a local community on top of keeping things updated. Even Google often relies on users for that stuff.
      - hk__2 2y ago
        > OSM can have those details it just takes a local community on top of keeping things updated. Even Google often relies on users for that stuff. Google has an infinitely-larger community; a local community is not sufficient in dense areas where businesses are opening and closing every day. France has the third largest OSM community and yet some neighborhoods of its largest cities are full of outdated businesses.
        SamWhited 2y ago
        Interestingly, in Atlanta I've had the opposite experience. In town OSM always seems to be better (Google has a lot of outdated open hours and the like). Outside of town in the cheaper burbs which is the only place I can afford to live though few people are editing OSM and it's pretty out of date. That being said, I switched to Organic maps years ago. For 90% of places I go, it turns out I go to them repeatedly day-to-day, so I added them to the map the first time and update them when I go there and the hours have changed. Then they're on the map the rest of the time when I need to look up hours or what not so I rarely have anywhere around here that I go to that's not on the map anymore. When I do, I add it and next time it's on there and it works well enough 99% of the time.
        lolc 2y ago
        You highlight a function of OSM that is hard to get across to people: I can fix the map! For example, bicycle routing in my area was unreliable, because it would try to route me over rough trails. Just adding a few tags improved the experience dramatically. And then it was fixed not only for me, but everybody else too. Meanwhile, other people fixed other annoyances, and the map works better across many areas. Google instead decides to hide things that interest me, and shows sponsored places I don't care for. I have zero recourse.
okasaki 2y ago
Though G maps works in a browser, so you don't necessarily need a phone with google services running.
alx_the_new_guy 2y ago
You can download one of the dozens of OSM-editing apps like: - streetcomplete - vespucci - everydoor and either add that information yourself or leave a note for other people
- dmd 2y ago
  If I had the information I wouldn’t be looking it up.
  - palata 2y ago
    I guess the point of the parent is that if more people were contributing information, then you would get it from OSM.
    - failbuffer 2y ago
      For relatively static info, sure. For real time bus/rail status you need integrations to countless public transit systems. For stuff like store times, etc, you need sufficient market power so that business owners are incentived to provide that info.
      - zaik 2y ago
        I added/updated hundreds of opening hours to OSM. A few people updating the opening hours to the shops they go to is already worth a lot.
        dmd 2y ago
        And did you update it again a few days later when they changed their opening hours? Google - a real person - calls every week to update.
        zaik 2y ago
        Maybe this is a cultural difference, but in my city opening hours are pretty stable. Sometimes they're even engraved in the store sign. There are exceptions though.
LtWorf 2y ago
> GMaps is better for up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours Not in my country. They don't even keep track of national holidays, and very often keep listing establishments that closed down years ago. Also, you might be standing in front of a restaurant and when asking google maps for nearby restaurants, if that one isn't blessed, you'll get directions to a 3km restaurant instead.
- hnrepostsold 2y ago
  this is a cognitive bias. it's really interesting. google used to be good, because if the hours were there, someone had put effort in. they were 95% accurate for CONUS. but over the last 6~ years the quality has degraded. Only about 65% accurate now. And to me, that's worse than unuseful, because i can't plan, i need to verify, so i might as well have gone to the store website anyways. also who the heck needs open and close times? if you need that level of precision you need a personal assistant.
  - LtWorf 2y ago
    > also who the heck needs open and close times? Uh I do? Not all restaurants are open for both lunch and dinners, and in every country there's different ideas on what's the appropriate time for having a meal.
    - BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
      yup, I do too. It's no fun driving 20 miles just to find the office/store/restaurant/petrol station is closed either
sleepless 2y ago
This largly depends on the location you are referring to. In many german places / cities, OSM data is often more accurate than Google Maps, even for commercial infos like opening hours. In the end it is up to people to ensure data is up-to-date. Apps like StreetComplete can help with that. Organic Maps also allows for some editing.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 2y ago
  >StreetComplete I much prefer Every Door, especially for updating opening hours and any kind of place details. Have you tried it?
drpixie 2y ago
Australia "up-to-date commercial data like stores and their opening hours" is about all that appears on Google Maps :(
sebtron 2y ago
GMaps is usable from a web browser, although definitely less performant than the native app.
- hedora 2y ago
  It gets worse at that on a regular basis, at least on iOS, where they can’t factory install the background tracking daemons.
szszrk 2y ago
I would argue on the "navigation system" being better in gmaps, though. It used to be the navigation. Nowadays in many places it just shows bullshit. Two scooter ubereats drivers will go through a park, or a tractor through a literal field, and it will guide you through there like it's route 66. Not to mention google changes my route multiple times in a 3 hour drive, even without notifying me - I just avoid it at all cost, as it requires too much attention while driving. So many places have better OSM-based coverage nowadays. If you want to make OSM data better (like that business hours you mentioned) I find Street Complete [0] app fun and absolutely friction less way to do that. [0] https://streetcomplete.app/?lang=en https://streetcomplete.app/?lang=en
- BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
  gmaps used to be nice for traffic too but these days it shows delays and suggests to reroute at every traffic light as if the whole city was at a standstill sometimes even when roads are not busy at all...

sebastiennight 2y ago

I just wish Organic Maps would revert that new "feature" which prompts you for your location again and again multiple times per use, multiple times per day.[0] Guys, if the device has location services disabled, your app should get the hint after I dismiss the prompt for the n!th time. [0]: https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/1128 https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/1128

Terretta 2y ago
Interesting. Insofar as that's new, and they tripped a family sensor, that could well be related since we're BnL not supposed to track minors in any way.

kzrdude 2y ago

OSMAnd is great for openstreetmap data, it's a real expert user app for maps.

jech 2y ago
> OSMAnd is great I switched from OSMAnd to Organic Maps a few years ago. Organic Maps is way faster, and I actually understand what all the buttons do. It has some minor limitations, though: it cannot keep the GPS on when you switch to a different app, and it doesn't do track recording.
- RicoElectrico 2y ago
  Track recording is in the works. The reason that it takes so long is that OM devs want it to be polished rather than a slapped together UX trainwreck. That, and the fact current mobile OSes are hostile towards any background activity even if it's justified and lightweight on resources.