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I logged in to say that I'd want to contribute with roads, but every time I've tried to I didn't know where to start. I've added shops and ATMs in my neighborho

I logged in to say that I'd want to contribute with roads, but every time I've tried to I didn't know where to start. I've added shops and ATMs in my neighborhood, but I want to add buildings and roads too. I have a Nexus 5 and sometimes a bit of time. Is there a friendly guide?

Brakenshire 12y ago
The easiest way to contribute is to trace roads and buildings that you know, from satellite images, using the iD editor at http://openstreetmap.org/edit http://openstreetmap.org/edit . You can create GPX tracks using a variety of different apps (I use OSMAnd), but most of the time they aren't all that necessary. As for knowing how to tag things, most of the time it is self-explanatory, and then you pick things up over time by looking at the wiki. I wouldn't worry about getting everything perfect from the start, for instance, you can add building outlines, and then in the future go back and add addresses if you choose.
- unicornporn 12y ago
  There are also some forest paths that I'd like to track. For them I guess I need GPX tracks (they can't be seen from satelite). I've installed GPSLogger. I guess I could just upload those files to Open Street Map for use in the iD Editor.
  - Brakenshire 12y ago
    There is one other option for forest paths - Strava have made available their GPS heatmap for editing OpenStreetMap: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ http://strava.github.io/iD/ http://strava.github.io/iD/ So, depending on where you live, you may find local trails are on there (although you've still got to go in person to confirm they do actually exist, and to know exactly what they are - mountain bike trails, or narrow footpaths, or wide tracks for horses and 4x4s). In theory, it means you can shift effort away from sorting out gpx tracks, and more into getting the contextual information correct.
    - unicornporn 12y ago
      That's great! Thanks!
  - bhousel 12y ago
    I do a lot of this kind of mapping too. You can drag and drop a gpx file onto iD and it will show on the map to make tracing easy.
  - sashazykov 12y ago
    You can use OsmAnd to record a gps track and send it to OpenStreetMap. It will be available in most editors, including iD. Althought, you can use any gps tracker and upload a track here http://www.openstreetmap.org/trace/create http://www.openstreetmap.org/trace/create

Brakenshire 12y ago

The easiest way to contribute is to trace roads and buildings that you know, from satellite images, using the iD editor at http://openstreetmap.org/edit http://openstreetmap.org/edit . You can create GPX tracks using a variety of different apps (I use OSMAnd), but most of the time they aren't all that necessary. As for knowing how to tag things, most of the time it is self-explanatory, and then you pick things up over time by looking at the wiki. I wouldn't worry about getting everything perfect from the start, for instance, you can add building outlines, and then in the future go back and add addresses if you choose.

unicornporn 12y ago
There are also some forest paths that I'd like to track. For them I guess I need GPX tracks (they can't be seen from satelite). I've installed GPSLogger. I guess I could just upload those files to Open Street Map for use in the iD Editor.
- Brakenshire 12y ago
  There is one other option for forest paths - Strava have made available their GPS heatmap for editing OpenStreetMap: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ http://strava.github.io/iD/ http://strava.github.io/iD/ So, depending on where you live, you may find local trails are on there (although you've still got to go in person to confirm they do actually exist, and to know exactly what they are - mountain bike trails, or narrow footpaths, or wide tracks for horses and 4x4s). In theory, it means you can shift effort away from sorting out gpx tracks, and more into getting the contextual information correct.
  - unicornporn 12y ago
    That's great! Thanks!
- bhousel 12y ago
  I do a lot of this kind of mapping too. You can drag and drop a gpx file onto iD and it will show on the map to make tracing easy.
- sashazykov 12y ago
  You can use OsmAnd to record a gps track and send it to OpenStreetMap. It will be available in most editors, including iD. Althought, you can use any gps tracker and upload a track here http://www.openstreetmap.org/trace/create http://www.openstreetmap.org/trace/create