MapRoulette: the micro-tasking tool for OpenStreetMap(maproulette.org)
maproulette.org
MapRoulette: the micro-tasking tool for OpenStreetMap
https://maproulette.org/
29 comments
Ugh, it really goes to a random place?
I used to do a lot of OSM editing. In my experience, it really helps to have edited a lot in one area to better understand local context, make better sense of imagery etc etc.
I used to do a lot of OSM editing. In my experience, it really helps to have edited a lot in one area to better understand local context, make better sense of imagery etc etc.
No, you tick 'nearby' and it's a non issue.
This really should be a default though.
The solution for this could be creating a review process and gamify that too
I like the idea, but these tasks seem incomprehensible. I looked at some near me, and one is about traffic lights at an intersection that doesn't have traffic lights, and the others just say "Highway not on ground and no tunnel, bridge or covered tags" under "Instructions" but they're not highways or roads at all (though I guess they are on the ground).
The word highway in the sense OSM uses it predates cars and means pretty much any path. Think of highwaymen, for example.
See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/23/924.3 which includes public pedestrian paths.
See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/23/924.3 which includes public pedestrian paths.
I agree, I looked around my area and found a task on top of a parking lot that says: "These elements have rare (<20 uses) parking=* values." What does this mean? Does it mean that the parking log is marked to have a "<20" value when the value should be a number instead of a string? Obviously I'm not going to go inside the car park and count all the park slots, there could be hundreds!
That likely means something like "This is using a rare value for the key 'parking'. It might be incorrect, check that it's not supposed to be a more common value".
In other words, it's trying to catch things like typos.
In other words, it's trying to catch things like typos.
I tried items with rare values for 'surface.' I found and fixed a footpath through a pasture (the docs seemed to imply that "dirt" is sufficient for a path through a pasture). But my next item was in China and the surface was "木" which apparently means Wood. But the rest of the fields of this pier were also in Chinese, and I was too shy to update it. I hope that localization is handled separately and that it would have been fine, but... it would be super annoying if a Chinese-speaking editor updated an American map to have details all in Chinese. Googling "are tags on openstreetmap supposed to always be in English?" gave no hints.
The tags are specified in the wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:surface
In this case, the spec allows for "commonly used" user defined values, which is unusual (how does a user defined value become commonly used enough in the first place?), measured per this site: https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/surface#values
You can find a few non English entries in there, but the vast majority and all of the most common ones are in English. "木“ has 2 entries, "wood" has >200k. I think it's pretty clear that even in cases when the specification is open, the intention is for values to be English whenever practical.
The alternative is so outrageous that they made it into an April fools joke: https://weeklyosm.eu/osm-tags-soon-in-german-and-french-and-...
Here's someone attempting to translate the tags/values (for display): https://github.com/osmlab/osm-planning/issues/20
In this case, the spec allows for "commonly used" user defined values, which is unusual (how does a user defined value become commonly used enough in the first place?), measured per this site: https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/surface#values
You can find a few non English entries in there, but the vast majority and all of the most common ones are in English. "木“ has 2 entries, "wood" has >200k. I think it's pretty clear that even in cases when the specification is open, the intention is for values to be English whenever practical.
The alternative is so outrageous that they made it into an April fools joke: https://weeklyosm.eu/osm-tags-soon-in-german-and-french-and-...
Here's someone attempting to translate the tags/values (for display): https://github.com/osmlab/osm-planning/issues/20
You misinterpreted the wiki page. That tag (like several others) explicitly supports user-defined values. This is useful, because you cannot define a complete set of values for something as open-ended as a way's surface. Innovations happen, and sometimes odd things are used to pave a way for a variety of reasons (art, tourist appeal, experiments, etc.)
So that table there lists all common values covering 99% of the use cases, and finally links to TagInfo for all values in use. That 'all commonly used values' bit is slightly misleading, because TagInfo lists all uncommon values, but it true in the sense that any common value missing from that table will be listed in TagInfo (being derived from the actual database).
So that table there lists all common values covering 99% of the use cases, and finally links to TagInfo for all values in use. That 'all commonly used values' bit is slightly misleading, because TagInfo lists all uncommon values, but it true in the sense that any common value missing from that table will be listed in TagInfo (being derived from the actual database).
OpenStreetMap generally follows the guideline that all tags and generic values (i.e., not names and other language dependant stuff) are written in British English. Exceptions exist due to the way this project works. The wiki is the primary place to go for documentation of tags and values.
So yes, surface=木 is wrong, but to replace it you would have to know if the path uses wood-chips (`woodchip`) or boards (`wood`).
So yes, surface=木 is wrong, but to replace it you would have to know if the path uses wood-chips (`woodchip`) or boards (`wood`).
For something called MapRoulette, I expected a much simpler UX, e.g. a big button that gave you a random task in your area.
Try mapswipe
It makes no sense. I zoomed into a segment of my city, lowest level.
I see two clusters with "2", maybe that means that there are 4 tasks on the map segment which need fixing.
Clicking on any of the two clusters does nothing. The sidebar has just an odd "Global: [amenity=doctors] and [healtcare:speciality=*] missing [healthcare]", which, when I click it, reloads the page and shows me a world view with problematic doctors.
When I deselect "Cluster", then nothing is shown, instead of those 4 clustered tasks that apparently need fixing. I expected to see 4 individual tasks, instead of the two clustered ones.
At the same time a label tells me "23 tasks found", yet I see none. I assume those two pairs of clusters of two should represent 4 tasks, but I can't interact with them in any way.
I also can't easily navigate to a place of interest because there is no location searchbox.
I was expecting something like StreetComplete.
I see two clusters with "2", maybe that means that there are 4 tasks on the map segment which need fixing.
Clicking on any of the two clusters does nothing. The sidebar has just an odd "Global: [amenity=doctors] and [healtcare:speciality=*] missing [healthcare]", which, when I click it, reloads the page and shows me a world view with problematic doctors.
When I deselect "Cluster", then nothing is shown, instead of those 4 clustered tasks that apparently need fixing. I expected to see 4 individual tasks, instead of the two clustered ones.
At the same time a label tells me "23 tasks found", yet I see none. I assume those two pairs of clusters of two should represent 4 tasks, but I can't interact with them in any way.
I also can't easily navigate to a place of interest because there is no location searchbox.
I was expecting something like StreetComplete.
Try mapswipe
Lately I've been thinking more about how to get better POI (like business) data into OSM. Apps like everydoor work okay but I feel it's still annoying to type it in and get the tags right.
I think it could be a really good use of AI to let me, for example, snap a photo of the menu and then have it automatically generate the OSM tags. Then someone just has to review if it all is appropriate.
Just bring able to walk down the street, snap a bunch of menu or sign pics, then go home and drop pins and confirm tags from photos would be great.
Heck it could even scrape their website to verify the information too!
Does anyone know if there is a project like this? Or have any thoughts on if this is a reasonable approach? I think as long as there's a human in the loop checking things it should be fine by OSM.
I think it could be a really good use of AI to let me, for example, snap a photo of the menu and then have it automatically generate the OSM tags. Then someone just has to review if it all is appropriate.
Just bring able to walk down the street, snap a bunch of menu or sign pics, then go home and drop pins and confirm tags from photos would be great.
Heck it could even scrape their website to verify the information too!
Does anyone know if there is a project like this? Or have any thoughts on if this is a reasonable approach? I think as long as there's a human in the loop checking things it should be fine by OSM.
In terms of scraping, there's already a huge project that collects business data in an OSM-compatible format: http://alltheplaces.xyz/
The main trouble is licensing and change tracking. Most of the scraped data is protected by copyright or database rights so it can't be imported.
And even if the licensing is solved, you have the problem of matching scraped data to OSM data and what to do when changes disagree. For example, a store might be scraped as a point in the middle of a shopping mall, but then an OSM editor would come by and move it to the correct section of the mall - the next import round shouldn't undo that. Or maybe a store changes opening times but forgets to update their website - an editor can fix that, but the next import would break it again.
I have a sort of "grey area" idea for this, but I haven't had the time to try it. Basically, I would track changes in AllThePlaces and create "change reports" such as "store X changed open times from AAA to BBB". Then, I'd make a UI that would show you the changed website alongside an OSM editor and a convenient "copy change" button.
This way, a human is still the one looking at the website and entering info into OSM, which is essentially the same as in-person surveying. The copy button is "just a convenience".
Still, I think this is too messy from a legal standpoint and the OSM editors wouldn't allow it out of caution...
The main trouble is licensing and change tracking. Most of the scraped data is protected by copyright or database rights so it can't be imported.
And even if the licensing is solved, you have the problem of matching scraped data to OSM data and what to do when changes disagree. For example, a store might be scraped as a point in the middle of a shopping mall, but then an OSM editor would come by and move it to the correct section of the mall - the next import round shouldn't undo that. Or maybe a store changes opening times but forgets to update their website - an editor can fix that, but the next import would break it again.
I have a sort of "grey area" idea for this, but I haven't had the time to try it. Basically, I would track changes in AllThePlaces and create "change reports" such as "store X changed open times from AAA to BBB". Then, I'd make a UI that would show you the changed website alongside an OSM editor and a convenient "copy change" button.
This way, a human is still the one looking at the website and entering info into OSM, which is essentially the same as in-person surveying. The copy button is "just a convenience".
Still, I think this is too messy from a legal standpoint and the OSM editors wouldn't allow it out of caution...
Thanks for the great answer. Based on what I'm reading scraping a business website is probably fine in general but using data from Google Maps/Yelp/etc is generally not gonna fly.
What I think could work is if everydoor allows you to create notes with photos (https://github.com/Zverik/every_door/issues/184) then it would be pretty easy to later go back and drop those photos into an AI tool and extra websites and try to create some tags for review. Could also work with Streetcomplete but there it's not easy to see if a POI already exists.
In any case, I might experiment with this idea further. Some very basic testing shows me that Claude 3.5 Sonnet is pretty great at taking a photo of a menu turning it into decent tags.
So if I could run around taking photos of menus and the outside of businesses then quickly turn them into tags later that would be a nice workflow for me (and hopefully others).
What I think could work is if everydoor allows you to create notes with photos (https://github.com/Zverik/every_door/issues/184) then it would be pretty easy to later go back and drop those photos into an AI tool and extra websites and try to create some tags for review. Could also work with Streetcomplete but there it's not easy to see if a POI already exists.
In any case, I might experiment with this idea further. Some very basic testing shows me that Claude 3.5 Sonnet is pretty great at taking a photo of a menu turning it into decent tags.
So if I could run around taking photos of menus and the outside of businesses then quickly turn them into tags later that would be a nice workflow for me (and hopefully others).
Alltheplaces.xyz and experimental tools like https://matkoniecz.codeberg.page/improving_openstreetmap_usi...
This reminds me a bit of the obsessive fun of foursquare super-usering back when that app wasn't dead in all but name. I remember painstakingly updating whole strip malls and such to have every single business perfectly delineated and labeled, with the pins located right at the front door of each.
(At some point they made some change that left my class of SU behind, but since the original purpose of 4sq died long ago there wouldn't be a point to donate my time to it now.)
(At some point they made some change that left my class of SU behind, but since the original purpose of 4sq died long ago there wouldn't be a point to donate my time to it now.)
Or "Go Map!!" for iOS, which has a a similar quest mode: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Go_Map!!
The map widget doesn’t appear properly on iOS Safari, unfortunately
The website is giving CSS IS AWESOME vibes https://imgur.com/a/wM7ZT2C
I prefer fixing OSM issues listed on osmose.openstreetmap.fr.
Some people value imaginary internet points so highly, they edit OSM willy-nilly to make it conform to maproulette, disregarding ground truth, not checking if the tasks analysis is complete and mapping slightly wrong around the world.
This is mad MUCH worse by the fact that the default setting in maproulette is that when you finish a task, the system takes you to an another one at a random position in the world. I have no idea, for instance, if this Italian restaurant in Minsk has a correct web address (or if it exists at all), but I'm incentivized to jut remove the tag and get those sweet points.