My favourite OSM tools v.1.5

Posted by ivanbranco on 4/28/2023

I am sharing some of my favourite OSM-related tools/websites/apps with a very brief description, including the most popular ones (you never know). I’ve certainly forgotten many of them and don’t know as many.

Italian version

Websites

  • overpass turbo: Fundamental website for database queries. Also useful for custom QA filters.
  • taginfo: Check which tags are most used, their usage over time, the most used values for each tag etc. For the history of a tag there is also this site.
  • RapiD: iD on steroids. Reports possible missing buildings and streets.
  • osm-revert: Revert entire changesets (it replaced Revert UI which is no longer supported).
  • Level0: Revert individual nodes. It is also a useful text editor for changing several tags at once. However, read this first.
  • NotesReview: Filter OSM notes by user, date, text etc. There is also a site by Pascal Neis.
  • Disaster Ninja: Not its main purpose, but there is an interesting layer called ‘Building Quantity’ in case you want to find areas with unmapped buildings.
  • YoHours: To simplify the compilation of the opening_hours=* tag.
  • How Did You Contribute: Stats about users. There’s also your changes’ heat map.
  • Is OSM up-to-date?: Interesting site created by an Italian that tells you which nodes are less up-to-date. If there is nothing to update you can still leave a check_date tag.
  • Field Papers: Edit OSM by taking notes on paper.

Renderer

Wiki

  • OSM Wikidata: Match Wikidata pages and OSM elements. There is an updated version that I prefer, but it is still in beta and doesn’t always work.
  • WikiMap: Search for images to add as a value of wikimedia_commons=*. There is also WikiShootMe! which also includes Flickr images with compatible licences.
  • Wikimedia Commons App: Has two interesting features: it allows uploading from mobile and has a map showing Wikidata entries without pictures.
  • OpenStreetBrowser: Using the “OpenStreetMap Quality Control > Culture-Media/Wikidata” filter you can see a map of the entries without photos. It is more comprehensive than the Commons app because it includes items of interest (e.g. memorials) regardless of their presence on Wikidata.
  • OSM-wikipedia-tag-validator-reports: Correct problems with wiki tags.

QA

  • Osmose: The QA site par excellence.
  • OSMCha: The perfect site for gardening. Easily see changes in a given area, by user, etc.
  • WhoDidIt: You know when someone edits a bar in Caracas and a restaurant in Osaka and OSMCha notifies you even if nothing was changed in your area? This website fixes this.
  • OSM Latest Keys: The new tags that appeared in the OSM database. 90% of the time they are typo, errors or tags with alternatives already in use.
  • Find Suspicious OSM Changeset: Find changesets of new users who have requested a review. They rarely receive feedback. It would be nice if experienced users would comment at least one changeset every now and then, even only for welcoming them (there is also a dedicated tool: OpenStreetMap Welcome Tool).
  • OSM Inspector

Mobile apps

  • OsmAnd: OSM in your pocket. Offline maps everywhere, indispensable for trekking. Also useful in urban environments to find drinking fountains, litter bins and free parking spaces.
  • StreetComplete: For quick gamification-style changes.
  • EveryDoor: Good for checking which shops are up to date and for micro-mapping.
  • OSMBugs: Reports from various QA platforms at your fingertips.
  • Waze: Car navigator that you can evaluate as an alternative to Google Maps.
  • Organic Maps and MAPS.ME: Like OSMand, but more user-friendly. To be recommended to less experienced relatives and friends. Some prefer Mapy.cz.