News 2024 - Week 20

Mapping

• Comments were requested on the following:
  • The proposal to deprecate cycleway=opposite tags.
  • The proposal to introduce natural=wadi for broad, flat channel of an ephemeral stream with distinct banks.
  • The proposal to introduce the ordering: prefix for ordering-only phone numbers, SMS-only phone numbers, and related tags to enhance the specificity of contact details.

Community

• Terence Eden celebrated 1,000 changesets on OpenStreetMap. He reflected on his journey, his contributions, and the value of the OpenStreetMap community.
• A35K discussed the use of the class:bicycle tag in OpenStreetMap to rate cycling comfort on roads, explaining its implementation challenges and successes in different regions like Munich and Unterschleißheim. Further, he highlighted his personal experiences and strategies for tagging and mapping with this classification system.
• In the first post in the ‘Worst of OSM in Ghana’ series, Enock4seth detailed efforts to improve residential land use mapping in and around Kumasi, Ghana, by addressing outdated or inaccurately placed data using JOSM tools, collaborating with local mappers, and emphasising the importance for remote contributors of accurate, conflict-free contributions to OpenStreetMap.
• GrumpyGorilla detailed a method to find broken websites in OpenStreetMap data by using a Python script that queries nodes with websites and checks for errors. This allows users to identify and validate outdated or broken links both in-person and from the armchair.
• Juminet has updated the completion rate of residential addresses in Wallonia, Belgium, on OpenStreetMap, noting a significant improvement from 64.4% in September 2022 to 73.2% in May 2024, comparing data with the ICAR database and highlighting the most and least improved communes.
• Nadaraj Saranya shared her experience of being a volunteer ambassador for the 2024 OpenStreetMap Foundation membership campaign, emphasising the effort to increase and diversify membership globally, particularly in underrepresented regions. She also highlighted the learning and community engagement opportunities gained through the campaign.
• OSMChina announced the OSPP 2024 project to develop a user-friendly, cross-platform public transport relation editor for OpenStreetMap, leveraging modern frontend technologies to simplify route creation and management, aimed at reducing editing time and effort for mappers (we reported earlier).
• Andy Townsend suggested why using OpenStreetMap’s ‘Standard’ layer as an application background might not be ideal. There is no service level agreement with OSMF for the map tiles, its dual-purpose design is not optimised as a background map, and problematic edits will be immediately shown to everyone because of the way the CDN works. He recommended using alternatives or self-rendered maps instead.

OpenStreetMap Foundation

• Amanda McCann has created a tool to find potential recipients of a free active contributor OpenStreetMap Foundation membership. The tool scans OSM history files to count users’ editing days, and identifies those who qualify under the Active Contributor Programme by editing on at least 42 days in the past year. It shows that as many as 10,000 OSM contributors may qualify, significantly more than the current 2,300 OSMF members. The tool’s source code and instructions for use are available on GitHub.
• The OSMF Board Spring 2024 meeting focused on refining strategies, improving communication, and setting priorities for the year, with discussions facilitated by an external expert to enhance efficiency and engagement within the OpenStreetMap community. The board emphasised transparency and looks forward to future collaborations, including the upcoming State of the Map in Nairobi, Kenya.

Local chapter news

• OSM Belgium have moved their historical maps to the prettier URL historical.osm.be after some fixes and additions. The map has a bunch of Belgian maps dating from 1729 to the present day. Current OSM roads can be overlaid to easily compare the historical situation to the present day. The site also offers Belgian OSM tiles from 2019 to 2022, so you can see how OSM has evolved. On top of that, there are overlays including detailed hillshade and the NGI Mapindex, a map to easily share locations over the phone.

Events

• The FOSSGIS 2024 videos are now also available on YouTube as well as media.ccc.de (we reported earlier).
• Geofabrik is hosting another OpenStreetMap Hack Weekend on 19 and 20 October, in Karlsruhe, Germany. They are inviting mappers and developers to collaborate on OSM-related projects, share knowledge, and innovate.
• The programme for the tenth SotM France conference, to be held in Lyon from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June, has been published and registration is now open . Don’t delay in registering if you want a room in a university residence at a low price (quantities limited).
• Tasauf1980 announced that the State of the Map Bangladesh 2024 conference will be held on 28 and 29 September in Cox’s Bazar.

Humanitarian OSM

• The IVIDES is carrying out collaborative mapping of the Taquari-Antas River Basin, as a response to the current humanitarian crisis in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). The project is available on the HOT Tasking Manager and everyone is invited to participate. The OSM Wiki presents details of the general mapping campaign.

Maps

• FFWHol_Satoshi has created a pilot for the Holenbrunn volunteer fire brigade to display and maintain hydrant maps with OpenStreetMap. The result can be viewed here.

Software

• Mapilio has introduced an open-source solution for synchronising KartaView images to its platform, streamlining the process of contributing georeferenced images, enhancing map quality, and promoting community collaboration.
• Evidence, an open source framework for building data apps, has launched new interactive map features, including AreaMap, PointMap, BubbleMap, and BaseMap, offering customisable components like tooltips, colour palettes, and basemaps. These maps support cross-filtering, drill-down links, and user inputs, enhancing data visualisation and user interactivity across devices.
• Enhance your OSM data analysis with the new features of the ohsome Dashboard, which now includes dataset comparison and mapping saturation evaluation. Learn more through the detailed blog post and an explanatory video.

Programming

• In his seventh diary dedicated to his OpenStreetMap NextGen, a personal alternative to the OpenStreetMap codebase, Kamil Monicz discussed the project’s latest developments. Further, he highlighted significant improvements such as a new fast rendering engine, support for historical state views, improved relationship member icons, fixes for page timeouts, and a refreshed element sidebar user interface.
• Kamil’s eighth OpenStreetMap NextGen development diary highlighted faster loading for the notes layer, a new look for location links, taginfo integration for feature icons, and preparations for the project’s first development release in early June.

Releases

• The May 2024 Organic Maps update introduced bookmarks and track sorting by name, improved colour distinctions for paved and unpaved paths, fixes for GPX import issues, and numerous other enhancements across Android, iOS, and desktop platforms to improve map usability and user experience.

Did you know …

• … Marble? A versatile virtual globe and world atlas application that allows users to explore maps, measure distances, find points of interest, view Wikipedia articles and create routes, available for Linux, Mac, Windows, and Android.
• … WebGL Earth? A 3D digital globe platform for the web and mobile devices that allows users to explore satellite and street maps and customise views for different geographic locations using open source tools.
• … Lessy? A mobile app that compiles and provides information on discounts and offers from nearby grocery supermarkets in Brazil, Turkey, Peru, South Africa, Philippines, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. The app clearly shows that it uses OpenStreetMap data as its base map.
• … that Matt Daniels has created a 3D visualisation of the world’s population based on OSM?

OSM in the media

• [1] The SAI CHE PUOI? activists have conducted a survey to count illegally parked cars in Milan Italy, aiming to better enforce parking regulations and improve traffic flow. For this survey, around two thousand activists were divided into seven hundred small groups, which were then coordinated using an OpenStreetMap-based mobile application.
• CHIP described some advanced techniques for using OpenStreetMap to find places like a pro. The article highlighted features such as overpass turbo and creating Overpass queries using ChatGPT to improve user experience and the efficiency of finding and exploring places.
• MSPoweruser compared Maps.me and Google Maps, rating their strengths and weaknesses in several categories, including offline capabilities, user interface, search functionality, accuracy, and additional features, to help users decide which mapping application best suits their navigation and exploration needs.

Other “geo” things

• Columbus Verlag specialises in the production of handmade globes and wall maps in Germany, with a focus on precision, craftsmanship, and sustainability, making it the world’s oldest continuously operating globe manufacturer, renowned for integrating traditional techniques with modern technology.
• Google Maps is improving accessibility by expanding detailed voice guidance and screen reader capabilities for Lens worldwide, adding more wheelchair accessibility information for over 50 million locations, and introducing the Auracast attribute for businesses to support hearing devices, making it easier for users with disabilities to navigate and access information.
• Make Ways is a platform that helps users map and share walking routes, focusing on accessibility and user feedback to improve the quality and enjoyment of walking, with plans to expand to other forms of travel in the future.
• Kyle Walker has published a guide for accessing and visualising building data from Overture Maps using R.
• Blurring your home on Google Street View protects your privacy by making it harder for strangers to identify your home. You can do this by locating your home on Street View, selecting ‘Report a problem’, selecting the appropriate area to blur, and submitting the request to Google for review.

Note:
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This weeklyOSM was produced by LuxuryCoop, MatthiasMatthias, PierZen, SeverinGeo, SomeoneElse, Strubbl, TheSwavu, barefootstache, derFred, mcliquid, rtnf.
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