All About OpenStreetMap

You might recognize the name, like you’ve heard it somewhere, but can’t exactly remember what it is. In this article, I explain all about it and how you can contribute.

What is OpenStreetMap?

OpenStreetMap, also known as OSM, is an open-source map that anyone can edit and contribute to, kind of like Wikipedia. Before you brush it away as “not being reliable” or being easy to troll on, it’s so reliable to the point where mapping services like Apple Maps use it. How is it so reliable? Well, even though there aren’t copylocks like Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap is really reliable due to it’s editing community. They regulary host “map cleanup” events, and there are tons of edits per day.

So, how can I get involved?

If you are anxious to begin editing, I have a few tips. First of all, before you begin your journey as an online cartographer, I’d recommend just checking out the map at openstreetmap.org. Once you’ve done that, you have to sign up for an account in order to edit it. On their website, click the sign up button in the upper right. Just input a username, email, and password. Once you’ve completed the email verification, you are all ready to edit! To begin, I recommend running through OSM’s interactive mapping tutorial. To start, just click the “edit” button in the top bar, and if a pop-up appears, click “edit with iD”. Once you run through the tutorial, you should know the basics of editing.

I’ve done the tutorial, but everywhere I look is so well mapped! What should I do?

I’ve gotten into this predicament before. You can begin looking around your local area. Even if all the buildings and streets are well mapped, some other things like sidewalks may not be. And, you can map parking lots to practice your mapping skills, too. You can even get as detailed as adding stop signs, trees, trash cans, benches, and more. You can also see a local building that you know is a cafe, for example, but it’s marked just as a building. Feel free to change it to a cafe! And if everywhere you look is fully and completely mapped out, there is one more thing you can do. Head over to maproulette.org, click sign in, and authenticate with your OSM account. Now, you can find and filter challenges that are quick, fun, and improve the map. You can filter based on what the challenge wants you to do, so if you like adding buildings, drawing roads, adding businesses, or more, you can find it all there.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, and have fun mapping! Once again, the links referenced in this article are openstreetmap.org, and maproulette.org.