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Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

blog.mozilla.ai

21–30 of 108 posts

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#21
post #6
post #4

Hi from the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Please don't add AI-detected features directly to the database. The algorithms have problems with false positives, and with mapping straight or rectangular objects as wobbly, as shown in the second-to-last screenshot. As a helper to detect missing features, this is a precious tool. But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. See als…

> But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. Hi, I am the author. The demo app and any provided code example includes a step asking a human to verify the detected features. You can't upload them automatically unless you modify the source code. I reiterate the human verification across the docs, linked post, and any code samples. I haven't ever uploaded features automat…

I don't understand the 'human verification' aspect.

Your docs show a simple image where the user can choose to keep a new object or not. [0] Afterwards it says: "The ones you chose to keep will be uploaded to OpenStreetMap using upload_osm.". This is uploading features automatically. The fact that it asks 'are you sure' is just silly. We all know if humans have to click yes 90% of the time, and no 10% of the time, they'll miss a lot of no's.

The image also proofs that:

- You don't see any polygons properly. You just see a an image of where the pool is. Already on the image I can see that if the polygons align to that image, it will be a total mess.

- You don't see any polygons further away from the object.

Both these points are in stereo's reply that the resulted data was a mess.

Please consider pulling the project. This will generate a lot of data that volunteers will have to check and revert.

[0] https://github.com/mozilla-ai/osm-ai-helper/blob/main/docs/s...

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#22
post #18
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. Hi, I am the author. The demo app and any provided code example includes a step asking a human to verify the detected features. You can't upload them automatically unless you modify the source code. I reiterate the human verification across the docs, linked post, and any code samples. I haven't ever uploaded features automat…

> Happy to hear and implement any ideas on how to improve the process to prevent automated features to be uploaded. Idea: do not automatically create features that a human can simply approve, instead require them to draw the polygon themselves.

That kind of defeats the point surely?

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#23
post #9

Experiencing automated mapping first-hand makes me extremely wary of it. I've travelled across South America on a motorcycle, and OSM has a large amount of edits there that look automated (particularly in Brazil), making it barely usable in certain places. I'm not even talking about rural roads but also fairly large cities.

Armchair mapping will always result in bad maps. I usually try to use mapwithme and leave photo notes describing issues when I travel, I take photos of fences and play grounds, other people take scenic pictures. So it might very well be automatic mapping, just saying that I know my armchair mapping can be pretty bad when I gonand check it OTG.

[deleted]

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#24
post #14
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> straight or rectangular objects as wobbly, as shown in the second-to-last screenshot. This is a because the polygon is drawn as a mask in order to overlay it on the image. The actual polygon being uploaded doesn't have the wobbly features. It is True there are cases were the predicted polygon is wobbly and I encourage people to discard them. However I didn't publish this demo until I got a first version of the mode…

I tried this out like a week ago and I was wondering the same so I tried to upload and... it's definitely uploading crap. I don't know what to tell you but all the clearly square ones I saw have bends on the straight lines It's useful for finding ones that haven't been mapped but not for drawing them. It can get the 4 corners pretty accurate for pools that are square, many are half round at the ends though

Hi, sorry if the project or narrative gave the wrong impression but my idea was to show the potential, not providing a polished solution.

As disclaimed in the demo and code, the example model was trained only with data from Galicia on a Google Colab. A robust enough models would require more data and compute.

> it's definitely uploading crap.

What was uploaded was what a human approved.

> It's useful for finding ones that haven't been mapped but not for drawing them. It can get the 4 corners pretty accurate for pools that are square, many are half round at the ends though

I couldn't dedicate enough time on the best way to refine the predictions, but happy to hear and discuss any ideas.

Ideas I have are:

- Try an oriented bounding box model instead of detection + segmentation. It will not be useful for not square shapes but will definitely generate more accurate predictions. - Build some sort of https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/RANSAC that tries to fits rectangles and/or other shapes as an step to postprocess the predicted mask.

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#25
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Happy to hear and implement any ideas on how to improve the process to prevent automated features to be uploaded. Idea: do not automatically create features that a human can simply approve, instead require them to draw the polygon themselves.

That kind of defeats the point surely?

Well it can still detect features in the satellite image that are missing on the map. That would already be a large help, no?

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#26
post #16
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi! The Data Working Group had a look at the data, and decided to revert the two pool changesets. The polygons the algorithm had drawn were consistently of poor quality with stray nodes and nodes far outside the pool boundaries, and the imports hadn't been discussed with local communities.

Hi, thanks for the feedback. I have disabled the hosted demo for now, and will remove the uploading part from the code in favor of showing an URL that will open the editor at the location. If its of any help, you can find any contributed polygon with the tag `created_by= https://github.com/mozilla-ai/osm-ai-helper `. Feel free to remove all of them (or I can do it myself once I access a PC). I will be happy to contin…

> I will be happy to continue the discussion on what is a good prediction or not. I have mapped a lot of swimming pools myself and edited and removed a lot of (presumably) human contributed polygons that looked worse (too my eyes) than the predictions I approved to be uploaded.

Something else you need to be mindful of is that the mapbox imagery may be out of date, especially for the super zoomed in stuff (which comes from aerial flights). So e.g., a pool built 2 years ago might not show up.

https://docs.mapbox.com/help/dive-deeper/imagery/

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#27
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. Hi, I am the author. The demo app and any provided code example includes a step asking a human to verify the detected features. You can't upload them automatically unless you modify the source code. I reiterate the human verification across the docs, linked post, and any code samples. I haven't ever uploaded features automat…

I don't understand the 'human verification' aspect. Your docs show a simple image where the user can choose to keep a new object or not. [0] Afterwards it says: "The ones you chose to keep will be uploaded to OpenStreetMap using upload_osm.". This is uploading features automatically. The fact that it asks 'are you sure' is just silly. We all know if humans have to click yes 90% of the time, and no 10% of the time, th…

> This will generate a lot of data that volunteers will have to check and revert.

This is just not true. The data can be easily identified with the `created_by` tag. And I have been reviewing myself any data uploaded with the demo (with a clear different criteria on what is good enough)

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#28
post #18
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. Hi, I am the author. The demo app and any provided code example includes a step asking a human to verify the detected features. You can't upload them automatically unless you modify the source code. I reiterate the human verification across the docs, linked post, and any code samples. I haven't ever uploaded features automat…

> Happy to hear and implement any ideas on how to improve the process to prevent automated features to be uploaded. Idea: do not automatically create features that a human can simply approve, instead require them to draw the polygon themselves.

That is what I will implement before bringing back the demo https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43448649

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#29
Google would not allow this, but Mapbox seems to be OK with this, if it is used for non-commercial purposes or OSM, and only if their satellite data is used (not their vector data):

  1.6. No Tracing, Deriving, or Extracting. Customer shall not trace or otherwise derive or extract content, data
       and/or information from the Service Offerings except that Customer may use Studio or third-party
       software to trace Mapbox Maps solely comprised of satellite imagery to produce derivative vector
       datasets (i) for non-commercial purposes or (ii) for OpenStreetMap.
Kind of nice from them.

Re: Map Features in OpenStreetMap with Computer Vision

#30
post #6
post #4

Hi from the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Please don't add AI-detected features directly to the database. The algorithms have problems with false positives, and with mapping straight or rectangular objects as wobbly, as shown in the second-to-last screenshot. As a helper to detect missing features, this is a precious tool. But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. See als…

> But we still need human intervention to make sure the detected objects are drawn correctly. Hi, I am the author. The demo app and any provided code example includes a step asking a human to verify the detected features. You can't upload them automatically unless you modify the source code. I reiterate the human verification across the docs, linked post, and any code samples. I haven't ever uploaded features automat…

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