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StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

streetcomplete.app

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Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#81

Post by cwillu »

jorvi wrote: post #46
jllyhill wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is that the best way to get the phones and opening hours is to walk in person and look them up. Any source for the automated collection is way more likely to be outdated/wrong than what the sign or the person behind the counter tells you. And can also have non-permissive license not compatible with the OSM license.

Raw Information cannot be licensed, and I am not sure why OSM sticks to the policy that it can. Google Maps does not hold the rights to which opening hours Bob's Bakery keeps. If someone entered them from Bob's Bakery their site onto Maps, you are free to type it off of Maps onto OSM. Legally anyway. OSM themselves still hold the policy you can't, so you should adhere to that.

Google's ability to make life difficult for contributors to a project should not be underestimated.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#82

Post by orbital-decay »

lapetitejort wrote: post #66

I got into OSM and StreetComplete to flesh out intersections, stop signs, and sidewalks in my area. I always felt like I was doing something wrong though. I created crosswalks, then OSM would prompt me to connect the crosswalk to the road via a crossing. In StreetComplete, it felt like I was filling in duplicate data. I had to add whether the crossing had crossing lights not only at the middle crossing, but on the si…

When in doubt, look for adjacent localities and do what the others are already doing. OSM is chaotic and (usually) driven by consensus that can be slightly different in specific communities.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#83

Post by ivanjermakov »

macintux wrote: post #80
ivanjermakov wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> forest dumps, random trash Likely you can report such occasions to local authorities via online form. Of course every city/county would have their own.

My city had a very vanilla, but very useful mobile app for submitting problems like missed trash pickup or dead traffic lights. Someone apparently decided it needed to be "more modern", making it nearly unusable for quick reports like traffic light problems while I was stopped at the light. Every page was a separate request to a server, slow JS, etc. They've since improved the flow and performance, but it still asks…

They likely provide plain email you could write to instead.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#84

Post by bluGill »

cwillu wrote: post #78
mips_avatar wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the problem is what's considered an adapted database. If it was strict it would mean apps like Alltrails (which is 90% openstreetmaps data) would need to list their trailmaps as open databases, but they don't.

The problem is that factual details aren't copyrightable in the first place, so no amount of licensing will prevent organizations with enough money to pay a lawyer from understanding this and using the data as they see fit. And on the flip side, those organizations can pay those same lawyers to write scary boilerplate to make it seem like their map data is “proprietary” and therefore “protected by copyright” even tho…

Maps Traditionally have a few intentional errors because those are copyright, in turn meaning if one is found you can sue for copyright violations.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#85

Post by Ajedi32 »

lapetitejort wrote: post #66

I got into OSM and StreetComplete to flesh out intersections, stop signs, and sidewalks in my area. I always felt like I was doing something wrong though. I created crosswalks, then OSM would prompt me to connect the crosswalk to the road via a crossing. In StreetComplete, it felt like I was filling in duplicate data. I had to add whether the crossing had crossing lights not only at the middle crossing, but on the si…

Usually in OSM there are several different ways to map things, to varying levels of detail. (E.g. As you discovered, you can just tag a road as having sidewalks, or trace out the actual sidewalks themselves.) Generally, as long as the information you're adding is accurate, you're helping. Changing tagging schemes later is a lot easier than re-discovering that information from scratch. If you're really concerned, usually the wiki has good information on what is currently considered best practice.

Incidentally, I think for crossings StreetComplete now only asks about the actual crossing nodes, so no more duplicate quests.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#86

Post by bluGill »

jorvi wrote: post #46
jllyhill wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is that the best way to get the phones and opening hours is to walk in person and look them up. Any source for the automated collection is way more likely to be outdated/wrong than what the sign or the person behind the counter tells you. And can also have non-permissive license not compatible with the OSM license.

Raw Information cannot be licensed, and I am not sure why OSM sticks to the policy that it can. Google Maps does not hold the rights to which opening hours Bob's Bakery keeps. If someone entered them from Bob's Bakery their site onto Maps, you are free to type it off of Maps onto OSM. Legally anyway. OSM themselves still hold the policy you can't, so you should adhere to that.

Of Google is wrong and you copy that is illegal since wrong things are not facts and thus can be copyright

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#87

Post by krzyk »

earth-tattoo wrote: post #51

It sucks that Google is probably using OSM data to check what they are missing and adding it to their maps, but we can't do vice versa. OSM should change their license to something like if you use our data, you have to make yours open as well.

If google does that, then they do a poor job at that. In Europe OSM is way more detailed and up to date than Google Maps.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#88

Post by westnordost »

lapetitejort wrote: post #66

I got into OSM and StreetComplete to flesh out intersections, stop signs, and sidewalks in my area. I always felt like I was doing something wrong though. I created crosswalks, then OSM would prompt me to connect the crosswalk to the road via a crossing. In StreetComplete, it felt like I was filling in duplicate data. I had to add whether the crossing had crossing lights not only at the middle crossing, but on the si…

In regards to your edit: Yes, this is exactly correct.

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#89

Post by throw101010 »

weavie wrote: post #12
hadi121 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the "evil" part?

Probably https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/pokemon-go-players-unwitt...

Then again you produce public open-source data when you contribute to OSM, and nothing prevents the military from using it for morally questionable purposes... at the end of the day the only difference is the intermediary that could make a profit selling the data, no?

Re: StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time

#90

Post by cube00 »

cwillu wrote: post #79
pteraspidomorph wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It sucks that Google is probably using OSM data to check what they are missing and adding it to their maps If only. Maps are still super broken around where I live. I personally mapped everything in OSM (which thankfully is used by most third party services these days) a couple years ago, but Maps is still people's primary source for routing and traffic related stuff.

Various driving/delivery apps ultimately use OSM data. Doordash and instacart both use it to various degrees via mapbox, for instasnce.

As evil as they are, it's hearting to see the delivery platforms are embracing OSM when they could probably afford to just pay for Google's Maps API.

It gives hope that Google/ESRI won't always be the dominant mapping platform, however OSM is still missing a lot of local businesses which the delivery platforms don't need as urgently as house numbers so there's less focus there.

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