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How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

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Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#161

Post by sabas_ge »

zylepe wrote: post #144
seba_dos1 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A built-in editor that's specifically targeted to what interests them. There's an app called OpenVegeMap which shows you vegetarian and vegan restaurants nearby. It also allows you to add and edit this information. Found a nice vegan bistro? You're just two clicks away from adding a missing tag about it to OSM. Just this and nothing else.

Great idea, signing up for an OSM account is a pretty high barrier though. Is OSM is ok with anonymous edits through 3rd party apps?

You can act as proxy like WheelMap does (upload the edits on behalf of the users), but you must then be reachable when some edit is wrong.

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#162

Post by maxerickson »

anderspitman wrote: post #157

Is there anything OSM-based like gmaps with the ability to search for ie restaurants in an area, then get voice navigation to the location? Even something that lets you search for "McDonalds near this address" would probably be good enough for me to switch.

Sure, but how useful they are will depend on whether the data in your area of interest is decent or not.

OSMAnd and Maps.Me both have poi search and voice navigation.

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#163

Post by stolsvik »

collyw wrote: post #151
nickysielicki wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second best? At least in my experience, OSM data is leaps and bounds better than Google Maps in every way possible, and it has been that way for a couple years now. The reason that I still use Google maps is that it's fast and well-integrated with my phone, and it has a lot of added features on top of the actual mapping that makes it very useful --- things like location sharing when you're on a longer road trip, crea…

What's a good phone app to use it with on Andorid? (As I understand it, Open Steet Map is the data).

And for iPhone?

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#164

Post by Semaphor »

ArekDymalski wrote: post #145
Semaphor wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others said, it depends. Here in my city (Lübeck) in Germany, OSM runs circles around GM and then leisurely sprints towards the goal. When I was in South Africa (Pretoria) OSM was so out of date that it was unusable, and that's without information there that's always been wrong.

For anyone interested in improvement of OSM data, I'd like to recommend the StreetComplete android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.westnordost... While contributing you almost feel like playing a game :)

Yeah, I used it for a while (lived there for half a year), but the base data was just too wrong for it to be much fun.

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#165

Post by Mediterraneo10 »

Vinnl wrote: post #135
Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Only sad thing is perhaps some day we won't be able to have the fun of making contributions ourselves, if the big companies handle all that for us like Google does. There will always be room for individual contributions, because there are things that the big corporations do not care about. For example, many hiking trails and agricultural tracks good for cycling are missing from Google Maps because they simply do no…

> Another example is opening hours for shops. Unfortunately, the dominance of Google Maps makes 1) more likely to happen for them - more likely even than 3) is going to happen for OSM. Or at least, that's what my gut feeling says.

A small-town or rural convenience store in most of the world is not even particularly aware of how urban shops (but actually not all that many, comparatively speaker) are adding themselves to Google Maps. So, 1) is indeed unlikely to happen. But because OSM editing tools for newbies, like StreetComplete, encourage people to add opening hours for all nearby businesses regardless of size, that information does make it to OSM.

In my own neck of the woods, if you are cycling around the countryside, you can not only find a nearby convenience store to stop for a drink or snack, you can even know if it is presently open. Meanwhile, Google Maps has almost none of the small shops in this region, let alone their opening hours.

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#166

Post by Vinnl »

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #165
Vinnl wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Another example is opening hours for shops. Unfortunately, the dominance of Google Maps makes 1) more likely to happen for them - more likely even than 3) is going to happen for OSM. Or at least, that's what my gut feeling says.

A small-town or rural convenience store in most of the world is not even particularly aware of how urban shops (but actually not all that many, comparatively speaker) are adding themselves to Google Maps. So, 1) is indeed unlikely to happen. But because OSM editing tools for newbies, like StreetComplete, encourage people to add opening hours for all nearby businesses regardless of size, that information does make it…

Sure, I think in rural areas, 3) happens somewhat more for OSM than 1) happens for Google Maps. In urban areas, though, I'd guess that 1) happens far more often for Maps than 3) for OSM.

I'm also not quite sure how often large chains are importing their opening hours into OSM? Because quite a few of them probably do so for Google Maps (or at least - Google Maps often has their opening hours).

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#167

Post by Pinus »

freddie_mercury wrote: post #96
nickysielicki wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second best? At least in my experience, OSM data is leaps and bounds better than Google Maps in every way possible, and it has been that way for a couple years now. The reason that I still use Google maps is that it's fast and well-integrated with my phone, and it has a lot of added features on top of the actual mapping that makes it very useful --- things like location sharing when you're on a longer road trip, crea…

Just another reply saying "OSM is completely useless where I live". If I enter my street address into Google Maps, it shows my house. If I enter it into OSM it says "No results found" and can't even figure out what country or city I am in.

Just out of curiosity, have you looked into what data is missing? Is the house (or at least the street) mapped, but missing the street name or the house number (assuming you live somewhere where these are relevant), or is the street completely missing?

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#168

Post by rmc »

Vinnl wrote: post #166
Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A small-town or rural convenience store in most of the world is not even particularly aware of how urban shops (but actually not all that many, comparatively speaker) are adding themselves to Google Maps. So, 1) is indeed unlikely to happen. But because OSM editing tools for newbies, like StreetComplete, encourage people to add opening hours for all nearby businesses regardless of size, that information does make it…

Sure, I think in rural areas, 3) happens somewhat more for OSM than 1) happens for Google Maps. In urban areas, though, I'd guess that 1) happens far more often for Maps than 3) for OSM. I'm also not quite sure how often large chains are importing their opening hours into OSM? Because quite a few of them probably do so for Google Maps (or at least - Google Maps often has their opening hours).

> I'm also not quite sure how often large chains are importing their opening hours into OSM

Very rarely, to almost not at all. Most OSM imports are still either roads, address points or buildings. PoI imports are very rare (to be almost non-existant)

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#169

Post by freddie_mercury »

Pinus wrote: post #167
freddie_mercury wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just another reply saying "OSM is completely useless where I live". If I enter my street address into Google Maps, it shows my house. If I enter it into OSM it says "No results found" and can't even figure out what country or city I am in.

Just out of curiosity, have you looked into what data is missing? Is the house (or at least the street) mapped, but missing the street name or the house number (assuming you live somewhere where these are relevant), or is the street completely missing?

OSM doesn't support/understand the street numbering scheme used in my country. If I rewrite my address in the format OSM thinks I should be using, then at least it can find the street I am on. But I'm not going to write addresses differently just for one website...especially when Google Maps understands how we write addresses.

Re: How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing to OpenStreetMap

#170

Post by rmc »

freddie_mercury wrote: post #169
Pinus wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just out of curiosity, have you looked into what data is missing? Is the house (or at least the street) mapped, but missing the street name or the house number (assuming you live somewhere where these are relevant), or is the street completely missing?

OSM doesn't support/understand the street numbering scheme used in my country. If I rewrite my address in the format OSM thinks I should be using, then at least it can find the street I am on. But I'm not going to write addresses differently just for one website...especially when Google Maps understands how we write addresses.

Hi, I'm a long time OSMer, and I'd like to help. OSM has a flexible tagging system, so it could be possible to map your addresses the way they should be. You shouldn't have to shoe-horn things into a schema that doesn't fit you.

Which country are you in?

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