I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone talking about "StreetComplete Expert Edition" (SCEE) which I find to be the best middle ground between usability and control (you can directly edit tags but also have all the quests StreetComplete offer plus a few more)
this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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Everything #OpenStreetMap related is welcome: software releases, showing of your work, questions about how to tag something, as long as it has to do with OpenStreetMap or OpenStreetMap-related software.
OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.
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https://mapcomplete.org is an easy-to-use website to view, edit and add points (such as shops, restaurants and others)
https://learnosm.org/en/ has a lot of information for beginners too.
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@als @Adderbox76 @openstreetmap
I suspect that's because if you read the post it looks like OP is a beginner and not an experienced editor.
Vespucci, JOSM and level0 aren't getting mentioned either because they aren't the best starting points.
looks like OP is a beginner and not an experienced editor
Basically yes. I have contributed a few times when I thought about it, but then go long stretches between contributions. But it's only now that I'm trying to make a conscious effort TO think about it more once I downloaded organic maps so I could move away from Google.
I've always had the opinion that if you use an FOSS product, the "cost" is in "contribution"; which doesn't have to be monetary (though I often do). The payment for using a FOSS app (to me) is to contribute in terms of either helping to develop it, or writing user manuals for it (I helped with LibreOffice Documentation back in the day) or even creating tutorials or recording tutorials, or even just championing it's use to your friends and family.
Moving away from Google I realized that I had been negligent in that with OSM. I've contributed to most of mybigger ones (GIMP, Scribus, Inkscape, LibreOffice, etc...) But OSM just fell under the radar. So I'm trying to correct that by making a point of contributing to the data as much as I can.
If you want to be the absolute most efficient for POIs, check out everydoor. It's not very user friendly but it's pretty much peek efficiency, and it has support for saving info that other apps don't offer you.
I find it easier to add POIs with OrganicMaps. StreetComplete is too facy for me.
You don't "submit changes to the osm team", you are actually editing the live map. Reviewers can revert changes, but there isn't some process a change must go through, everything is live. Most apps don't use the live data, but regular snapshots of it, that's why it seems like there is some processing behind the scenes, but it's up to the renderers and apps, not by osm.
Answering your question: OM is an app for navigation, and using the map, functionality for contributing data is very minimal and limited. SC is an app for contributing, nothing else, e.g. you can't plan a route there. If you want to contribute, use SC. If you just navigating with OM and notice something is missing, use OM, if it's quicker than opening another app.
Some more details on the update frequency of services and maps I use:
- After you upload something, it changes the database instantly.
- Things getting data directly from there should also update near instantly, like when you download in JOSM.
- The update delay of the raster map on openstreetmap.org depends on the zoom level. More zoomed in tiles update near instantly, lower zoom levels are updated weekly, monthly. Coastine is a special element, it doesn't update with others, as it's really resource intensive. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Coastline
- Queries on Overpass-turbo.eu have a delay of 6-10 minutes.
- Afaik StreetCompete quests are near instant, at the time you download them, but the base map updates only monthly, I read this in some forum, not sure.
- Organic maps usually monthly. Map updates are tied to app updates, so sometimes they miss some month.
- Magic Earth usually monthly, but sometimes they skip one or two. It's annoying for me, because I use this for car navigation usually. The streets I use frequently are perfect now, but once I made a typo accidentally on a destination sign, and I fixed it some days later as I noticed while driving there, but ME didn't updated its map for like 3 months after that, and I was always reminded to my typo I already fixed, ahhh...
- Osmand defaults to monthly updates, but if you pay for it or download the foss version or you are a frequent osm contributor you can get live updates up to hourly frequency: https://osmand.net/docs/user/personal/maps-resources#osmand-live
I wrote this from memory, so it may be not 100% up to date, please correct me if I'm wrong
Editing with Organic Maps can lead to duplicates since it update maps once a month. StreetComplete shows the current database so you are sure you won't upload duplicate POIs.
SC redownloads map data if it is over 12 hours old on your device, so you're likely seeing up to date information. And you can always download manually in an area to see the absolute freshest data, if you think that's necessary.
Organic Maps doesn't update the data nearly as often, as it's not really meant for editing. That being said, unless you are in a busy area, the chances of a fellow mapper already having submitted that data since the last update in OM is slim.
At the end of the day, you should just do what is convenient for you and allows you to contribute easier.
StreetComplete, definitely. OrganicMaps is better for navigating. But you can also just try them both out :)
Try out 'Every Door' as well :)
In my experience StreetComplete is almost real time. As soon as you close the app it adds all of your changes I think. I've never tried it in Organic Maps but I imagine it's similar
Usually your edits will go straight to the map! There are people that work on tools and foundations of the map data but when it comes to the data itself WE are the OSM team!
Recommended changes are done via map notes. If you don't know what I'm talking about you can turn them on on openstreetmap.org to see what I mean
@SomeAmateur @Adderbox76 @openstreetmap
I think in its usual setting StreetComplete uploads as soon as you make it (if you have an internet connection). It can also be set to upload when you reach WiFi or manually.
I'd say Organic Maps is quicker, if you know a specific information at a specific place needs to be updated, whereas StreetComplete is better for finding out where on the map information is still missing.
So, StreetComplete basically sends you on various 'quests' to check information on-site. It's more intended, if you're generally interested in contributing, but makes it rather fun to do so.