OpenStreetMap

Geocaching and OpenStreetMap

rw — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:36:39 -0400

Geocaching and OpenStreetMap - A match made in a GPSr?

Probably.

The overlapping interests of geocachers and OpenStreetMappers has been obvious to many, for a long time. Both groups are passionate about maps. Both have GPS receivers. Both are inclined to outdoor travel and discovery. How is it that I have managed to wait this long to actually try geocaching? read more »

Add a bridge in OpenStreetMap

rw — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:12:01 -0500

The OpenStreetMap Project of the Month for March 2011 is Bridges and Tunnels. Here is a bridge tutorial in images and video. read more »

How well can you map?

rw — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:51:11 -0500

What limits the quality of your contributions to OpenStreetMap data? The answer is surprisingly simple.

I propose a simple Three-Star system to categorize your edits according to how much value you personally add to the data you contribute to OpenStreetMap. read more »

Take a drive

rw — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:13:41 -0500

I like the cartography on http://open.MapQuest.com . The style differs from our mapnik and osmarender styles by rendering fewer types of objects and by using subtler colors. It's different. Their selectable thematic layers are great and let you add objects to the map that interest you at the moment. That's all pretty cool and that's not what I started this article to talk about.

I want to talk about golf. read more »

How to Map a Xylophone

rw — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:07:11 -0500

All right. Ready for some serious mapping? Let's map a xylophone.

What? You think that you can't put a xylophone on a map? Not possible you say? Inappropriate? Perhaps. Let me explain myself.

I'm at a mapping party in Colorado, at a ski resort, organized by my dear friends, the Coasts. And when I am at a mapping party organized by dear friends, I want to do a good job of mapping. So I've been mapping the village. read more »

Remembrance Day

rw — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:26:21 -0500

Mapping Québec

rw — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:37:39 -0400

I surveyed a small part of the Old City portion of Québec recently. It was much like many other surveys, but with the added interest of being somewhere else. It also had the benefit of being somewhere beautiful, feeling a little bit exotic and being part of a wonderful trip. I want to share a few pieces of it with you. read more »

Embed OSM Map in your Web Site

rw — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:02:54 -0400

How can I add an OpenStreetMap map to my web site?

It's easy. There are three steps. read more »

Control the Appearance of your Business on OpenStreetMap

rw — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:18:38 -0400

A Tale of Two Cafés

A common conversation I have with new OpenStreetMap contributors goes something like this.

How do I put my business in OpenStreetMap?
Did you see the tutorials?
Yes, I did that. But it doesn't look right. I want my business to be more prominent.
... and more prominent than your competitors?
Yes, please!

Okay. Let's look at the right way to do this. The question is, How do I control the appearance of my business in OpenStreetMap?

And this article is the answer. read more »

What's in a Name

rw — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:19:20 -0400

A question came up on one of the OSM mailing lists¹ about what to use as the name of a business. The name of a business is one of the key items that distinguishes that business from their competitors, along with location. Both of these things are important to mappers. We like to get location correct; that's kind of the point of OpenStreetMap. And once we have the location of an object, we generally want to name it.

So why are some businesses so hard to name? And what is a mapper to do about it? Let's have a look. read more »