this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/33407329

We've all already talked about switching away from google/apple maps to something like openstreetmaps, mapy, tomtom amigo, etc. But all of these services use openstreetmaps (UK non-profit) as a source and they still miss a lot of local data even for bigger cities!

If you have some spare time, think about adding a bit of data to the map with your local knowledge. There's a lot of business data missing that is on google maps like websites, phone numbers and opening hours but also stuff like parking lots and whether they're publicly accessible and free or not. Adding these makes the competition of ALL services using OSM as a source better.

I also use the mobile app https://streetcomplete.app/ and https://every-door.app/ to add data while on my walks, these make my walks more engaging and I actually take longer ones + see new places because of it. Streetcomplete also has a focus on important and easy to collect data with their default filters, and you can choose what you want to contribute.

If you really want to get into the thick of it and contribute more than just simple data you can always check out https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/How_to_contribute and see in which of the many ways you can contribute!

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[–] smeg@feddit.uk 26 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (2 children)

Street Complete is definitely the gateway drug here, very simple and beginner-friendly way to get started

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 8 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's made like a game!

This app finds missing map data in your vicinity and displays it on a map as quests. Solve each quest by visiting the location on-site and answering a simple question to update the map.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Definitely ticks the "something interesting to do out on a walk" box that pokémon go did

[–] hash@slrpnk.net 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I was actually doing some mapping once and was asked if I was also there for the pokemon go event.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 2 points 13 hours ago

Prime opportunity for some evangelising!

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

I found this to ask way too many super random questions about an individual area. Like I answered a couple dozen repetitive questions without ever leaving my neighborhood. Seems like they don't have any sort of prioritization.

[–] Ruthalas@infosec.pub 1 points 4 hours ago

If you go into the settings, you can choose to hide some types of quests. Turning off the ones about road surface material, for example, can reduce the repetition a lot.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 1 points 12 hours ago

It's not like it gives you questions in a particular order, it just puts a pin on the map everywhere there's missing information. For instance if your neighbourhood only had house numbers missing then that's all you'll see nearby, other places could be completely different.