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James Derrick

Mapper since:
December 28, 2007
Last map edit:
July 15, 2025

I’m a technologist, dinghy sailor, cyclist and cartographer based in Cramlington, Northumberland, England, UK.

I support the OSM Foundation and for over fiften years have contributed detailed mapping covering the whole of Northumberland. Mapping started by cycling around every street around Cramlington, Blyth, Ashington, Killingworth and Newbiggin by the Sea with an early GPSr on the handlebars to collect GPX location data with a voice recorder.

«Fake Yorkshire Accent» Back in 2008, this area be wobbly trunk roads and bare grey ‘here be dragons’! You young’uns with your high-res aerial imagery don’t know you’re born… «End Comedy Accent»

You can read more reflections on OSM history.

My tools of choice are a road bike, (several) Garmin GPSr, JOSM, and OSMand+. Don’t forget the Tea, Earl Grey, Hot!

As well as continuing to maintain chunks of Northumberland, I stray into the Scottish Borders (cycling), Midlands/ Mersea (#canalmapping especially LHCRT restoration), and OpenSeaMap (sailing).

Links to other OSM-related accounts:

Latest Diaries

Reflections on 10 years of a changing Open Source Map

Reflections on 10 years of a changing Open Source Map It was ten years ago today that I registered to map the highway! With apologies to the Beat...

8 comments December 28, 2017

UK ITO! OSM Analysis has new road comparison data from OS Locator

Another round of Ordnance Survey data has been released and processed by ITO! to produce a very useful comparison against OSM. Once again, their ve...

0 comments May 15, 2016

UK ITO! OSM Analysis has new road comparison data from OS Locator

Hi, About every six months, ITO process road name data published from the UK Ordnance Survey and run a comparison against OSM. This is an interest...

2 comments December 12, 2015

OS Street View Copyright Easter Egg

Over the past few years, I’ve been a regular user of ITO World’s very useful map analysis and comparison tools. One tool (not unique, but well done...

5 comments March 15, 2015