I’ve run into a strange behaviour in my OSM user diary entry when documenting a batch/ffmpeg command.

This line in a code-block (ignore formatting):

ffmpeg select=eq(pict_type,I)</br>

is automatically turned into:

ffmpeg https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:select=eq(pict_type,I)

This happens even inside code blocks (<pre>, fenced code, etc.). It does not happen if I add spaces around the = (e.g. select = eq(pict_type,I)), but I cannot change the code because it must stay exactly as written.

<nowiki>...</nowiki>, <pre>...</pre>, <nowiki><pre>...</pre></nowiki> and similar combinations do not stop the autolink.

Is this a known issue with the OSM Wiki parser or is this a feature?

Changing now to make the bus stations more comprehensive. Not a big thing at all

In order for OpenStreetMap to thrive, we need to attract and retain new mappers. To be welcoming to newcomers, we should avoid high barriers to starting mapping and instead support contributions that can be made with limited time, context, and experience. StreetComplete is a great example of this approach: by asking simple, well-scoped questions, it enables contributors to improve data quality in small, incremental steps. An effort-inclusive tagging philosophy builds on this idea by encouraging tagging schemas where each additional piece of information can be added independently and still be useful on its own. For example, amenity=bench is still a bench regardless if mapper knew about backrest=* and armrest=*.

I am writing this because I have encountered cases where newcomers are advised to follow practices that I consider unnecessarily demanding for basic contributions. A particularly stark example appears in the context of CCTV and ALPR mapping, where a sub-community recommends mappers to take high-resolution photographs, research manufacturers and exact models at home, and consult product datasheets for adding a single camera to OSM. While such detailed work can be valuable, it not only risks discouraging participation, but also makes incorrect data harder to detect if mapper misidentifies the model.

… See full entry

WOWW. ES TODP LO QUE PUEDO DECIR.

In Fall 2024, I broke my radius (arm) at the wrist of my dominant hand, and didn’t map at all for 2 months, gradually picking things up as my arm healed and gained strength. It was agonizing to not have my daily OSM fix - and a palpable relief when my wrist could once again handle an extended session with a mouse.

Not content with my previous mapping outage, in Fall 2025 I had a cancerous tumor in my parotid (cheekbone salivary gland) removed - except that a relatively straightforward 2 hour surgery turned into a 13-hour marathon and an overnight hospital stay ballooned into 8 days in a hospital bed. The cancer had spread to lymph nodes, to one of my jugular veins and into muscle tissue in my neck. Recovery from the surgery turned into immediate chemotherapy + immunotherapy and radiation.

So now I map when I’m able, which unfortunately is not very frequently. My #Mali project gathers dust, with almost all of my current OSM edits focused around related work with my one remaining freelance client. There does appear to be light at the end of the tunnel (I’m pretty sure it’s not a train). My body has responded well to treatment, and there’s talk of moving me off chemo and onto straight immunotherapy. Looking forward to that possibility.

All of this to say: treasure the time you have. If the difference you make is measured in your OSM edits, then by god make those edits. But more importantly, if the difference you make is measured through those around you that are intertwined into your life, make sure you give sufficient time to them. Your life-changesets are important too.

The More You Know…… ;)

GR

Jangan melarang seseorang melakukan pemetaan di negara lain jika anda bukan internal dari OSM!!! Internal OSM tidak melarang seseorang memetakan negara lain. cheers

I’ve been updating bus routes;
it’s a fun task, but takes a real long time; slow progress in the wiki: osm.wiki/Braga

i’ve added tons of sidewalks and crosswalks and i’m totally happy to see them start rendering on OSMAnd;

if ppl actually used OSM while driving they would get vocal warnings for crosswalks, i’ve tried it before and it works and its really good to know whenever you approach a sidewalk as a driver; ofc this is a feature which is pedestrian centered, so the whole point is to especially help people navigate on foot; also i really like the added complexity layer when sidewalks appear on the map and you can actually start navigating the city through sidewalks, footways, footpaths and informal paths, the city is more interesting when seen through a walking perspective

we need to properly address this, i’m thinking of starting activism, we cant have 300 ppl getting run over per year (just in braga!)

i’m quite confused if and how exactly i should mark informal crossings (especially in cases where theres heavy crossing pedestrian and bike traffic (see: node/1888043292); it may seem easy but im afraid that ppl could get misled into crossing in a bad place;

there should be a more compreensive aproach to these situations so we can map this for safety first; then, we should take this stuff to city hall and press for more permanent proper solutions, like new crossroads and better safety measures!!!

as to sidewalks, it’s a bad situation; there are not as many as i believe there should be (this gets really bad as you get farther from the city center).

so many of the newer roads and rotundas dont even have a proper sidewalk, like whaaat;

… See full entry

© Protezione_Civile_FVG_Rilievi @ Mapillary, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, da Wikimedia Commons

Questa notizia è stata segnalata dall’utente fabiotofy che ringrazio per la cortesia.

La Protezione civile del Friuli Venezia Giulia ha recentemente montato¹ una fotocamera Insta360 Titan 11K sul tettuccio di un proprio veicolo 4x4 e percorso le strade meno mappate della Regione autonoma per acquisire fotografie a 360° ad altissima definizione, che poi vengono caricate su Mapillary.

L’intento è quello di permettere ai cittadini, alle amministrazioni e ai soccorritori di avere a disposizione gli stessi strumenti e di migliorare conseguentemente l’efficacia e la rapidità degli interventi di emergenza del numero di emergenza unico europeo (NUE) 112.

Il progetto ha finora raccolto oltre 150 mila foto con una copertura totale di più di 500 chilometri.

… See full entry

Děje se toho tolik, že pokud se na něco konkrétního nesoustředím, tak už to nelze zpozorovat pouhým periferním vnímáním. A abych byl alespoň trochu v širším obraze, nakonec ke zpozorování používám i dostupné technologie tak, jak se postupně rozvíjejí.

Digitální kartografie prošla zásadní proměnou a OpenStreetMap se stala pilířem globální informační infrastruktury. Od svého založení v roce 2004 se tento projekt vyvinul v unikátní kolaborativní databázi využívanou pro navigaci i krizové řízení. Současná geopolitická situace charakterizovaná napětím mezi mocnostmi klade na otevřená data nové nároky. Mapa již není pouhým zrcadlem reality, protože její role v politickém a vojenském rozhodování přímo ovlivňuje dění ve světě. V tomto kontextu bylo nezbytné zkoumat, jakým způsobem jsou data využívána v oblastech konfliktů a jak jsou chráněna před restrikcemi ze strany státních aktérů usilujících o digitální suverenitu.

Základem metodologie OpenStreetMap zůstala doktrína popisu skutečnosti na zemi. Tento přístup upřednostňoval fyzickou kontrolu nad územím před mezinárodně uznávanými hranicemi. Již v roce 2013 vydala nadace oficiální pokyny vysvětlující, že databáze není právním dokumentem a její obsah nevyjadřuje politické uznání jakéhokoli režimu. V Kašmíru hranice sledovala linii aktuální vojenské kontroly a v roce 2024 byl Krym zobrazován jako součást obou států s překrývajícími se hranicemi. Spor o jezero Gramos v roce 2025 musela vyřešit pracovní skupina pro integritu dat, aby zabránila neustálým změnám nevytyčené hranice.

… See full entry

This morning, when I woke up, I felt that something was different. The sky looked darker, the temperature felt colder, and the faint sound of drizzling rain outside carried a gloomy tone.

I immediately rushed to check the forum chat that morning, trying to scrape together information. What was going on out there?

07:17:55: “Heavy rain”
07:18:44: “Same here in Bogor”
07:19:39: “With a storm like this, how am I supposed to get to the office?”
07:39:11: “Anyone in North Jakarta who lives toward the east / near Bekasi. Is it storming there?”
07:40:20: “Yep. Storming. Starting to ease up a bit though.”
07:48:25: “Seems pretty widespread. Cikarang’s getting wind and rain too.”
07:50:04: “Still early morning but the rain is insanely heavy. What a Monday.”
07:55:41: “With rain this heavy, it’s best to just go back to sleep~”
08:00:26: “Heavy rainnn”
08:10:46: “The rain is so damn heavy.”
08:14:28: “Waiting for it to stop, but it’s just getting heavier.”
08:16:52: “This storm. No way I’m working. Just want to WFH.”

Heavy rain? A storm? How bad could it be? Here, the rain was only a light drizzle, but the darkness of the sky and the chill in the air felt very different. This wasn’t ordinary rain.

I kept reading the forum.

08:15:11: “Same in Central Jakarta, storm-level rain. Can’t work at all.”
08:29:58: “Force majeure, man. I ain’t leaving for work like this.”
08:37:55: “With rain this bad, offices should really normalize letting employees WFH, at least for sectors that don’t need physical presence."
08:40:00: “Stuck getting out of Tanah Abang. The rain’s way too heavy.”
08:45:47: “Early morning chaos in the airspace above CGK. Looks like no planes can land. Four domestic flights diverted to Lampung. Flight SQ950 had to do three go-arounds. This morning’s rain is insane.”

Huh?

So many planes couldn’t land at Soekarno-Hatta? How bad was the rain last night?

… See full entry

1st January 2026

Happy New Year!

I went for a walk, today, to geo locate some benches. Given my physical challenges (not to mention my tendency to over do it all the time), benches are an absolute godsend — more often than not, a four-mile stroll feels like a ten-mile slog (and today, ironically, was no exception).

I got the job done, though, and bagged both benches at 51.4751546, -3.2752249 and 51.4742791, -3.2777702. There's a really cool MapComplete theme called Benches that I use a fair bit, so I've also got some photos ready.

I'll upload everything shortly — just as soon as my back stops hurting, my legs stop wobbling, and my ankle stops threatening an early retirement.

3rd January 2026

Locating a Quarry

I've decided to find and map the quarry in Plymouth Great Wood. According to Outdoor Cardiff's guide, it should be located somewhere around 51.483825, -3.257899.

The quarry was excavated in the late 1800s (starting around the 1860s) to provide ballast and building materials for the Great Western Railway (the main London to Swansea line).

The rock from the quarry (locally known as 'Radyr Stone') is a rare Triassic breccia that's famous for its deep red colour mixed with grey (limestone) and white (sandstone) clasts.

It was during the excavations that workers found a Bronze Age hoard in the quarry which consisted of two spearheads, five axes, and part of a sword blade.

After the woodland was gifted to the city by the Earl of Plymouth, ordinance survey maps from around the 1920s referenced the quarry as 'old' (which suggests that the site had since been decommissioned).

I'm not sure when I'll be heading out as steep muddy trails and wobbly old legs don't play nice, but I hope to at least get an eyeball of the place fairly soon.

7th January 2026

Around the Houses

… See full entry

12-01-2026 signed up.

এই ডায়েরি এন্ট্রিতে বাগমারা উপজেলার কাতিলা এলাকায় অবস্থিত নাগা বাজারের নিকটে অবস্থানরত নিছু কাতিলা গোবিন্দ মন্দিরের তথ্য সংযোজন করা হয়েছে। স্থানীয় হিন্দু সম্প্রদায়ের জন্য এটি একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ পূজাস্থল। ম্যাপে এই মন্দিরের অবস্থান চিহ্নিত করার মাধ্যমে নাগা বাজার ও আশপাশের এলাকা সম্পর্কিত ভৌগোলিক তথ্য আরও নির্ভুল হয়েছে এবং স্থানীয় সম্প্রদায়ের সাংস্কৃতিক ও ধর্মীয় দিকের প্রতিনিধিত্ব নিশ্চিত হয়।

এই ডায়েরি এন্ট্রিতে বাগমারা উপজেলার কাতিলা এলাকায় অবস্থিত নাগা বাজারের পশ্চিম পাশে মণ্ডল হাউসের অবস্থান ম্যাপে যুক্ত করার তথ্য তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। স্থানীয় বাসিন্দাদের বসতবাড়ি হিসেবে পরিচিত এই বাড়িটি নাগা বাজারের নিকটবর্তী হওয়ায় এলাকার ভৌগোলিক তথ্য আরও নির্ভুল ও হালনাগাদ হয়েছে। এই সংযোজনের মাধ্যমে নাগা বাজার সংলগ্ন আবাসিক এলাকার ম্যাপিং উন্নত হবে এবং ভবিষ্যতে স্থানীয় সেবা ও নেভিগেশনে সহায়ক ভূমিকা রাখবে।

Comecei a contribuir com o OpenStreetMap movido pela curiosidade e pela vontade de ajudar. Aos poucos, percebi que mapear não era apenas desenhar ruas ou ajustar pontos no mapa: era participar de um projeto global que transforma informação em impacto real.

Nos últimos meses, tenho dedicado boa parte do meu tempo ao mapeamento do Vale do Rio Pardo, no Estado da Bahia. É uma região rica, diversa e ainda pouco representada nos mapas digitais. Cada nova via identificada, cada edificação revisada e cada detalhe adicionado ajuda a tornar o território mais visível e acessível para quem depende dessas informações.

Antes disso, concentrei meus esforços na melhoria do mapa de vários municípios do Sul e Sudoeste Baiano. Foram horas revisando imagens, corrigindo traçados, adicionando estradas rurais e atualizando áreas urbanas. Ver essas regiões ganhando mais precisão e completude no OSM é uma sensação de realização difícil de descrever.

Meu trabalho voluntário envolve revisar imagens de satélite, conferir trilhas, ruas e edificações, além de adicionar detalhes que fazem diferença no dia a dia de quem usa o mapa — desde ciclistas procurando rotas seguras até equipes de resposta a emergências que dependem de dados atualizados. Cada edição que faço carrega um pouco da minha atenção e do meu cuidado, porque sei que alguém, em algum lugar, vai se beneficiar daquela informação.

Também aprendi que mapear é um exercício de paciência e responsabilidade. Às vezes passo longos minutos analisando uma área para garantir que estou representando o mundo real com precisão. Outras vezes, descubro lugares que nunca visitei, mas que passam a fazer parte da minha rotina de voluntário.

O mais gratificante é perceber que, mesmo sem sair de casa, posso contribuir para que comunidades inteiras tenham acesso a mapas melhores. O OpenStreetMap me mostrou que colaboração aberta é poderosa: cada pessoa adiciona um pequeno pedaço, e juntos construímos algo muito maior.

… See full entry

[Ex-YU] Naški

##Postavimo Banju Luku na (digitalnu) kartu – Pridružite se #FOSMBL

Da li ste se ikada zapitali kako možemo najbolje iskoristiti potencijal našeg regiona? Sve počinje sa podacima. Pod hashtagom #FOSMBL (Friends of OpenStreetMap Banja Luka) želimo da sve izmjene na OpenStreetMap-u u Banjoj Luci i okolini učinimo vidljivijim i lakšim za pronalaženje.

Zašto #FOSMBL? Korištenjem ovog hashtaga u komentarima vaših izmjena (changesets), pomažete u stvaranju lokalne zajednice. To nam omogućava da pratimo napredak i bolje se koordinišemo. Ali cilj je mnogo veći od samog mapiranja:

Turizam: Ažurne karte pomažu turistima da pronađu naše znamenitosti, ugostiteljske objekte i staze.

Ekonomija: Precizni podaci su ključni za logistiku, lokalne biznise i ekonomski razvoj.

Vizija: Vrijeme je da razmislimo o formiranju zvanične OSM grupe za Banju Luku i regiju. Zajedno možemo organizovati “mapatone” i unaprijediti kvalitet podataka na viši nivo.

Hajde da zajedno pokrenemo Banju Luku u digitalnom svijetu!

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[DE] Deutsch

##Banja Luka sichtbarer machen – Ein Aufruf an alle Mapper

Hast du dich jemals gefragt, wie wir das volle Potenzial unserer Region ausschöpfen können? Alles beginnt mit Daten. Unter dem Hashtag #FOSMBL (Friends of OpenStreetMap Banja Luka) wollen wir ab sofort alle Änderungen in OpenStreetMap in und um Banja Luka bündeln.

Warum #FOSMBL? Indem wir diesen Hashtag in unseren Changeset-Kommentaren verwenden, machen wir unsere Arbeit sichtbar. Es hilft uns zu sehen, wer woran arbeitet, und Fortschritte gemeinsam zu feiern. Aber es geht um mehr als nur Linien auf einer Karte:

Tourismus: Aktuelle Karten helfen Gästen, unsere Sehenswürdigkeiten, Cafés und Wanderwege zu finden.

Wirtschaft: Eine präzise Infrastruktur ist die Basis für Logistik und lokale Unternehmen.

… See full entry

Come circoscrivendo l’area interessata, contattare chi ha già effettuato mappature o rilievi? Agosto77

Mir ist aufgefallen, daß die Überwachungskameras, die an jeder U-Bahn-Station im Raum Nürnberg-Fürth hängen, in OSM kaum verzeichnet sind. Ich habe daher angefangen, alle, die mir beim Warten auf die U-Bahn auffallen, einzuzeichnen. Dafür verwende ich Vespucci am Handy mit folgenden Tagsets:

man-made:surveillance
surveillance:public
surveillance-type:camera
surveillance-zone:public_transport_platform
camera-type:#ist entweder fixed oder dome
camera-mount:#ist entweder wall oder ceiling
camera-direction:#oft nur geschätzte Richtwerte
camera-angle:#ich versuche, mit der Android-App Clinometer möglichst akkurate Schätzwerte zum Neigungswinkel zu bekommen, funktioniert bisher erstaunlich gut
height:#nur Schätzungen
level:#selbsterklärend
operator:VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg
operator-type:public
operator-wikidata:Q1557682
ref:#jede gerichtete VAG-Kamera hat an der Seite ein gelbes Schild, auf dem eine alphanumerische Referenznummer aufgedruckt ist, nach dem Schema 'VAG-NR. ###', wobei # jeweils eine Ziffer darstellt.

Die Referenznummern scheinen keinem bestimmten Schema zu folgen, jedenfalls nicht, soweit ich das nachvollziehen kann. Außerdem scheinen die dome-type Kameras kein Schild mit einer Referenznummer zu haben.

Wenn ihr Fragen oder Anregungen zu dem Thema habt, schreibt mir gerne, dann können wir ins Gespräch kommen. Fröhliches Kartographieren mittens_unofficial

Devo mappare una strada privata a uso pubblico vicino al Sentiero della Felce, sotto il Parco di Belmonte…ho visto che alcuni nodi, parti del sentiero sono stati mappati da utenti diversi, ma non questa strada carrabile.. Chiedo aiuto per indicazioni a chiunque voglia contribuire. Agosto77

Quantity vs Quality Assurance

I wanted to know how well I was performing as an armchair mapper, internally I was concerned that I was creating more issues than I was helping so I learned about a website that answers the question “How did I contribute?”.

On my name I looked at the quality assurance section and the quantity of errors was too very high, almost over a 4000 issues ignored. I have attempted to improve the quality of my mapping change sets using Osmose and OSMI.

Osmose

Initially I had 26 level 1(major) issues, 50 level 2(intermediate) issues and 800(minor). I quickly adjusted the level 1 issues and over half of my level 2 issues. I have a single level 1, 19 level 2 and over 700 level 3 issues. Systematically I hope to solve; *amenity=parking issues *building=construction issues *building overlap issues *waterway issues.

OSMI

… See full entry