Open Source @lemmy.ml 101 @feddit.org 2mo ago

Project for people leaving Google Maps.

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the biggest problem I have with switching is that Google Maps is a business directory. open street maps is empty where i live. it works okay for navigation, but not so much for finding a coffee.
- Be the change your want to see in the world https://droidify.eu.org/app/?id=de.westnordost.streetcomplete&repo_address=https://f-droid.org/archive
  
  It says “page not found”, maybe because I'm not in EU.
  
  I'm in the US, also says page not found for me.
  
  Yea looks like they were linking to this: Street Complete
  
  Very strange. It doesn't work. I shared directly from the f-droid client droid-ify
  
  https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.westnordost.streetcomplete/index.html
  
  Same in EU
  
  Link to fdroid next time
  
  Oh weird. That's shared from droid-ify which is an f-droid client.
  
  Here's the proper link https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.westnordost.streetcomplete/index.html
- there are ways to make it easier; it's been gamified:
  
  https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete
  
  Available on FDROID.
  
  When my partner stops to play pokemon go, I complete some Open Street Map info quests...
  
  Street Complete is a great app for quests regarding existing features, but also consider the feature might not exist at all yet in OSM.
  
  Map Complete is great for adding new features. It also asks a bunch of optional simple questions about the feature which gets converted into the relevant OSM tags. It's browser based but you can just add a shortcut to your home screen to have it quickly accessible.
  
  @controlphreak @snrkl
  Now that StreetComplete has overlay layers for places and things you can add most of the thing you'd want to add in person.
  
  I didn't know about map complete, thanks!
  
  I've just installed this now, thanks for the tip!
  
  So many quests right on my street!
- You can contribute them!
  
  There's a pretty barebones editor in Organic Maps, but you can also check out Street Complete and Every door (more advanced and less user friendly, though insanely efficient)
  
  I use Vespucci, it's advanced but still pretty easy if you just want to do basic editing. https://vespucci.io/
  
  P.s. how do you link to an app on fdroid?
  
  https://f-droid.org/packages/de.blau.android/
  
  Thanks. I wish the link could be created from the f-droid automatically. I'm too lazy to try to paste the parts together
- Same issue here. I really like their maps in general, but my local area in OSM is about a decade out of date
  
  Yeah, it's interesting to look through the edit history over the years. With StreetComplete I recently fixed ~8 stores that were many years out of date, during an hour walk.
  
  It's fun to find a real hole-in-the-wall that even google maps doesn't have.
- I keep businesses in my area up-to-date, doesn't take much time at all.
- I felt the same however Organic Maps did have many businesses. And with Street Complete I can correct any errors when I visit.
  
  It may simply be my area, but I so recommend organic maps over Osmand for business and POI lookups
- That kind of contribution seems like a lower level of effort than making changes to source code.
  
  And there are apps that make it very very easy and fun. Check out street complete.
- i think openstreetmaps only works in big countries honestly
  
  What does the size of the country have to do with it? Which good big and bad small countries are you talking about?
  
  Most people don't use openstreetmaps on these small countries like with low/medium population it feels like apple maps on there
  
  Can you give an example? Because I've just looked at Luxembourg, Nepal, and Aruba, and they're all littered with named buildings and landmarks. Pyongyang even has a fair bit filled in.
  
  didnt rlly try it but might try tbh but idk since i see people here where i live use google maps
  
  edit: tried it and it really is quite outdated my house does not show up and idk if waze is even privacy respecting
  
  All it takes is you to fix this. Its even easier in a small country
  
  oh okay
  
  @Mwa @joostjakob
  
  Apple Maps uses OpenStreetMap data on n some countries.
  
  ohh makes sense
- Yeah trying to find anything on any of the competing apps is basically impossible. I mean ffs OSMand literally couldn't do address lookup!
  
  I just recently learned this.
  
  For OsmAnd, go to search, then the categories tab, and then hit "Online Search".
  
  Voila, address lookup.
  
  I have found Organic Map's search to be far better than OSMand. OSMand has far more features though.
  
  You'll need to first download the relevant section of the map downloaded to be able to search it, though.
- You can add the POIs and fill the gaps!
  
  And then in the web app, you need to do this complicated hold-LMB-then-select-from-list to select something, making just browsing really difficult.
  
  Or is there a better way of doing that? I lack a good way to just browse Openstreetmap.
  
  openstreetmap.org is a mappers website, not a map users website. It works great for mappers, but is horrible for people who want to use the map to find their way around.
  
  I think the openstreetmap ecosystem really needs a better website for map users.

209 comments