Digital platforms increasingly combine maps, data, and responsive web interfaces to help people access information from different devices.
OpenStreetMap is an interesting example of how an open mapping community can collaboratively create and maintain geographic data. Users can contribute mapping information, discuss changes, and document their mapping activities through user diaries.
From a web-development perspective, mapping platforms demonstrate the importance of responsive interfaces, clear navigation, structured information, and community participation.
My interest in this area is focused on understanding how modern web technologies can present large amounts of information in a simple and accessible way.
Community-driven projects also show how technology can bring contributors together to improve publicly available information.
OpenStreetMap is an interesting example of how an open mapping community can collaboratively create and maintain geographic data. Users can contribute mapping information, discuss changes, and document their mapping activities through user diaries.
From a web-development perspective, mapping platforms demonstrate the importance of responsive interfaces, clear navigation, structured information, and community participation.
My interest in this area is focused on understanding how modern web technologies can present large amounts of information in a simple and accessible way.
Community-driven projects also show how technology can bring contributors together to improve publicly available information.
On August 12th, 2025, I made my first edit to OpenStreetMap. It has now been exactly one year since I began editing. Here are some of the coolest things I’ve done in my relatively small amount of time spent on this hobby:
I hope to be an active contributor for years to come and meet tons of mappy people like me!
3,095 changesets
226486 contributions
Added a “surface=” tag to every primary road, trunk road, and motorway in Virginia
Made changes in 64 countries
Procrastinated mountains of homework
I hope to be an active contributor for years to come and meet tons of mappy people like me!
It's Been 1 Year...
On August 12th, 2025, I made my first edit to OpenStreetMap. It has now been exactly one year since I began editing. Here are some of the coolest things Ive done in my relatively small amount of time spent on this hobby:OpenStreetMap
Ive now uploaded to the Internet a little web-based program called GPX Reference Point Generator (GPXRPG).
For tomorrow’s eclipse I built a small free tool that reconstructs the ground-level view anywhere in the visibility zone, with buildings and forests from OSM extruded over real terrain, and the eclipse computed minute by minute. I posted the technical details on the community forum this week. The tool is at 2026eclipse.eu. Feedback on how your area renders is very welcome, especially where height tagging is sparse.
A solar eclipse simulator built on OSM data
For tomorrows eclipse I built a small free tool that reconstructs the ground-level view anywhere in the visibility zone, with buildings and forests from OSM extruded over real terrain, and the eclipse computed minute by minute.OpenStreetMap
Imagine opening a map and finding almost everything you need for climbing in one place: areas, crags and routes, grades in your preferred system, topo photos, rock type, sun and shade – together with your own ascents and projects.
Hello guys, It’s me, plato59 and I realized that I am 76th place in Edits of the Philippines for August 10, 2026 according to OSMstats
I went to miles farm today. 8/10/2026
No new street developments. Mostly just new houses
No new street developments. Mostly just new houses
A while back a message popped up in my inbox inviting me to compete for a GoPro Max2 360-degree sport camera, courtesy of Meta, which of course now owns Mapillary and thus has a vested interest in supporting crowdsourced collection of street-level im…
I build bike + train loops in France by crossing OpenStreetMap with the official cycling-route reference (ONV / Réseau vélo et marche).
Today I finished mapping all the homes in the Stonebrae Country Club, a gated community surrounding a golf course at the top of the loop where Fairview Avenue becomes Hayward Avenue. In 2010 I worked as a NARFU Census taker and had to note down which addresses were inhabitable because they hadn’t been built yet. Now all that land with just paved streets are homes. Many of my children’s friends live there as they attended the elementary school across the street from the outer bounds of the neighborhood.
Next step is to start my way down Hayward Avenue and eventually into the heart of the city.
Next step is to start my way down Hayward Avenue and eventually into the heart of the city.
A car dealer of used and new cars , Held car mela in every sunday “Madni Car Mela Pattoki” at Madni Motors Pattoki
I have already forgotten how I first came across StreetComplete, but what I do remember is that I immediately fell in love with the concept of the app.
I like wandering around and exploring. When travelling, the things that attract me the most are actually very “normal”. Maybe there is a neighbourhood, maybe a lovely park, maybe a path along the river… I just follow the direction of the road and take a turn at a junction if I feel like it.
I don’t know. I just really don’t like those crowded and buzzing tourist attractions. On the contrary, it is in the nooks and crannies of everyday life that I can feel the vibe of a neighbourhood, a town, or a city.
This convenience store has some good samosas. This small community park offers the best shade during the scorching summer. This path along the canal has ducks and geese to guide your walk…
From these small and seemingly negligible things, I feel a city comes alive.
And that’s why StreetComplete is my best travel companion. It pulls up a bunch of quests for me to explore. The surface of the pavement, the sound signal at a crossing, the bin at a bus stop, the name of a store… It simply guides me to dive deeper into an area, and I can explore while completing the quests along the way.
Gamification is a good way to encourage contributions to OSM, but for me, StreetComplete is far more than just a game. It lets me immerse myself into a city and teaches me how to look at it from a new perspective.
I like wandering around and exploring. When travelling, the things that attract me the most are actually very “normal”. Maybe there is a neighbourhood, maybe a lovely park, maybe a path along the river… I just follow the direction of the road and take a turn at a junction if I feel like it.
I don’t know. I just really don’t like those crowded and buzzing tourist attractions. On the contrary, it is in the nooks and crannies of everyday life that I can feel the vibe of a neighbourhood, a town, or a city.
This convenience store has some good samosas. This small community park offers the best shade during the scorching summer. This path along the canal has ducks and geese to guide your walk…
From these small and seemingly negligible things, I feel a city comes alive.
And that’s why StreetComplete is my best travel companion. It pulls up a bunch of quests for me to explore. The surface of the pavement, the sound signal at a crossing, the bin at a bus stop, the name of a store… It simply guides me to dive deeper into an area, and I can explore while completing the quests along the way.
Gamification is a good way to encourage contributions to OSM, but for me, StreetComplete is far more than just a game. It lets me immerse myself into a city and teaches me how to look at it from a new perspective.
Is You Now We Started Adding A Lot Of New Stuff And Changes To R 8 Side And R 16 Side. R 8 Side Will Be Done At Aug 29th And R 16 Side Will Be Done On Last Day Of Sep.
··· I didn’t start contributing to OSM because of any grand philosophy or ideology. I simply began editing because I needed to.
Over the past year, our OpenStreetMap Pakistan community has been actively working to map high-risk flood zones across the country—both areas historically affected by extreme flooding and regions facing critical vulnerability during upcoming monsoon …
This afternoon, I noticed that several of my colleagues were visiting a recently opened school in the far south.
I’m on my mobile phone, and l find it the most useful tool. If l must work on OSM from the laptop, l’d have to do it offline. For that, l’d have to download the josm offline map, after locating the coordinates.
05/08/’26 01:18
05/08/’26 01:18
First Time on OSM Database
Im on my mobile phone, and l find it the most useful tool. If l must work on OSM from the laptop, ld have to do it offline. For that, ld have to download the josm offline map, after locating the coordinates.OpenStreetMap
Life in a multi-million population City can be tough on Introverted minds. For me, mapping in OpenStreetMap is first and foremost an activity to improve publicly accessible geodata around my local and known places, though it has also recently become …
Life in a multi-million population City can be tough on Introverted minds. For me, mapping in OpenStreetMap is first and foremost an activity to improve publicly accessible geodata around my local and known places, though it has also recently become …
August 2–8
August 2
- Fixed Reynoldsburg borders; borders now up-to-date as of most recent annexation on May 24, 2026.
- Updated Reynoldsburg population; increased to 43,350 according to U.S. Census Bureau.
- Added intermittent stream called Little Jordan Run.
- Modified Jackson Avenue; changed “one way” value to “no” and added note that signage by the Street Department is incorrect. Correct name is Jackson Avenue not Jackson Street.
- Modifed Burkey Avenue; changed “one way” value to “no” and added note that signage by the Street Department is incorrect. Correct name is Burkey Avenue, not Burkey Drive.
- Modified Burkey Court; switches from Burkey Avenue to Burkey Court at the intersection with Southwood Avenue, not in the middle of the road.
- Fixed name of Taylor Park Drive (originally shown as just “Taylor Park”).
- Fixed differentiation between Taylor Road and Taylor Road Southwest.
- Added info to Raider Stadium (Reynoldsburg High School football stadium).
- Removed Smokey Bones brand from building at 2200 Baltimore-Reynoldsburg Road (closed permanently after bankruptcy).
- Added info to Reynoldsburg High School’s Livingston Campus.
To-do: Add bus route 42 stops through Highton and Belmont. Will be referring to McHarry’s route map and ensuring match with Transport Victoria resources.
Bus Route 42, Geelong Station to Deakin University via South Valley Rd.
To-do: Add bus route 42 stops through Highton and Belmont. Will be referring to McHarrys route map and ensuring match with Transport Victoria resources.OpenStreetMap
I am currently focusing my mapping work on the Taiping Heritage Zone. Most of the shoplot footprints and major buildings have been completed, and I am now working on detailed micromapping for schools, museums, and government buildings.
Please feel free to contribute by adding any missing information, such as shop or stall names, building levels, address numbers, or other relevant details that I may have missed.
Let’s work together to make Taiping one of the most complete and detailed small-town maps in Malaysia on OpenStreetMap.
Please feel free to contribute by adding any missing information, such as shop or stall names, building levels, address numbers, or other relevant details that I may have missed.
Let’s work together to make Taiping one of the most complete and detailed small-town maps in Malaysia on OpenStreetMap.
As explained in this french diary entry I left a bunch of notes, took a bunch of traces while visiting Mongolia in July.
Upgraded from the Max to the Max2. Going to publish my settings here so it’s easier for me to find.
Still need to test and figure out the settings. I currently use a dash cam for a car and I don’t have an exterior mount for my GoPro. Dash cam I use is an AZDOME GS63H. Very simple to use and great quality images. And one of the few dash cams that work with Mapillary for less than $100. I got mine on Ebay for about $50.
Walking
- Same settings as Bicycle Settings below, except set the Interval to 1 or 2 seconds depending on walking speed. 2 if casually walking, 1 if brisk.
- Very important: Use a selfie stick and hold camera at least 6 inches above head to capture better images. The higher the better.
Bicycle, My main method of capturing imagery. Most tested.
- Time Lapse 360 Video
- Resolution 8K
- Interval 0.5 Seconds
- Bit Depth 10-Bit
- EV Comp 0
- ISO Min 100
- ISO Max 800
- Color Natural
- Sharpness Low
- Denoise Low
- Bit Rate Max
Car
Still need to test and figure out the settings. I currently use a dash cam for a car and I don’t have an exterior mount for my GoPro. Dash cam I use is an AZDOME GS63H. Very simple to use and great quality images. And one of the few dash cams that work with Mapillary for less than $100. I got mine on Ebay for about $50.
GoPro Max2 Settings
Upgraded from the Max to the Max2. Going to publish my settings here so its easier for me to find.OpenStreetMap
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, there are over three million lakes in Alaska with a surface area larger than five acres!
One day, in a certain neighborhood, there was a heated discussion about naming an unnamed road.
If youre new to OpenStreetMap (OSM), writing Overpass queries from scratch can seem intimidating. Fortunately, Overpass Turbo provides a built-in Wizard that generates queries automatically based on simple search phrases.
Pola Keyword SEO Spam Judi Online di Indonesia
Hasil pengamatan menunjukkan bahwa changeset SEO spam judi online di OpenStreetMap memiliki pola yang relatif konsisten. Brand umumnya menggunakan akhiran “88”, sedangkan komentar changeset berisi kumpulan kata kunci promosi yang diulang untuk kepentingan optimasi mesin pencari (SEO), bukan untuk mendeskripsikan perubahan data OpenStreetMap.
Observations indicate that SEO spam changesets related to online gambling in OpenStreetMap follow a relatively consistent pattern. Brand names commonly use the “88” suffix, while changeset comments consist of collections of promotional keywords repeated for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes rather than describing the actual OpenStreetMap data edits.
Keywords are ordered by descending frequency
Very High / Dominant Frequency
–88 (brand suffix)
slot
gacor
judi
casino
terpercaya
terbaik
High Frequency
login
daftar
link alternatif
RTP
maxwin
jackpot
bonus
deposit
withdraw
mahjong
zeus
Pragmatic Play
PG Soft
togel
toto
–77 (suffix)
–99 (suffix)
–138 (suffix)
–168 (suffix)
–188 (suffix)
–303 (suffix)
–777 (suffix)
Moderate Frequency
pola
cashback
free spin
scatter
wild
multiplier
cuan
menang
sabung ayam
SV388
poker
domino
Habanero
Joker
Spadegaming
Microgaming
Playtech
Unique Study: Trojan Horse Spam
Pada teknik ini, komentar changeset tampak sepenuhnya normal dan tidak mengandung kata kunci yang berkaitan dengan perjudian. Sebaliknya, konten spam disembunyikan di dalam tag objek OSM, sehingga deteksi yang hanya mengandalkan kata kunci pada komentar changeset menjadi kurang efektif.
In this technique, the changeset comment appears completely legitimate and contains no gambling-related keywords. Instead, the spam is concealed within the OSM object’s tags, making keyword-based changeset detection less effective.
Contoh / Example:
| Changeset Comment | Created a restaurant |
| Tags | addr:city=Medan, addr:housename=TOKO CUAN****88, addr:housenumber=28, addr:postcode=20112, addr:province=Sumatera Utara, addr:street=Jalan Candi Borobudur, amenity=restaurant, building=yes, contact:instagram=https://heylink.me/cuan****88top/, cuisine=coffee_shop, diet:halal=yes, name=TOKO CUAN****88, opening_hours=sunrise-sunset, website=https://cuan****88.top |
Modus Operandi Analysis
Komentar Changeset Bersifat Umum: Komentar changeset menggunakan deskripsi yang sederhana dan umum (misalnya, “Added cafe”), sehingga edit tersebut tampak seperti perubahan rutin tanpa memunculkan indikasi yang berkaitan dengan perjudian.
POI Tampak Sah: Objek OSM diisi dengan tag-tag yang lazim digunakan pada tempat usaha, seperti alamat lengkap,amenity, dan jam operasional, sehingga menyerupai bisnis lokal yang valid.
Brand Disisipkan pada Tag Objek: Alih-alih menempatkan konten promosi pada komentar changeset, pelaku menyisipkan nama brand judi ke dalam tag sepertinamedanaddr:housename, serta menambahkan tautan eksternal melaluiwebsitedancontact:instagram.
Sulit Dideteksi: Karena komentar changeset tidak mengandung kata kunci yang mencurigakan, mekanisme deteksi yang hanya mengandalkan analisis komentar kemungkinan tidak akan menandai edit tersebut. Indikasi spam baru terlihat setelah dilakukan pemeriksaan terhadap tag objek dan tautan eksternal yang terkait dengan POI.
Generic Changeset Comment: The changeset comment uses a simple, ordinary description (e.g., “Added cafe”), making the edit appear routine and avoiding any obvious gambling-related terms.
Legitimate-looking POI: The object is populated with common business tags, including a complete address,amenity, and opening hours, so it blends in with genuine local businesses.
Brand Embedded in Object Tags: Instead of placing promotional content in the changeset comment, the spammer inserts the gambling brand into tags such asnameandaddr:housename, while adding external links throughwebsiteandcontact:instagram.
Difficult to Detect: With no suspicious keywords in the changeset comment, comment-based filters are unlikely to flag the edit. The spam only becomes apparent after examining the object tags and the external links associated with the POI.
I’ve been mapping out every building I can that is visible from satellite imagery and Bing Streetside throughout Mount Pleasant. I’m currently focused on finishing up the neighborhoods and businesses that are on Chuck Dawley and Coleman Blvd, and I have almost finished filling in that large area made up from those major arteries.
I really wish I could use Charleston County’s GIS viewer for addresses and building shapes (especially for newer buildings, since people keep moving here ):< ), but of course the county puts all of their GIS data under copyright. That would be fine, but I tried contacting the GIS office to see if I could get permission to use their data, specifically their address data, but they never even responded. There are a few other ways that I could “request” address data but I don’t know if those requests would even be useful for mapping purposes. Best thing to do is to go to these neighborhoods myself and mark down any addresses that I couldn’t have gathered from Streetside. I’m not sure how I will do that without looking like a creep stopping at people’s houses and marking their address down. Guess I’ll have to grow a pair and do it anyway!
I do wish Bing Streetside had better image quality. The best images are from 8 years ago, and some houses have been demolished and replaced in that time according to Esri imagery (the most up to date imagery here, probably around only a year off). There are some spots with 2020 imagery but it just looks so awful. Even with the higher quality 2014 imagery you can barely make out small details like addresses at all. It really makes you appreciate what Google Street View provides, but we can’t use that at all. No wonder Bing Streetside completely shut down.
I enjoy seeing others update the Charleston area with me. There’s a mapper named “mas” who has been doing really good work with certain areas like I’On and other places scattered around town. I bet they are actually going to these places and writing stuff down as their stuff is more detailed than mine, while I’m merely going off of satellite.
At some point I’ll go out and do some address scavenging myself. Guess I’ll find a place to park and take a nice walk throughout some of these neighborhoods. Wish gas prices weren’t as expensive as they are… If anyone has any tips for doing something like this please let me know!
I really wish I could use Charleston County’s GIS viewer for addresses and building shapes (especially for newer buildings, since people keep moving here ):< ), but of course the county puts all of their GIS data under copyright. That would be fine, but I tried contacting the GIS office to see if I could get permission to use their data, specifically their address data, but they never even responded. There are a few other ways that I could “request” address data but I don’t know if those requests would even be useful for mapping purposes. Best thing to do is to go to these neighborhoods myself and mark down any addresses that I couldn’t have gathered from Streetside. I’m not sure how I will do that without looking like a creep stopping at people’s houses and marking their address down. Guess I’ll have to grow a pair and do it anyway!
I do wish Bing Streetside had better image quality. The best images are from 8 years ago, and some houses have been demolished and replaced in that time according to Esri imagery (the most up to date imagery here, probably around only a year off). There are some spots with 2020 imagery but it just looks so awful. Even with the higher quality 2014 imagery you can barely make out small details like addresses at all. It really makes you appreciate what Google Street View provides, but we can’t use that at all. No wonder Bing Streetside completely shut down.
I enjoy seeing others update the Charleston area with me. There’s a mapper named “mas” who has been doing really good work with certain areas like I’On and other places scattered around town. I bet they are actually going to these places and writing stuff down as their stuff is more detailed than mine, while I’m merely going off of satellite.
At some point I’ll go out and do some address scavenging myself. Guess I’ll find a place to park and take a nice walk throughout some of these neighborhoods. Wish gas prices weren’t as expensive as they are… If anyone has any tips for doing something like this please let me know!
Mapping Mount Pleasant #1
Ive been mapping out every building I can that is visible from satellite imagery and Bing Streetside throughout Mount Pleasant.OpenStreetMap
Note that this is an update of a previous diary entry. This version uses updated Overpass software from a fork.
Hi! For the last few years Ive been building a service that exports OSM data into formats that live outside the GIS world: CorelDRAW (CDR), AutoCAD (DWG/DXF), SVG for illustrators, STL for 3D printing.
Born in Casablanca, Cyril Verdavainne’s early world was defined by color, light, and cultural richness. After studying art history in France, he refined his craft at Parsons in Paris and New York.
His early training at Balmain and Thierry Mugler instilled couture discipline and architectural precision. Fifteen years as right-hand designer to Carmen Marc Valvo shaped his mastery of American eveningwear.
“I design to reveal strength — never to disguise it.”
In 2018, VERDAVAINNE was born — a Manhattan atelier dedicated to custom, handcrafted luxury.
His early training at Balmain and Thierry Mugler instilled couture discipline and architectural precision. Fifteen years as right-hand designer to Carmen Marc Valvo shaped his mastery of American eveningwear.
“I design to reveal strength — never to disguise it.”
In 2018, VERDAVAINNE was born — a Manhattan atelier dedicated to custom, handcrafted luxury.
From Casablanca To Manhattan: The Story Of VERDAVAINNE
Born in Casablanca, Cyril Verdavainne’s early world was defined by color, light, and cultural richness. After studying art history in France, he refined his craft at Parsons in Paris and New York.OpenStreetMap
I have been mapping on OpenStreetMap for a little over 11 months now. However, OpenStreetMap is not where my love for mapping started. 7 months beforehand, I started editing Google Maps. Every time I had a minute of free time, whether at my computer or on my phone while going to school, I would trace roads all around the world. I completely stopped doing anything else for fun other than fixing and creating roads.
However, this craze of mine ended on August 12th, 2025. I found out that more than 50% of my edits were being rejected by Google when I knew that all of them were OBJECTIVELY correct. I decided that I was done with Google Maps, but I needed something new to fill the hole that mapping had in my heart. That’s when I discovered OpenStreetMap 15 minutes later. I knew I had heard that name somewhere, so I decided to check it out.
Before I even completed the tutorial, I was hooked. While before I could only map walking paths, now I could map literally anything I want. Even the concept of mapping buildings was something I had to get adjusted to due to how small the number of things I could map on Google Maps was. I spent the rest of my day figuring out the mapping capabilities of the iD editor. The next day, I spent the entire day mapping and seeing what others had already mapped (spoiler alert: a lot).
My love for mapping on OpenStreetMap has never really ended; If anything, it has grown. I went out of my way to drive from Virginia all the way to Madison, Wisconsin for State of the Map 2026. Now, I have accumulated nearly 3,000 changesets and a little under 200,000 contributions to the map. I have made so many edits in Virginia to the point where I run into features I’ve edited nearly every day. I edit in school, on the car ride to school, while procrastinating homework, while having nothing else to do at home, and everything in between. I’ve recently even seen the iD editor haunt (bless) my dreams. My mind can’t go more than 5 minutes without thinking about mapping.
I’m not writing this to ask for help or anything, I just wanted to share everything on my mind and if at least one person reads this then I’m happy.
However, this craze of mine ended on August 12th, 2025. I found out that more than 50% of my edits were being rejected by Google when I knew that all of them were OBJECTIVELY correct. I decided that I was done with Google Maps, but I needed something new to fill the hole that mapping had in my heart. That’s when I discovered OpenStreetMap 15 minutes later. I knew I had heard that name somewhere, so I decided to check it out.
Before I even completed the tutorial, I was hooked. While before I could only map walking paths, now I could map literally anything I want. Even the concept of mapping buildings was something I had to get adjusted to due to how small the number of things I could map on Google Maps was. I spent the rest of my day figuring out the mapping capabilities of the iD editor. The next day, I spent the entire day mapping and seeing what others had already mapped (spoiler alert: a lot).
My love for mapping on OpenStreetMap has never really ended; If anything, it has grown. I went out of my way to drive from Virginia all the way to Madison, Wisconsin for State of the Map 2026. Now, I have accumulated nearly 3,000 changesets and a little under 200,000 contributions to the map. I have made so many edits in Virginia to the point where I run into features I’ve edited nearly every day. I edit in school, on the car ride to school, while procrastinating homework, while having nothing else to do at home, and everything in between. I’ve recently even seen the iD editor haunt (bless) my dreams. My mind can’t go more than 5 minutes without thinking about mapping.
I’m not writing this to ask for help or anything, I just wanted to share everything on my mind and if at least one person reads this then I’m happy.
In late-2025, we received a grant through NGI0 Commons Fund, a fund established by NLnet with financial support from the European Commissions Next Generation Internet program to integrate vector tiles in uMap.
