[OSM-talk] A message to our friends at HOT, Peace Corps etc. about Changeset Comments

[Tom Taylor]

On 19/11/2015 5:31 AM, Andy Townsend wrote:
> On 19/11/2015 10:16, Ben Abelshausen wrote:
>>
>> You can go the tasking manager and see exactly what the goal of the
>> mapping activity was, who is the admin that created the task and who
>> validates, what mappers contributed and so on.
>
> Can you please explain where any of that is documented within
> OpenStreetMap?  As an example, I recently came across this:
>
> https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/381043577
>
> It's a building that is a closed way, but only just.  How can I offer to
> help that mapper do what they are trying to do better?  All the
> changeset comment says is "#MissingMaps #hotosm-project-1254 Lubumbashi,
> Congo (DRC) #100mapathons #OSMGeoWeek " - to me the only useful
> information in there is "Lubumbashi, Congo (DRC)", which I already know
> since that is exactly where this edit is.
>
> More importantly, how do I contact the person who told this new mapper
> that "#MissingMaps #hotosm-project-1254 Lubumbashi, Congo (DRC)
> #100mapathons #OSMGeoWeek" was a suitable changeset comment, to explain
> to them what we use changeset comments for and what makes a good one? If
> I can talk to them, I can probably help them help other new users too,
> and not just with stuff about changeset comments - as an OSM mapper
> think of all the "how to interpret imagery" latent knowledge that you
> have simply by being able to compare a place you visited with the
> imagery of that place.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andy
>
...
Blake Girardot has written a template for HOT coordinators to use when 
putting together the instructions for their project. Anyhing this 
community agrees on regarding changeset comments should go into that 
template document. I will note the issue at next Monday's HOT Training 
Working Group meeting.

BTW the HOT Training WGF has been tasked with updating LerarnOSM, for 
the general OSM community as well as HOT. The work is going a bit slowly 
-- a matter of personal circumstances of the people involved, but it is 
proceeding.

Tom Taylor
Chair, HOT Training WG