[OSM-talk] MAPS.ME edits - partly sub-standard

Martin Koppenhoefer dieterdreist at gmail.com
Fri Jun 17 15:52:46 UTC 2016


Apparently Maps.me, the most popular open map app for mobile, has gained
some editing functions recently. While this is great news (millions of new
mappers), it also bears some potential for trouble, as these new mappers
often don't seem to be familiar with OSM tagging.

In the past weeks there have been several complaints on the Italian mailing
list (leading to reverts), and I am sure, elsewhere you will find similar
issues.

One example:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/40094970

The mapper added chinese names right into the name tag, but as this is a
place in Italy, these should rather be in Italian.

Also the changeset comment seems to be autogenerated, what is not the worst
of all possibilities, but it also isn't the best (there's no gain in
information as to WHY an edit was performed, it contains only information
WHAT was done, something you already see by looking at the changeset
itself).

See also here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Good_changeset_comments

As it happens, I'm a maps.me user as well and have had a look at the new
function. Maybe I haven't found it, but there are only very few
informations (tags) from OSM on the actual objects (naturally, because they
have to save on precious device space), and the level of zoom is limited
(e.g. I couldn't zoom in to see all housenumbers, some of them have been
omitted and this will inevitably lead to lots of newly created duplicates).

>From my point of view, even as an experienced OSM mapper, it is currently
almost impossible to make meaningful edits (in well mapped areas) with this
app, because of the missing data.

Cheers,
Martin
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