Edits based on map feedback

General talk Tagging general discussion
1

Hello OSM community,

I wanted to inform that TomTom has plans to conduct edits based on user input as this activity is the result of checking if feedback received for the TomTom map is also valid for OSM, particularly in North Macedonia and Montenegro. I placed this message here as I have noticed that there is currently no active communities in these 2 countries.

I would like to emphasise that we will approach these edits with respect for the existing OSM community policies and guidelines. Starting with a small number of edits, we will only proceed if they bring value to the OSM map, do not conflict with recent community edits, and are supported by reliable local sources. In cases where credible source material is unavailable, we will seek guidance from the local and/or regional community.

Initially, our focus will be on editing points of interest (POIs), land use, addresses, and highways. As we gather more feedback and evaluate its impact, we will gradually expand to other features. For more detailed information about the planned edits, please refer to the GitHub North Macedonia and Montenegro issues linked in the post.

I would like to mention that the MapRoulette challenge used for these edits will be accessible exclusively to our editing team due to potential confidential information it may contain. As with all TomTom edits in OSM, we will include the #tomtom hashtag in the changeset comments. Additionally, for incidental edits resulting from user feedback, we will include the #tt_mapfeedback hashtag.

We intend to commence editing in both countries in approximately two weeks, starting with those countries for which we have received user input.

Our goal is to gradually expand to other countries as we move forward. If you have any thoughts or questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Best regards,
Salim, TomTom

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Can you explain more about this “Map Feedback”? I have read the term in
many TomTom announcements, but who gives this feedback, on what channel,
and to whom?

Is this human users of commercial TomTom products sending emails to you
where they point out problems? Or is there some sort of button on
devices that you build that says “report error” and then there’s a
guided feedback process? Or is the “feedback” maybe not even given by a
human but by some algorithm that notices the user travelling down a path
that the map says is impssible…?

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3

Hello @woodpeck ,

I appreciate your understanding during my absence of a few weeks, which prevented me from responding promptly. In essence, we have collaborated with the team to ensure comprehensive transparency of all pertinent details on our wiki, accessible through this link: Organised Editing/Activities/TomTom Map Feedback - OpenStreetMap Wiki. The team has included the reasoning behind our actions, projected timelines, utilized tools, and a note about community consultation.

However, if you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out and connect with us once more.

Regards,
Salim, TomTom

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Is that you, Sir Humphrey? :slight_smile:

The relevant bit seems to be “When we say map feedback we mean incidental reports of map errors submitted by a person. It originates as direct reports from users via a variety of apps, APIs, or tools”, so yes - random person on the internet says something is wrong; about as verifiable as an anonymous OSM note. There may be something that needs investigating, but it certainly doesn’t justify a map edit with no other information.

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