I just started to contribute, and had a couple of questions. It is the first time I do it.
When it comes to the type of editing and contributions you do to maps, do you only focus on “public" areas, like for example streets, playgrounds, charging stations, etc, or do you also add stores owned by businesses? (for example, a bike shop or a Restaurant that are not currently mapped).
And from a practicality point of view, do you find more handy to carry your phone around and do it on the spot or do you use your computer in your free time?
Lots of mappers have different interests and contribute differently to the map. This leads to a diverse community and a broad spectrum of things that can be contributed to the map. Feel free to add charging stations, streets, playgrounds, businesses, whatever floats your boat, as long as it has good tagging.
iD editor is very good with tagging, which is why it’s a great place for everyone contributing to start.
Contribute however you see fit or whatever interests you! Let me or anyone know if you ever need help with iD or mapping specifics.
I go for the intersection of what interests me and for what I think will be most useful for people using OSM based maps and navigation. So, yes, I do map “points of interest” (POIs) like bicycle shops and especially restaurants in addition to streets and other public owned infrastructure.
For small changes when I am out and about I use my phone. For anything more detailed than adding a few addresses or POIs I use my laptop. When on my laptop I will often use “notes” I have taken on my phone. In this case “notes” generally meaning GPX tracks and photos.
I map almost exclusively from my phone, mostly with Go Map!! and sometimes with CoMaps for simple edits. My day job has me sitting in front of a computer, so in my free time I’d rather be out & about walking!
Everyone does things differently though, there’s no right answer. So do whatever you enjoy.
I map landuse and naturals (small and large), roads and paths, waterways, waymarked recreational routes and node networks, city areas, nature areas, parks with all components, roundabouts, barriers such as kerbs, walls, fences, hedges, …
Most things I simply cannot do properly on a mobile device. Also, when I am outside, it’s not especially for mapping; I hike, cycle, drive and use transports for other purposes, usually with innocent non-mappers, and I do not want to annoy them by stopping all the time for my mapping quirks.
So I simply take lots of photos, track my movements, and process the lot afterwards with JOSM on my laptop PC with two screens. I have lots of useful open data and imagery layers in JOSM, which gives me a far better accuracy than any GPS on the road.
This is my way of contributing: I (almost) exclusively use the iD editor on my PC. My area of activity is mainly limited to my district boundaries, which allows me to keep track of what I’m doing and quickly spot any mistakes I’ve made in the quality assurance tools. This is also one of the main focuses of my work on this project. In my home region, I try to make all kinds of additions, whether road attributes, house properties or just updating POIs. I start my day with quality assurance at hdyc and OSMOSE – you quickly end up in unfamiliar places in the region and constantly learn new things! (Which is also a topic: you never stop learning in OSM!) The wiki and especially this forum are always helpful.
And btw: It has become a hobby of me and my wife to visit places where questions cannot be answered without having seen them on the ground.
Be careful in your approach, read a lot and, above all, have fun !
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