In my local area the businesses and buildings are significantly incorrect over a several-blocks sized area. How do I attempt to help fix this?
Edit it to fix problems?
Hard to say without knowing more about what errors and location.
As in the businesses are out-of-date (wrong information, names, etc.), or that the buildings/roads are in the wrong place?
Also, what sort of mapping do you want to do? On the street with an app, or at home on the computer?
In your position, I would walk (or cycle/ be pushed around etc, as appropriate) the area with a camera/ my mobile 'phone, and take pictures of the businesses and buildings, including the road junctions, so that I have the context of what is where. Then I would transfer the images to my computer and update the map accordingly, marking the changes as a survey when I upload the work.
If there are a lot of blocks, or if they are large, I might do the job in several stages.
Do remember to ensure you adjust the Imagery Offset (in Background Settings if you use the iD Editor) before you start to place the buildings on the map!
Good luck!
Sorry folks, should have been more explicit: buildings are seriously incorrect, addresses are wrong, business names placed wrong buildings, etc. I can attach a Google Maps screenshot if that’s allowed, otherwise simply compare Google’s (which is entirely accurate) to OSM’s for location:
36.9793 = 36 58 17.69N
-121.966450 = -121 57 08.87W
Looking with Esri World Imagery (Clarity) Beta I see a building correctly placed, with 2045 as housenumber in OSM.
Looking at Google Maps (not usable as source) I see a building with 2045 as housenumber.
Some businesses are missing, if you know them by survey for instance what and where, feel free to add them.
note that for mapping Google Maps / Google Street View / their imagery must not be used