I am a beginner with this, and I am trying to use OSM as a background layer in QGIS. Thus, I felt I should contribute by adding actual detail, and correcting minor errors.
First I attempted using a GPS and uploading gpx tracks. I then discovered I do not really need the tracks, since there is already a aerial photo / sat background, so I
proceeded using that.
I have spent some time editing, and in the editor I can see my modifications, BUR THEY DONT show up in a plain map, osm displays state as it was before my edits.
So, I enter edit, and voila, the info IS there. How long should it take befor osm actually updates the tiles I have fixed? To me it seems useless to spend time updating
when the info does not get included. I just click the “edit button” so I think I am using ID to edit. Do I have to “publish” my edits somehow?
GPX-tracks:
If you want to upload them, thats still usefull as the background images (Bing sat images in most cases) isnt always correct. It can differ up to several meters or more. So tracks are a good thing. There is a wiki page about uploading them correctly which I am linking to as I never uploaded tracks myself: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Upload_GPS_tracks
map updates:
Depends a bit on the zoom level and on where/when you look at the map. Normally, your updates show up on the map after a few minutes. Lately, it was a bit longer as we had some style changes which produced a lag in the updates.
If you look at a part of the map, the OSM servers check if there were any updates in the region and if there are, they render the map anew. If that takes to long, you get the old map tiles and the old tiles get rendered once the server has some spare time.
Finally: Yes you are using iD and no you dont have to publish you data. If its saved, then its there.
Happy mapping!
EDIT: One thing I noticed looking at your changesets: It would be nice to include a more meaningful comment than “small changes”. That makes it easier for people to later come and see why you did what you did.
Thanks, so my edits WILL probably show up in time. I am pretty sure I could see my edits a few days ago, but today the map had reverted to
the situation before. And, once I enter edit, and zoom in, I can see my edits, but trying to refresh the map outside edit does not display my changes.
I read the section about rendering, and thought once the changes have been rendered they will stay, unless someone deleted or marked my edits as
“wrong” or something.
Ah well, I will try som emore, and also make better comments, the lack of detail because I want to save often, not to lose my changes if something hickups.
Saving often is a good practice And if you see your previous changes in the editor next time you open it in the same area, then everything is fine. The rendering process is something working in parallel with some internal delays. Also the delay is not the same for all zoom levels and the delays and zoom levels are changing, depending on the developers and resources availability (sometimes, the refresh is triggered manually). Just be carefull about your browser which is also maintaining a local cache of images. You can force to reload the web page (shift click on reload icon on firefox)
On openstreetmap.org click on the layers-icon on the right side of the map. Select map data (last one on the bottom of the list). Wait if OSM currently displays a large area with many ways and nodes. If it won’t show up now than it’s not in the database.
An expert from DWG showed me a trick: get the address of the tile where you expect a change (right mouse click → copy image address). Open new browser tab, copy address and add /status as last part of the address.
Gives you the last modified date of that tile. If it’s before your change, it has not been rendered yet, so you wait.
And if you see your previous changes in the editor next time you open it in the same area, then everything is fine. The rendering process is something working in parallel with some internal delays. Also the delay is not the same for all zoom levels and the delays and zoom levels are changing, depending on the developers and resources availability (sometimes, the refresh is triggered manually). Just be carefull about your browser which is also maintaining a local cache of images. You can force to reload the web page (shift click on reload icon on firefox)