
StreetComplete asks questions, with answers used to improve OpenStreetMap data - Vinnl
https://github.com/westnordost/StreetComplete
======
rathel
For anybody who uses StreetComplete - whenever you select "Can't answer" to a
quest, an OSM Note [1] (ie. error report) is made. Please consider attaching a
photo whenever you can so other OSM mappers can resolve the issue without the
need to verify the place in-person themselves.

Another thing that's super cool is that StreetComplete allows you to answer
other OSM Notes (made also or rather mostly outside of StreetComplete) with
photos. There are many countries with a deluge of unsolved Notes [2] and a
photographic proof allows people to resolve them remotely. Just remember to
turn on displaying all notes, not only questions, in the app settings.

[1]
[https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes)

[2] (takes long to load) [http://resultmaps.neis-one.org/osm-
notes](http://resultmaps.neis-one.org/osm-notes)

~~~
Sir_Substance
I don't really understand the note resolution process, I feel like
streetcomplete could do more to improve this but I don't know what, because I
only see it from the streetcomplete side of things.

It's pretty common for me to see a note from someone that's like a year old
saying "this business isn't here any more". Indeed, it is not. I mean, I could
add a picture (didn't realise that feature existed), but how would that help?
It's a picture of a thing that's not there. Why not take the notes word for it
when it was first posted a year ago?

If this is some multi-verification thing, there must be a better way to
present that?

~~~
rathel
> It's pretty common for me to see a note from someone that's like a year old
> saying "this business isn't here any more". Indeed, it is not. I mean, I
> could add a picture (didn't realise that feature existed), but how would
> that help? It's a picture of a thing that's not there. Why not take the
> notes word for it when it was first posted a year ago?

"This place has gone or never existed" is a note from MAPS.ME generated by
clicking such button in that app. But people sometimes missclick it. Or use it
wrongly e.g. place exists but has slightly inaccurate position or name. Or use
it on POIs they added themselves as a mistake (MAPS.ME allows adding/editing
POI, but not deleting them)

If you solved as many notes as I did you would understand ;) I think that
photographing something that's not there is still a valid thing. I try never
to trust notes blindly, and when possible corroborate it with outside sources
(no copying of Google Maps allowed, though).

> If this is some multi-verification thing, there must be a better way to
> present that?

Notes, their usage, and resolving are pretty free-form.

~~~
cookiecaper
> _If you solved as many notes as I did you would understand ;) I think that
> photographing something that 's not there is still a valid thing. I try
> never to trust notes blindly, and when possible corroborate it with outside
> sources (no copying of Google Maps allowed, though)._

I think this can get tricky. I've worked in several office suites where having
a business listed on the directory at the entrance was an additional fee that
many tenants opted not to pay (not just struggling startups; I've known this
category to include large publicly-traded companies who'd existed for
decades). Someone could see that a listed business is not on the directory,
mark "no longer exists", even posting "photographic proof" of a directory
without the business's name -- and they could still be wrong.

The only way to know for sure would be to a) verify the landlord's records; or
b) regularly knock and confirm that employees of said company are routinely
occupying the space.

~~~
rathel
OSM is a map first, not a business directory - although these do overlap.
Admittedly, businesses without a marked presence are not de facto priority (as
in: no explicit rule, but they don't get mapped first). Shops, restaurants and
so on that are open to the public are more so.

Ultimately in a cooperative project like OSM you have to be able to somehow
verify others' work - that's why there's "on the ground rule".
[https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Verifiability](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Verifiability)

That said it's only a guideline, which is deviated from in some cases (like
administrative boundaries). I guess some other proof could pass, if it was
plausible enough.

------
cookiecaper
Really think this is a cool idea and have had it installed on my phone for
more than a year, but somehow, I never really feel the compulsion to do
anything more than open it up and think about how cool it is. Maybe would be
nice to present a list of nearby simple quests to get new users started? A
little intro/tutorial sequence may help bridge the gap and suck people in.

~~~
frobozz
Depending on where you are, the available things to do can be limited and
uninspiring.

I have been using it for a while, and I have filled out useful things like bus
stop shelter and seating, road surfaces, opening hours on shops etc.

Near me right now, I have a few house numbers (adjacent to known house
numbers), one probably unnamed pedestrian passage to name, and loads of
default speed limits.

~~~
catalogia
I like to think every last bit of that sort of information could at least
improve the quality of GPS navigation apps using OSM data. I use OSMAnd for
navigation and w.r.t. map completeness it's _pretty good_ but not _great._ I
think much of what's lacking is the finer details, thigs like many houses not
being numbered.

I've seen a lot of quests on StreetComplete that seemed a lot less relevant,
like the number of stories a house has, or the style of roofs. I guess that's
useful for 3d maps, but personally I don't see much value in that relative to
mapping addresses and street rules.

~~~
frobozz
It definitely can.

I'm just saying that as a newcomer, being able to fill out things with obvious
personal usefulness like "does this bus stop have a shelter and seating" is
really cool and engaging. As is having a diverse range of things to fill out.

When your area is already pretty thoroughly covered, it's not as fun to say
"this stretch of road has the same speed limit as every other stretch of road
nearby". However, once you are an engaged user, doing a few of those things
every so often is fine.

What I was trying to say in my original comment was "if you can't find
anything interesting to do in it try somewhere else (when you can)"

------
flipbrad
I use this quite a lot - even my kids like taking part, on walks around the
neighbourhood. Unfortunately, the app has an outdated basemap. During the
lockdown I've used other apps and the in-browser editor to trace new outlines
of buildings in my relatives' neighbourhoods, thinking that this would then
show up in StreetComplete, giving my relatives a nice activity for future
walks (adding addresses, roof shapes and street details for the new buildings
I'd drawn). However, the app rarely updates the basemap - so the new buildings
still haven't shown up. Worse still, the app pretends they're there, floating
ghostly address, roof shape etc questions over a seemingly blank background -
but a but too densely for people to reliably know what building they'd be
tagging. This is a little irritating/demotivating. It's an acknowledged issue
on their GitHub - the problem is lack of resources to compile and serve the
basemap. If anyone is sitting on idle server capacity and connectivity... Do
volunteer!

------
MatekCopatek
The positive attitude towards this project is a great reminder of what the
internet could look like (and often DID look like) without the extreme
commercial exploitation and the consequential cynical and cautious user
attitude.

When Google Maps bothers me with inane questions about my village pub, I'm
annoyed, I won't be their unpaid data entry worker. But I'm more than happy to
do it for everyone on the internet, I'll even install an app, voluntarily!

Last time I got this feeling was when I first joined what.cd. I'll never
forget that "Whoaaaa, so this is what an internet music service could be like
if there was no profit involved"

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krick
It might be a nice alternative to a Pokemon Go, but just as a case in point to
all those who claim that "OSM is data, not an application" (so, last that I
checked, pretty much everyone in the OSM community): I would really feel the
pressure to use StreetComplete a lot, if there was a way for me to _actually
use_ OSM in the daily life. The best in-browser app that I know is osm.org,
and the best Android app is OsmAnd (which is quite a bit better than osm.org,
by the way): and you need to be extremely pro-FOSS (as opposed to pro-
usability) to abandon much hated GoogleMaps in favor of them.

~~~
globular-toast
I mean, I am "pro-FOSS", but I use OSM when walking and cycling because it's
simply the best data source out there. I've used it all over the world from
the Peak District, to European cities, to remotest South Africa.

Osmand is great but maybe you should consider that there is no one app to
solve all of your problems, especially given that you've already accepted that
OSM is data, not an app. There's Osmand for outdoors kind of stuff, maps.me
for a simpler, slicker Google maps like experience, Graph Hopper for advanced
routing and planning, cycle.travel and others for cycling, hike maps,
transport maps, the list goes on.

------
aaronax
Looks like a really slick app, can't wait to walk around and use it.

It is a little funny to see that some of the quests are on map features that I
have recently added. I suppose I will both fix those things and learn what I
can do better when I am mapping in the future.

------
rkagerer
Gamify it like Pokémon Go and you've really got something here!

(like a way to fund your game through a byproduct generated by your users
instead of annoying advertising)

~~~
Krasnol
The OSM community is still fixing damage caused by the Pokemon community so
I'd be careful with that comparison ;)

~~~
dastx
What damage?

~~~
blackboxlogic
The game spawned creatures anywhere there were parks or water features.
Players figured this out and suddenly parks appear _everywhere_. Parks coming
out our ears.

------
dang
Related from 2017:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14290096](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14290096)

------
kndjckt
Looks great! Is there an iOS version?

~~~
Ordoviz
There is a clone in development: [https://github.com/wtimme/OSM-
Completionist](https://github.com/wtimme/OSM-Completionist)

~~~
eitland
It is available via test flight and already looks really nice.

One nicely done detail is how the road names stay in place as you move the
map. At least I really liked it.

------
batter
App requires authentication

~~~
Spone
Of course because you need to be authenticated to contribute to OSM...

