We’ve given our OpenStreetMap Mapping guides a fresh new look and are launching the updated English and Spanish versions for anyone to use and start contributing to OpenStreetMap. The guides are now reorganized into sections to make it easier to navigate and build your mapping knowledge progressively from scratch.
The redesigned homepage of the OpenStreetMap Mapping guides
We initially created these guides as a training resource for new members of our data team, and they were released in the open to benefit anyone else interested in becoming a power mapper using advanced mapping techniques.
The content has been inspired by other great guides created by the open mapping community - LearnOSM, MapGive, and MissingMaps - which provide a gentle introduction into mapping combined with the core concepts from the comprehensive OpenStreetMap wiki. In doing so, we were able to collect the best mapping practices from the broader OpenStreetMap community, and add our learnings to make a concise and powerful guide to editing OpenStreetMap.
What’s in it?
We designed the Mapping guides for new and experienced contributors to OpenStreetMap, and use illustrations throughout to convey best practices when mapping.
An example illustration showing how to add a satellite imagery layer to improve the OpenStreetMap data in JOSM
We’ve split the guides into seven major sections:
- Getting started: an introduction if you’re new to OpenStreetMap and mapping
- Sources: orient yourself with high-quality data sources for great mapping
- The OpenStreetMap Data Model: learn about the building blocks of open map data - points, lines, areas, and tags
- Mapping with JOSM: meet the most powerful desktop editor for OpenStreetMap used by advanced mappers
- Mapping common features: a walkthrough of the basics of how to create and edit common features
- Mapping to improve navigation: learn how to model road networks in OpenStreetMap for accurate navigation applications
- Becoming a power mapper: take your mapping skills to the next level with advanced plugins and techniques
We aim to continuously update these guides and ask for your feedback, and suggestions for topics that we can include to make them more useful. We released all content under Public Domain (CC0) for reuse and adaptation into any other guide, and to encourage more mapping activity.
We’ll be at State of the Map US in Seattle, so catch us there in-person to learn more about our mapping work and develop more ideas to share OpenStreetMap knowledge. Questions? Feel free to drop me a line on Twitter.