this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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StreetComplete makes contributing to OpenStreetMap easy and fun by turning contributions into "quests" on a map for you to complete. No personal information is required, just create an OpenStreetMap account, and start contributing directly in your area!

I tried this out myself, and it is truly fantastic! I had never heard of it, and I'm sure many of you haven't either, so spread the word!

Tip: When entering buildings to ask questions (opening hours, etc.) be ready to explain what OpenStreetMap is :)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Take the location limit off. Way too annoying for common OSM updates.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Used it quite well that I think the local area has mostly dried up on quests. Contributing more either requires being a passenger, or being in another area.

But I also like the feature of it recommending other apps that can be used as well, giving more ways to contribute or use the maps.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

I started to use it, IT'S AMAZING! HOLY.. Something to do while walking is to observe and ask around, which I want to do, without having no reason to do y'know.

When I get asked why, I just say I'm just confirming what ~~Google Maps~~ said to me (which tbf can be outdated) so I get updated!

I like it, especially in my city and region where I haven't heard of major OSM users or editors..

Thank you so much for recommending this!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

IT'S AMAZING! HOLY..

My exact reaction to trying it! I wish I had known about this so much sooner.

When I get asked why, I just say I'm just confirming what ~~Google Maps~~ said to me (which tbf can be outdated) so I get updated!

I've gotten so used to lying or social engineering to maintain my privacy, that it felt weird to be honest about actually contributing to a map and telling people what it is.

Thank you so much for recommending this!

You're welcome! But thank the StreetComplete team for making such a wonderful way to contribute to OSM

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago

Love me some street complete! It's a great way for me to get out of the house and do stuff even when places are closed, since I'm not awake during the day

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago

For iOS, Go Map!! (source) has a similar quests system. I don't know how well they hold up to StreetComplete though, I've never used the latter.

Also, obligatory https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/How_to_contribute!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Does it work without data service or a SIM?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yes! You can download nearby quests for your location, and complete them fully offline. Afterwards, you can connect to the internet to upload your edits to OSM at your earliest convenience.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Wow I didn't know this! I'll have to try this the next time I'm out.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Why does StreetComplete have non-free dependancies but OpenStreetMap is completely free/libre? I'm not going to install StreetComplete because of that.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

The only thing which F-Droid reports is that it uses jawg.io for visualising the map tiles and that is considered non-free is because it is... commercial?

This is the quote from the Streetcomplete github:

Since mid 2020, JawgMaps provides their vector map tiles service to StreetComplete for free, i.e. the background map displayed in the app.

Personally I don't care that much about FOSS/non-FOSS but IMO a reason like that is least of my concerns when looking at open source. If they're providing a free (as in money) service to an open source app then that's perfectly fine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Over time I've grown very concerned about non-FOSs simply due to constant datamining. Including for products people buy, they still want customers to install a proprietary app and register the product with serial, name, etc, for extra functionality. So on a phone, I have hard restrictions on what I refuse to install so that no apps have access to anything on phone or how I use it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

In that case .... you could install StreetComplete without concern.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

No, if I wasn't clear enough already, due to dependancy issues, StreetComplete is not an option.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Taking a quick look at the source code, it seems like they use map libre for displaying the map which is open source. The only thing not open source are the JawgMaps servers, which serve the tiles for the map in the app. This means that there are no closed source libraries running in the app/on your phone, the only thing happening is the app sending HTTP requests to JawgMaps to load tiles.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

And that in itself can be enough to assign an ID each time the server reponds to a request and keep track of server generated ID's to start creating a folder for each ID to have a record of user history on the servers.