About Me

I am Yash Srivastava, an undergraduate student from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee in Uttarakhand, India. I usually spend my time exploring different technologies and creating various projects.

Apart from development, I enjoy solving rubix’s cubes, reading books, watching anime. I also love adventure sports and travelling to different places.

Journey to OSM

I was working on creating a website for my college society where we needed to integrate a map to find the location of our college society.

At first, I tried with Google Maps integration, but the location was not found there and integrating it also required some API keys, which involved more work. Later while searching for alternatives, I found out about OpenStreetMap and how we can integrate it with our website and make changes to its database in a hassle-free way.

GSoC Project: Interface for reporting search bugs for Nominatim

The project proposal can be found here

Currently, there is no standard platform where users can report geocoding bugs or send feedback. Generally, if a user wants to give feedback or report a bug, one has to have a GitHub account and then create an issue that is not feasible. Thus we aim to create an Interface for reporting search bugs for Nominatim.

It will have the following project goals:

1. The interface will be mobile-friendly.

2. The backend will store log files for the reported bugs.

3. Test suit will be created and iterated parallel to both frontend and backend.

Since this year GSoC has a shorter period thus we will have the following stretch goals:

1. We will be adding a python script that will export log files to a CSV format that can be processed through Geocode-Tester to recheck the reported bugs.

2. Dockerizing the whole application for the portability of code.

3. Creating a Continous Integration pipeline using GitHub-Actions.

4. Adding internationalization support.

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Are you wondering what to map next? Don’t worry we got you covered! We have three interesting tasks as the next maproulette challenges for you all. They are for mappers who are just starting or are experienced. Here are the tasks for you all:

1. Connectivity checks: https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17714
2. Sharp Angle checks: https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17716
3. Invalid turn restrictions: https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17715
4. Crossing ways: https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17943
5. Wrong one way- double way - https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17958
6. Road Islands - https://maproulette.org/browse/challenges/17950

Put your mapping hats on and let’s do some mapping!

We would love to hear suggestions and feedback from you on these tasks so that we could better ones next time.

PS: Can’t wait to see who is going to be on top in this challenge (psst.. We have some goodies for you) 😉

Happy Mapping!

maps are the guidance of all places and proper locations for all.

Is it possible to create an (Area-)Symbol for wide Stairs which are broad but with few steps, only. This could be used in general, too.

About 6 weeks ago, I signed up to openstreetmap.org (OSM) to map my contact’s addresses and my public transport routes. My thinking was that adding these details will mean I will use OSM based apps everyday. When I add new contacts in the future, I will add their addresses to OSM too.

Of course, the first address I added was my home address and then the addresses on my street. I posted my initial impressions of OSM in my diary and people commented about my diary entry. I read their comments and their diary’s. I learnt from their diary’s that addresses can be automatically imported to OSM from government data sources as long as OSM have permission to use those data sources. I didn’t want to be doing work that could be automated, so I checked to see if my government offered open data that listed all the addresses in Australia. I learnt that such data existed and that another OSM mapper was requesting the appropriate government permissions to automatically import this data to OSM. I also learnt that with a powerful computer and AI software that buildings can be mapped too. I felt quite disillusioned and decided to take a break.

I came back with the idea of recording GPS traces of my public transport routes, but then I learnt that the GPS on my Nokia 6.2 has a known issue with accuracy.

Then I decided I would add nodes for local businesses, which is based on local knowledge and will not be automated for many years to come!! Initially, I thought I could map those businesses off the top of my head having passed them for years. As soon as I sat down at my PC to add those businesses I realised I couldn’t remember some businesses.

So, I went down the street, mentally recording the sequence of the businesses. I returned to type in the business names and their addresses. OSM made me really look at my surroundings and there were things I didn’t notice in my neighbourhood. That’s when I got hooked on adding more information about these businesses to OSM.

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This diary is about load testing. I find load testing useful mainly because of two reasons: 1. it shows multiuser access problems; 2. it shows how good is the implementation.

The idea is to simulate mapathon. A mapathon is an event where multiple mappers map the same (big) area. To manage the work, the area is divided into smaller squares. Then, each mapper asks the server to map or review a square, works some time on the square, and finally asks the server to mark the square as needs mapping, needs review, or is done.

I use locust.io to load test the damn server. The test file is part of the repository. There is 80 % of mappers, 20 % of reviewers, and 2 testing areas. Each mapper/reviewer works for 30 - 60 seconds, then waits for 30 - 60 seconds, and then works again. All the mappers are spawned within the first minute. The test is stopped soon after there is 0 % to map for both of the areas.

damn-project.org runs on $5/month VPS with 1 GB RAM, single 2.2 GHz vCPU, and 25 GB SSD disk.

100 mappers handled The first round of load testing gives the idea about the server after the refactoring. The average response time for 100 mappers is 270 ms. Not bad, I would say.

• Locust results for 100 mappers
• Utilization for 100 mappers

It’s a bit worse when testing 200 mappers, though. I’ve stopped the test after 20 minutes.

• Locust results for 200 mappers
• Utilization for 200 mappers

Some improvements Two years ago, I decided that there must be some better solution for the problem of dividing a big area into smaller squares. I found that there is PostGIS extension to PostgreSQL so I decided to go with it. Two year later (now,) I’ve discovered database indexes.

Also, I’ve read part of the documentation and set postgres parameters.

Finally, I switched gzip on.

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1st traced to this place.

Added this new trail: osm.org/relation/12755086

https://www.hcpartnership.org.uk/south-cheshire-market-towns-trail-m

A short section through the Albion Locks housing estate needs surveying, as the development may have moved the footpaths. Also the paths through Brereton Heath nature reserve are lacking - from what I remember, the trees make GPS tracking difficult and many of the paths are no more than dirt tracks, but this is worth a visit.

Im trying to track a phone using thete gps or facebook does anyone know how to do this thank u

How do I locate someone from my Instagram onto here how do I add my location

I submitted edits for the first time on May 24th for a Web Mapping and Geography course at Dartmouth College. I hope that my edits can add a bit more resolution and detail to the amazing town of Hanover, NH

In December 2020 the Licensing Working Group (LWG) received an inquiry regarding GeOsm and its trademark status. As GeOsm contains “OSM” which is a trademark of the OpenStreetMap Foundation, it comes under purview of our licensing policy. This was a topic of the January 2021 LWG meeting and Kathleen Lu (LWG) reached out to Willy Franck Sob, the main operator of GeOsm, to study its application.

GeOsm is a portal for distributing free geographic data. Its goal is to make OpenStreetMap data and other open data more easily accessible, especially to users in developing countries. A Cameroonian-led project, it already offers national data for 21 African countries - but it has potential for wider horizons.

Considering the compatibility of GeOsm’s ethos with OpenStreetMap, the LWG suggested that the OSMF should come to an agreement with GeOsm. Within that framework, Jean-Marc Liotier (Board Member) drafted an agreement (see annexed PDF) to define under what conditions the OSMF will permit the GeOsm trademark. Most of the clauses are typical generic points of a trademark licence agreement, but some are specific to OpenStreetMap and will interest our members most:

• The GeOsm trademark shall only be used as the brand for distributing geographic data under open data licenses as defined by the Open Knowledge Foundation’s Open Definition published at http://www.opendefinition.org/okd/
• A major part of the data distributed by the GeOsm must originate from OpenStreetMap.
• Any code for the GeOsm site used as a point of distribution must be published under an open source license according to the Open Source Definition published by the Open Source Initiative.
• Any code necessary for converting OpenStreetMap data to the format consumed by the software of the site used as a point of distribution must be published under an open source license according to the Open Source Definition published by the Open Source Initiative.
• No proprietary data shall be distributed by GeOsm.

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A controversy that occasionally arises concerns the overall density of information that should be aspired on the OpenStreetMap. It is my firm belief that every minuscule detail has an intrinsic value on its own that justifies its existence and issuance on the OpenStreetMap. From this I deduce that mappers should be oriented towards the goal of maximising the density of information on the OpenStreetMap.

Here are the slides from my Mapping USA Talk:

Cartogram of total edits per state in 2020. Color represents total edits per sq. km. – in equal sized bins (QGIS calculated quantiles) from purple to green to yellow (Less insightful, but more aesthetic)

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I came to Openstreetmap.org (OSM) from the OsmAnd mobile app because I found the numerous options in OsmAnd too intimidating. When I looked at OSM on my phone’s browser, I was surprised that the search bar and directions button were missing. I was also surprised to see the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons still being used when people use their fingers on their phones. I recognised the “show my location” icon.

i tapped on a point of interest (POI) on the map expecting to be presented with information about the POI, but instead I was given a series of options. These options were “directions from/to here”, “add a note”, “show address”, “query features”, “centre map here”.

I chose “show address” expecting to be presented with all the information about the selected POI. Instead I got the name of the business and the business address within a search results page. There seemed to be 3 search engines (Internal, Nominatim and Geonames) used to find the address, which just added to my confusion. There was no option to set the address as my destination address, which was disappointing.

I chose the same POI, but this time I chose the option “query features”. A results page appeared listing the “nearby” and “enclosing” features rather than just presenting the POI details. The POI was listed in the results and upon selecting it I was presented with more information about the POI than just the address, but there was still no option to set the POI as my destination address.

The next option I chose was to “add a note” which is a lovely idea with concise help explaining its use. The “centre map here” option worked as per my expectations.

When I chose “directions to here”, my POI turned to a red map pin. When I chose “directions from here”, my POI turned to a green map pin. The usual “directions search box” for a map didn’t appear.

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Last night I sat and armchair-mapped a load of hospital buildings for Northwick Park Hospital here in North West London

I tend to follow a rule of no armchair mapping in the UK these days, but I have a few extenuating considerations where I allow myself to break that rule. This is a big hospital. It’s the kind of thing we should certainly have mapped properly across London and the whole UK. I’ve armchair-mapped quite a few hospital buildings like this in Africa after all! I wonder how many other UK hospitals are missing building detail.

Actually the omission seemed wierd to me, as if maybe the buildings had been mapped but recently deleted. I thought it looked as though somebody had swept in and hit delete but missed just one or two little buildings (that little dentist), but how to prove it? I spent some time trying to figure out if I could find deleted nodes in a very constrained bbox e.g. using Overpass date features, but I gave up. Finding deleted data is difficult.

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So, while adding houses to my town, I decided to spruce up the local amusement park, though I have been waiting for it to fully render to be able to show the work.

It has bugged me for quite a long to how sparse and barren it is, also including only 2 of the 4 toilet blocks! It is also a shame that car parks that are marked as grass display as grey!

Would be nice for the roller_coaster=track to render, as it seems they have been moving to that quite a bit

A big mystery though was that my larger screenshots i have for before and after show a mysterious community centre appearing, and some bridges over a river, which i didn’t add myself! relief knowing there is at leat 1 other person out there editing this town!

As part of my internship with OpenStreetMap I decided to do a report for all the research I have gathered since January. At the beginning of the internship I was learning about administrative boundaries between counties, how the are established and issues that may arise from them. As I am from Carlow, I became very interested in the boundary between Carlow and Laois. The town Graiguecullen is bisected by a between the two counties.

As you can see from the picture, this boundary bisects residential areas and buildings which can lead to problems for the locals of Graiguecullen. In 2016 there was a Laois/ Carlow boundary review held by local government and the result of the review was that the boundary should remain the same.

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Taginfo is a way of finding out what tags and values are used within OpenStreetMap. There’s a worldwide instance here, and other instances exist, including various Geofabrik ones such as Antarctica here.

As well as describing keys and values used within OpenStreetMap, the worldwide instance of Taginfo also holds details of what other projects use particular OSM tags. The Taginfo/Projects page explains the update process.

Each project submits a .json file containing details of key and value usage, such as this one for an OSM Mug.

The one for the map style that I look after is here. Currently I’ve just submitted a list of keys, not values, but I have included a description for each one, as can be seen here for “designation”.

The first challenge was to create the initial list. There are references to tags in three main places in my map style - the lua style file, the carto .mml file and the individual carto .mss files such as this one. A bit of investigation (creating a unique sorted list of strings within style.lua on one hand and .mml and .mss files on the other found that although some keys do pass through style.lua unchanged, almost no keys that are later used in carto files aren’t mentioned in style.lua at all. That means that I only needed to worry about keys in style.lua. I created an initial .json in the correct format and then wrote a shell script to generate the “tags:” section of the .json file. I then filled in the descriptions where the shell script had just created placeholders, and checked it in.

Next, I wanted to be able to easily update the taginfo.json file after changes to the map style. Because I’ve also checked the previous generated file into github I can easily create a new one and compare the two:

sh -x ./taginfo_lua_genkeylist.sh > q.txt
diff taginfo_lua_nodesc.txt q.txt

for the most recent change the output of that is:

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Let’s say you have a georeferenced POIs list, and you want to put that information into OSM.

The (theoretical) below example suppose you’ve registered the caves in an area, and you’ve a spreadsheet with the following infos:

• lat / lng of the cave entrance
• elevation of the cave entrance
• name of the cave
• length

Question : if it’s on our own work (direct knowledge), we’ve to document the job following the wiki import rules? Maybe depending how huge are the data?

However, this is the workflow I suggest (hoping this could be enough also as documentation of an import project), it can be used with any kind of POIs.

Tools used:

• Overpass Turbo
• Josm, with the following plugins: utilsplugin2, opendata, ToDo

Steps:

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