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MapComplete: Maps about various topics which you can contribute to

135 points by GTP 3 hours ago | 25 comments

pwnguide 3 hours ago

This is genuinely one of the best tools to emerge in the OpenStreetMap ecosystem in recent years. If you've ever tried to onboard a non-technical person to OSM, you know the struggle. The default web editor (iD) can still be overwhelming with its sheer amount of data, and JOSM (the desktop power-user tool) is entirely out of the question for casual contributors. Thanks!

bulder 2 hours ago

I'd also strongly endorse its on-the-street mobile app counterpart, StreetComplete. Splitting stuff into tiny tasks you can focus on really helps if you're just out on foot in an area.

fstrelok 31 minutes ago

This is the app I miss the most switching from android to ios. I so wish there was an ios app of streetcomplete.

BHSPitMonkey 20 minutes ago

It's being worked on!

https://github.com/orgs/streetcomplete/projects/1

matkoniecz 2 hours ago

Or if you are looking for pretext to walk a bit in area known to you :)

quinncom 2 hours ago

Similarly, `Go Map!!` is an iOS app that makes editing OSM data easy.

Adding missing features is one of my favorite things to do while traveling, and feels like a way of giving back (“take only photos, leave only GIS traces”?)

cf100clunk 3 hours ago

I've occasionally used the CoMaps OSM editing capability to just get the basics in before doing the big work in JOSM, or more likely the web editor. Now I'll be looking into MapComplete much further.

ProofHouse 26 minutes ago

Could be but needs a serious UI/UX revamp (easy). Maximally remove friction when asking for user contributions. Like literally on the first page it puts adding public clocks, I repeat, PUBLIC CLOCKS (and other such things), on equal footing as adding a restaurant. Like, no.

nisiddharth 2 hours ago

I use this app fairly regularly to locate public toilets (I walk 15-20 km daily in random directions after getting down a random bus stop in my city) and have contributed some locations as well.

sonar_un 2 hours ago

I use the app "flush" for this, and it works pretty well.

spelk 58 minutes ago

Does it source data from OSM? The app store page doesn't make clear what the data source is.

mattw2121 2 hours ago

IDK, maybe I'm missing something, but I can't do something I feel like should be super basic. I went into the Arcade category, zoomed to my city, Arcade was in the wrong location. How can I report an incorrect location?

Jabdoa2 2 hours ago

You can login with an OpenStreetmaps.org (osm) account and edit it yourself. This app is used to add those objects. There is also an app "StreetComplete".

voidUpdate 3 hours ago

I opened this up, and immediately saw a contribution I could make. Created an OSM account and fixed it =)

matkoniecz 2 hours ago

thanks!

nemomarx 3 hours ago

How's this compare with street complete? It seems like the categories are different and maybe wider?

just curious how the different tools the community has made stack up

PetitPrince 2 hours ago

Streetcomplete can filter the map with a variety of filters for features you can edit or complete(Street lighting, Surfaces, Sidewalks, Bike paths, Street parking, Addresses, Places, Things, Buildings). Plus there's some specific "quests" where you can complete information for specific POI ("Does this bench have a backrest? Yes|No", "Where does this fire hydrant lies? On the grass | On the roadway | On a walkway | On a parking).

Mapcomplete also offers filling info about existing POI, but you can filter on specific theme (Drinking water, sports) or very specific theme (etymology) or even your own. There's also an UI to add new POIs; I don't think it's possible with StreetComplete.

Either way both are great.

matkoniecz 2 hours ago

> There's also an UI to add new POIs; I don't think it's possible with StreetComplete.

You can do it in Things and Places layers (layers can be enabled by tapping circle in top-right)

matkoniecz 2 hours ago

For start StreetComplete is an Android app unavailable (for now) elsewhere.

MapComplete has multiple in-depth layers, while StreetComplete is more general.

StreetComplete puts more focus on being usable out-of the box for newbies, while I would describe MapComplete as having focus on usability but allowing deeper dive in specific topics.

(disclaimer: I helped with developing StreetComplete)

simmschi 2 hours ago

Hmmm, I love OSM, consume their data in my small cycling project and regularly contribute smaller fixes.

But I also shy away from anything more complex than fixing attributes and meta data of existing objects. Especially editing relations, ways and nodes - is this possible with MapComplete? I loaded the Cyclofix map, but I can't even select cycle paths or roads, just edit POIs.

ProofHouse 27 minutes ago

Asing users to have to navigate all those options with terrible design and UI, then putting them on zoom out of the world, having to click a bunch to zoom in to their location (95% of what people would be adding would be where they are)...I mean I could go on, but that is where I bounced. I was happy to add the cafe I am at, and others, but once I got to this point I was like ok, no sorry. Improved UI would go a long way.

jszymborski 2 hours ago

I think we're hugging it to death.

cf100clunk 2 hours ago

I've been in and out of MapComplete since this arrived on HN and have not had any such problems.

sonar_un 2 hours ago

Yeah, it's definitely super slow right now.

Noaidi 2 hours ago

I am aggravated by this post because it reminds me of how good life could be with an internet that was not enshittified.

Really great way to edit OSM and ulike StreetComplete I can use it on the web. I tried editing through OSM and found it confusing and difficult.