OpenStreetMap
Keeping OSM updated and in sync with the real (changing) world is in my opinion one of the key challenges for OSM. Adding new roads and POIs is fun - keeping them up to date is less so!
Have you ever come across POIs or roads and made a mental note to yourself to check later in e.g. JOSM if they are on OSM and tagged correctly? I have, and unless I document in detail what I am seeing with photos, there is a good probability that I miss some essential details. Also with photos, I often have lots of photos recording stuff that is already correctly tagged in OSM. Thus the hit/miss ratio is becoming smaller and this will continue as OSM mature.
To help myself spotting differences between the OSM database and the real world I wrote a small Android app that can display OSM data for nearby objects. With this its easy and efficient to be on the lookout for OSM updates.
The app looks like this:
and it can be found on google Play: OSMfocus
I’m hoping this will be useful for others and that it will results in more OSM updates.
Diskussioun
Bemierkung vum nlehuby de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 10:18 Auer
Great app ! Thanks ! I was using the Layers > Map Data checkbox on the official OSM website for this purpose, but it’s not very usable on mobile phone…
Bemierkung vum Takuto de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 11:24 Auer
Very nice! now this app needs ability to add notes in some format, field mapping will be piece a cake then. I think user should be able tap on one of those “tag tables”, then add some note, which can be saved in OSM iNotes, or, if its too hard to program - in *.gpx file, like Favourites in Osmand (which I use for field mapping with meduim success).
Bemierkung vum stephan75 de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 12:22 Auer
Not bad … will try it later when enough time.
This app needs an own article in the OSM wiki!
Many users will benefit from creating a new page there for your app.
Bemierkung vum RobJN de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 14:32 Auer
Sounds great. Is it possible to download data prior to going out surveying (that is, an offline data mode)? I’ve tweeted this at https://twitter.com/mappamercia/status/518770161021886464
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 14:47 Auer
Currently there is no support for ‘offline’ mode, but if there is sufficient interest I might add this.
Currently I think some way of taking notes is the most urgent feature that needs adding - maybe by adding the capability of taking pictures.
Bemierkung vum Sanderd17 de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 16:33 Auer
If you want it to make notes, it could be good to couple it to OSM Tracker.
Via a big “note” button, you launch the OSM Tracker intent (either integrated or installed separately), where you can have all kinds of notes: photo, plain text, presets, audio, …
But it’s a great app so far.
Bemierkung vum DTHG de(n) 5. Oktober 2014 um 19:28 Auer
Is OSMfocus open source? If it is where can I view or download the source code?
Bemierkung vum DaCor de(n) 6. Oktober 2014 um 01:20 Auer
This is brilliant.
For future development something I would recommend from a personal point of view would be:
Bemierkung vum stragu de(n) 6. Oktober 2014 um 04:07 Auer
Great, looking forward to trying it. Woud it be possible to add it to the F-Droid repos (if it is open source) ?
Cheers!
Bemierkung vum Lindroid de(n) 6. Oktober 2014 um 05:38 Auer
Great idea! Thanks a lot!
Bemierkung vum mhenson de(n) 6. Oktober 2014 um 16:44 Auer
Great Idea, I like to see all the tags, I already found some tag mistakes. Could you show map (browse map) with out requiring a GPS lock? I like that I can browse the map after a GPS lock. I would like to see tags of a restaurant real quick while waiting for food. If there are tags missing, I would want to edit tags or create an OSM note. Taking a photo and placing it where the cross hairs are would be nice (great for taking a picture of Open Hours). I then could use the picture and location of picture on the map for later editing in JOSM.
Bemierkung vum HannesHH de(n) 7. Oktober 2014 um 21:33 Auer
Any chance to get this for Android 2.3? It looks fantastic.
Bemierkung vum Klumbumbus de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 10:22 Auer
Great App. Thanks.
Bemierkung vum Klumbumbus de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 10:46 Auer
I noticed that addr:postcode and addr:country are not displayed. Is this by design? Are there more key which are not displayed?
Bemierkung vum kay_D de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 11:18 Auer
Fantastic app, easy and on the spot. Just became my favourite “is this shop still open?” app :)
Only sucks a little bit when values are lengthy (as sometimes the case with opening hours) as boxes become too wide. Apparently there is no limit to box width and no text line breaking.
I love it so much, if it could easily edit (add+modify) tags+values for existing geometry, it would be a perfect lightweight POI editor. At least for people like us knowing the tagging scheme good enough.
Bemierkung vum Klumbumbus de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 13:58 Auer
OK, I just read the description in the play store. Can we use the description text in the play store to create a osm wiki page?
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 16:36 Auer
Yes, you can definitely use the text for the OSM wiki. Any volunteers for creating a wikipage… please go ahead.
There will be an update soon which implements a limitation on legend-box size and wrapping of long lines.
Wrt. support for Android 2.3 - I dont think that will happen. The current implementation use features from Android API level 14, and although I might be able to decrease the required API level, I probably will not get down to Android 2.3.
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 17:37 Auer
A new version with the changes below has just gone out to beta-testers. I expect to promote it to production in a day or two.
Limitations on legend box size implemented. Legend boxes no longer can fill the entire screen. Long lines are wrapped as indicated by a curved arrow and excess lines are indicated by an arrow ‘going below a line’.
Use of most recent location instead of waiting for GPS fix. This will make it possible to use OSMfocus while waiting for the GPS.
Improved internal vector rendering, especially related to multi-polygon rendering.
Bemierkung vum Klumbumbus de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 18:47 Auer
New osm wiki page is here: osm.wiki/OSMfocus
@MichaelVL: Can you upload the icon and a screenshot to commons, which can be used in the wiki?
Bemierkung vum Klumbumbus de(n) 8. Oktober 2014 um 18:59 Auer
I collected some improvement suggestions which were mentioned here at the osm wiki talk page
Bemierkung vum nidi0 de(n) 11. Oktober 2014 um 00:18 Auer
This is looking very interesting! I’d appreciate a lot if it’s released as free software. This allows to release the app on the F-Droid market (many privacy aware people don’t use Google Play) and generally encourages contribution.
Bemierkung vum Zian Choy de(n) 13. Oktober 2014 um 05:07 Auer
This is fabulous!
I love the user interface and the clever way you handled the overwhelming amount of information that even a single point can have.
I’d like to echo the call for offline data and suggest a possible solution. There is already an offline OpenStreetMap program called “OsmAnd” and they have set up a fairly solid system for offering regular up-to-date downloads of the entire world, broken down in chunks by country or province. Perhaps you could take advantage of the OsmAnd OBF files in 2 ways:
Bemierkung vum Zian Choy de(n) 13. Oktober 2014 um 05:08 Auer
Correction:
“Provide a way to create offline OsmNotes” should be its own item (as “#3”). And, you can probably copy & paste the existing OsmAnd code that implements that feature already.
Bemierkung vum AgusQui de(n) 18. Oktober 2014 um 00:10 Auer
would be nice to be opened what is being viewed on the Vespucci application and to correct at the time, that can also leave notes.
Bemierkung vum Joško Horvat de(n) 8. November 2014 um 10:55 Auer
Well done. Keep on.
Bemierkung vum 0x1fff de(n) 10. September 2015 um 20:02 Auer
Is OSMFocus aplication open source (any github link)? Are you planing to add edit tags function, or other functions which mentioned DaCor on 6 october 2014 at 01:20?
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 12. September 2015 um 05:31 Auer
It is my intention to make OSMfocus open-source eventually. I was reworking it when I got caught up in other OSM-related projects (more on that soon) and it has kind of been on the backburned since then. Rest assured that its not forgotten…
Bemierkung vum 0x1fff de(n) 12. September 2015 um 06:56 Auer
@MichaelVL - ok :). When it will be OpenSource just send info to FDroid repos :). I would love to see some tag edit options in OSMFocus. The interface is very nice, and i think it would be very easy to edit tags even for non technical users. If it will be available on mobile you can edit this stuff when you waiting for something.
For me it would be perfect to edit opening hours in restaurants that I use, update/set number of floors in building which I’m passing by (number of floors will be used to create 3D representation of building), adding a website address for interesting places, names of companies which are located in building (most places are mapped correctly, but there are no such specific information).
I don’t know any of the OSM product with that kind of functionality on the mobile (Android) - maybe you know what should I use to be able to edit only tags in simple way?
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 13. September 2015 um 05:51 Auer
I have put my OSM Analytic Difference Engine on github. In short its a backend for a live service providing realtime insight into edits within a region of interest. Special focus has been made to analyse the changesets and provide a concise description of what has changed.
Some of purposes of this engine:
Find it here:
[OSM Analytic Difference Engine for Denmark] http://osm.expandable.dk [OSM Analytic Difference Engine on github] https://github.com/MichaelVL/osm-analytic-tracker
Bemierkung vum RobJN de(n) 23. Januar 2018 um 00:02 Auer
I love the OSMfocus app. Did you get anywhere with the open source release?
Bemierkung vum RobJN de(n) 8. Juli 2018 um 21:26 Auer
The OSMfocus app has stopped working on my phone. I now says “Could not download area!”. Great shame as this was a wonderful app.
@MichaelVL: Do you still have the source code for this? Any chance of a fix/open sourcing it?
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 9. Juli 2018 um 18:22 Auer
The source for OSMfocus is now available on github:
https://github.com/MichaelVL/osm-focus
Bemierkung vum Bexhill-OSM de(n) 13. Juli 2018 um 00:36 Auer
I think you just need to update your api connections to use https.
Bemierkung vum Bexhill-OSM de(n) 13. Juli 2018 um 00:40 Auer
This line: https://github.com/MichaelVL/osm-focus/blob/5b781c989acd7cda5a58fb7e6174bf52a8ac78e9/src/dk/network42/osmfocus/OsmServer.java#L22
Hopefully you can update the Google Play Store version :)
Bemierkung vum dikkeknodel de(n) 19. Juli 2018 um 09:07 Auer
Yes, it would be great if the app is back on working. I used it quite frequently while being out in the wild. Unfortunately I do not have any programming experience.
Bemierkung vum RobJN de(n) 23. Juli 2018 um 18:16 Auer
Hi Michael, Are you thinking of pushing an update now the error has been identified? If not, then I can help search for alternate maintainer.
Bemierkung vum MichaelVL de(n) 27. Juli 2018 um 05:24 Auer
I am not able to give OSMFocus any priority soon. Alternative maintainers are welcome :-)