While I will be starting using changesets in Tagalog, sometimes along with English, I started providing a translation of a changeset comment to another regional language, for example, Cebuano, when doing an edit in a specific area in the Philippines where it is the dominant language. While translations to Cebuano can be easily provided through Google Translate, this is something that is problematic with other regional languages, like Ilocano, Bicolano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Chavacano, etc., as a possible translator may not be reliable enough to provide a grammatically correct translation that a local can understand. Are there any possible reliable online translators for other Philippine languages, like for those I pointed above?

It was since January 2016 when I requested to map the less mapped barangays in southwest San Pedro, Laguna, which includes Magsaysay, United Bayanihan, Riverside, Laram, and Langgam. But, now, this effort now came to fruition.

From July 2017, after doing ground mapping after visiting Langgam, the less mapped areas of San Pedro, Laguna, finally has grown. Several POIs have been added, plus street names. The main priority is the important POIs, like schools, barangay halls, and churches. I have uploaded a GPX track as a guide when someone wants to realign the roads there, that are traced from aerial imagery, that may be offset.

Here are some POIs added on the survey:

• Divine Gift School
• Vian Rechel Academy
• IETI
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• 7-Eleven (Magsaysay branch)
• San Pedro Relocation Area Cooperative
• United Bayanihan Community Church
• Alfamart (United Bayanihan branch)
• Ministop (United Bayanihan branch)
• Polytechnic University of the Philippines - San Pedro Campus
• Laguna Relocation Community School
• Upper Villages Christian Academy
• Laram Barangay Hall
• Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish
• United Montessorean School of San Pedro (Langgam campus)
• Jesus the Faithful Savior Christian School

Yet, several POIs and street names found on the survey are still not mapped, but can be mapped on following changesets. An update on the OSM Wiki page for San Pedro, Laguna provides all mapping updates (with dates for tracking latest updates). And for other POIs not found on the survey, I leave it to the other users (especially locals) to map, or note for others to resolve. The POIs added may start increased efforts to map the least mapped barangays of San Pedro.

Since starting mapping in 2015, Batangas City is still developing, and many newer developments have come. Much of the new developments are occurring along Diversion Road and the Batangas Port area. Subdivisions are growing into the suburban and rural barangays. Two new power plants have opened. But, current imagery used for mapping creates a problem to map these new developments. Though Bing announced imagery updates this 2017, it will be a long wait.

Developments to be mapped is shown below, along with description, notes, and status.

… See full entry

Mapping in Batangas City has been increasing after the LGU-led mapping from March to April, yet, it caused some problems in the current data because of mapping practice that looks like tagging for the renderer. Yet, aside from the LGU-led (Batangas City CPDO, CDRMMO, and OCVAS) mapping, there is a new surge of mapping activity in Batangas City. It is part of the MapTVPL activity in Batangas. One among who led the mapping is (GOwin)[osm.org/user/GOwin), who mapped Batangas State University, and the surrounding area. Batangas State Univerity’s map has improved, with some named streets inside added, buildings named, and new buildings mapped. It is also the same case for the adjacent Batangas National High School (BNHS), whose buildings have been named and more facilities inside mapped, since I started mapping it’s buildings, plus mapping during the NOAH-ISAIAH HOT task in Batangas.

It may be expected that the Batangas City LGU may start another mapping project, but should have to avoid problems with existing map data, especially buildings and POI’s. The rural barangays have improved, thanks to Batangas City employees contributions, with barangay halls, water supply tanks, schools and day care centers mapped, and a lot more must be expected. Marking the centers of barangays, using the newly added data from Batangas City LGU mapping, are still needed, and further mapping of other missing critical POI’s especially schools, as they serve as evacuation centers in times of calamities.

After Project NOAH-ISAIAH HOT tasks and also my rural mapping in Batangas City, there is also an increase in mapping critical POI’s in the rural barangays of Batangas City, either on the lowlands or the mountainside. Schools and barangay halls are being added in rural barangays, and using names of those newly added schools or barangay halls, I trace barangays and add the nodes for them via Level0 (instead of JOSM). Rural mapping, especially of critical POI’s and infrastructure, may be useful for disaster risk reduction and rural development. Before, Batangas City has the urban areas only mapped in detail, until Project NOAH-ISAIAH started a HOT task that added buildings not only in the lowland urban areas, but also in the rural areas.

Thanks to all the efforts of local mappers, especially “Brad-M”, “digmaan” and “imeeperezveedor”, the critical POI’s (schools, day care centers, barangay halls, health centers) and infrastructure (roads and buildings) of the rural barangays of Batangas City are being mapped in more detail, like the urban areas, especially the Poblacion area. And it is possible that the city’s government, via the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRMMO) or City Planning and Development Office, may lead such mapping for disaster preparedness and response, and rural development.

On the last few days, mapping activity around Batangas City, where I map a lot, from POI’s, power networks (NGCP and Meralco), and buildings, have been increasing. And while I added many POI’s and street names (mostly the very familiar ones) in that city, there is a lot still missing, that locals are working on. Some local users in Batangas City that started mapping their city includes:

• imeeperezveedor
• jonadelcrispin
• Brad-M (from the Banaba area)
• Angelique Tan
• crops production
• dunah
• GMMM
• Pranses
• mgjeanleyesa
• alain curt mazo
• Heneral-Hulab
• MjCat
• gberts
• OCVAS R&DC (owned by the Office of the City Veterinarian and Agriculturist/OCVAS in Bolbok)
• EDGF
• digmaan

Looking at their edit history, almost all are mapping within Batangas City, and are possibly local.

Yet, as they are still new, mapping mistakes may still occur, and they can be cleaned up once spotted. And increased mapping activity in Batangas City is good news that locals there are inspired to map, thanks to all my efforts to map there, and the mapping activity for Project NOAH-ISAIAH (now defunct from February 28, 2017, but validation work is still continuing). And looking at the Google Map Maker “graduation” at March 31, 2016, the number of OSM users mapping Batangas City may increase from this update.

The map of Batangas City is now filled with a lot of buildings. Before, there were only a few buildings, until I started large-scale mapping of that city (POIs, roads, buildings, land use, power distribution network, etc.) from there or at home, and Project NOAH-ISAIAH started a HOT project to map buildings in Batangas for disaster risk analysis. Thanks to my efforts, and those who participated in the Project NOAH-ISAIAH HOT project.

I am busy mapping Batangas City again this Christmas vacation, as continuation of my task of improving its map since I started to edit OpenStreetMap for most of the time. I have mapped Batangas City in Google Map Maker, but I am more encouraged to map Batangas City in OSM because of better data, in contrast to Google Maps, which I see as worse, as well as the Map Maker shutdown resulting from the “Android pissing on Apple” incident in Pakistan. Thankfully, I discovered OSM and I started to share my knowledge and improve it to its present state.

My updates on mapping Batangas City includes several mapping activities: updating, expanding, and improving the power lines in Batangas City, now focusing on NGCP’s 69 kV subtransmission system and 13.8 kV distribution system, and Meralco’s 7.97 kV and 13.8 kV distribution system and 69 kV subtransmission system, adding missing and new POI’s (adding the first Alfamart branch in Batangas City, some missing POI’s in P. Burgos Street at Poblacion, and adding missing businesses around Balagtas, Julian Pastor Memorial Market, and Cuta) and updating some POI’s, (renaming the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception to follow the sign outside, verifying the name of a day care center in Cuta, near St. Bridget College, and adding the name of Eternal Gardens Batangas, which was missing before and missed out by my large-scale mapping activity last year) mapping sports facilities (basketball, badminton, and tennis courts, and a swimming pool in the Batangas Coliseum), and mapping buildings as part of Project NOAH-ISAIAH’s task for Batangas (HOT OSM project 1886).

… See full entry

With Typhoon Nina (international name: Nock-Ten) wreaking havoc last December 25 and 26, it sparked my interest to map areas hit by the typhoon. While wide-scale mapping still not starting in the wake of the typhoon, I now started mapping areas for disaster response.

I started mapping areas hit by Typhoon Nina first at Catanduanaes, where the typhoon made its first landfall. at Virac, the province’s capital, I have mapped many houses there, along with roads, schools, a church, and fishponds, along with paths within them. Fortunately, those areas I mapped have traceable Bing imagery, and I traced several POI’s, like two schools, and a Mormon church, which I recognized using the aerials.

While it is still a few days after Nina wreaked havoc, I have already started mapping for disaster response, and I expect that this may be followed by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team projects, that may involve other mappers to map typhoon struck areas, especially on areas that lack quality aerial imagery, like most of Quezon, which has most part that lacks Bing coverage, but, Mapbox Satellite has, however, on some areas, imagery is not so fine, unless MapGive will have high-resolution imagery for mapping those typhoon-struck areas.Well, it would have been better that areas that will be affected by Typhoon Nina would have been mapped before, like what is done in Samar Island before Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) struck Eastern Visayas and southern Luzon.

Here is the visualization of features I added/edited around Poblacion, Batangas City and nearby barangays:

…and for the whole city, including portions outside the city boundary:

… See full entry

This routes from Batangas City to Tunasan, Muntinlupa (Mapzen/OSRM] looks strange. Rather than taking Susana Heights/MCX Exit, Susana Heights Road, and National Road (Daang Maharlika), navigations directions tell you to exit at Carmona Exit and take Governor;s Drive, General Malvar Street and then turn left to National Highway (Daang Maharlika) northbound. My knowledge tells that the main route to Tunasan is via Susana Heights Exit. OSM routers still wants you to take Carmona Exit to Muntinlupa or San Pedro, and it looks like a routing issue.

Why is that happening? Can someone tell me reasons for that routing situation and possible road data fix-up?

I made many updates on Evia along Daang Hari in Almanza Dos, Las Pinas, along with some developments in Starmall Prima in Molino, Bacoor, Cavite. It was since many months I was not updated on developments of that mall owned by Vista Malls of Vistaland by former senator Manny Villar. I have only gone to Evia to eat at the McDonald’s store there or sometimes buy groceries at Rustan’s Fresh.

With an advantage to survey Evia after months, I added new developments in the mall, including new buildings, stores, restaurants, roads, and traffic direction on the parking areas, which are now pay parking areas. I also made a partial indoor map of the mall.

Following this update on Evia, which has been contributed by Schadow1 and me, I will make updates soon on Festival Mall in Alabang, when I have an advantage to visit and do a survey of new buildings of the mall on the River Park area.

Finally, I got a chance to map Bacoor and Imus, with two trips where I am able to survey those areas, the first being from NAIA Terminal 1 towards home, and the second from home to SM City Bacoor via Molino, Mambog, and Palico, SM City Bacoor towards S&R Membership Shopping in Imus, and S&R Membership Shopping towards homme.

On the first trip, my survey found a split, new traffic lights, and pedestrian overpass on Aguinaldo Boulevard, new traffic lights and marked motorcycle lane (marked by a blue line on the right lane) on Molino Boulevard, and new traffic signs, installed by the Department of Public Works and Highways Cavite District Engineering Office, showing destinations of several intersections on Molino Road. I already mapped the new traffic lights and destinations shown on the newly installed signs, and yet to map the split, traffic lights, and traffic lights on Aguinaldo Boulevard and the motorcycle lane on Molino Boulevard.

On the second trip, my survey found several missing business, missing business names, location of barangay boundaries on the Mambog area, a traffic light on the intersection on Aguinaldo Highway and Tirona Highway, an Alfamart branch near SM City Bacoor, a no left turn sign on the Aguinaldo Exit of SM City Bacoor,, a missing church along the Aguinaldo Highway, a welcome marker on the Bacoor-Imus boundary, several missing kilometer stones, a split and new traffic lights on Aguinaldo Highway near Tanzang Luma, missing barangays of Imus (like Bayang Luma, Patindig Araw, Anabu I-B, Anabu I-D, Anabu II-B, and Pasong Buaya 1), a missing name of an industrial area in Anabu, Imus, a S&R New York Style Pizza store inside S&R Membership Shopping in Imus, a missing Kawasaki motorcycle store, and a lot more. Most changes have been done,after that trip but a few is to be done soon.

… See full entry

Following a message sent by schadow1, I now started participating on mapping for #ProjectNOAH-ISAIAH. Currently, I started adding buildings on my barangay, San Antonio, in San Pedro, Laguna, as part of the mapping project. The only problem is what imagery to use. For example, Bing imagery of San Pedro, Laguna look much older, while Mapbox imagery (using DigitalGlobe imagery) is much reliable for adding buildings, but a few cloud covered areas make building mapping difficult. I prefer Mapbox imagery on mapping Metro Manila and northwest Laguna, but Batangas still do not have any reliable quality imagery (Batangas City’s imagery can be only seen at a high zoom level, and only Bing can be used, but parts of Batangas City, near Taysan is only seen at a high zoom level.) I am planning to extend that mapping work for #ProjectNOAH-ISAIAH to Batangas City and other areas in Batangas, but I am only limited to map areas with reliable quality imagery.

I am able to go to a 4-day vacation in Batangas City, where I am continually surveying the area and making more additions of places. Now, I am working on political mapping: mapping barangays and sitios/puroks, and their boundaries.

First work is missing or misplaced businesses and buildings or incorrect or missing business information. Bing has enough imagery to trace buildings, but for a newer building, it will be different. You would have to trace its outlines based on the building you saw on the survey. Business information (name, address, telephone/cell phone numbers, websites, etc.) can be obtained by a survey (if it is possible, a photo can help). A lot of businesses are still missing, especially on Poblacion, Alangilan, Pallocan West, and Libjo, but I am able to take advantage of going to SM City Batangas, Montemaria, and a resort in Libjo (I mapped it later). Also, photos taken from my new tablet (a Samsung Galaxy Tab A), combined with lat-long information (taken from satellites), are one of my sources of data I use. I made a move to Pan de Manila and South Star Drug in Kumintang Ibaba by photos with geo-location. I added a pedestrian crossing to the map, but, I added a nearby doctor’s office along with it, as it appeared on the photo. I added a new building near the south end of Jose P. Laurel Highway (named Manila-Batangas Road by the Department of Public Works and Highways on most of its length, or locally, National Road/Highway or Hilltop Road)

… See full entry

The map of San Pedro, Laguna in OpenStreetMap is still incomplete in many aspects. Places, businesses, and schools have been missing or still unnamed. Although I am currently a resident of San Pedro, I have no chance of exploring other parts of my city for mapping here other than my knowledge or a physical survey of areas I have been.

But, mapping the area is progressing slowly with my contributions. On Barangay Landayan, I am able to add a few places, like a 7-Eleven branch, an Alfamart branch, and a small school, to name a few. But soon, with me have been back to Landayan to visit the Santo Sepulcro Shrine, the home of “Lolo Uweng”, I am able to add more, like some local businesses. With a chance to take a route passing through barangays Pacita I, Chrysanthemum, San Vicente, Calendola, Sampaguita, and GSIS Village (I though of these being a part of Barangay San Antonio, but actually a separate barangay), I got the advantage to map a few places, like a BPI branch, a Ministop branch, two Alfamart stores, some schools (Laguna Northwestern College in Pacita I, and Diwalan Christian Academy and Jesus the Risen Savior School).

Also, I am able to fix the boundaries of San Pedro with the city of Dasmariñas, and a part of San Pedro’s boundary with Biñan, but a part still needs to be fixed.

Along with city boundary fixing, I am working on barangay boundaries, starting with San Antonio and San Vicente. The former is inaccurate, but with discovering GSIS Village, I made fixes to the current boundary. San Vicente’s boundary is mainly accurate, based on the boundary after the separation of Pacita I and Pacita II.

… See full entry

I see maps of malls in the Philippines, in OpenStreetMap showing only places, but not the paths to take to reach them. And to solve this, I am mapping the paths to take, but with malls having more than one floor, pathways on the mall may differ by floor, and mapping every floor may be considered.

I am involved in some indoor mapping on some malls in the Philippines. But, indoor mapping is not only limited to one floor; I am mapping every floor to counter some challenges in indoor maps, like unrealistic routing.

I am currently working on indoor mapping of shopping malls in Muntinlupa, with one nearly complete, two incomplete, and one not yet started. Places are also added, closed, or moved every time, so, they need regular updating.

Challenges include mapping mall parking lots with more than one floor, places on other floors and the mapping of the paths inside. Mapping parking lots with more than one floor can be somewhat difficult, and it may have effect on routing. Places inside malls may be on other floors, so, I add the “layer” tag on a place. Paths inside malls may differ by floor level, so, I add every path on each floor, plus the stairs or escalators, to prevent routing making an unrealistic route.

I can only map a few, mostly I have been several times, and this may be helpful to those interested in indoor mapping of malls in the Philippines, and even in other countries.

Please see this example, that I have been working with

The former way of mapping private subdivision roads is to mark all roads within the subdivision’s (or other gated area, such as on industrial parks or some cases, residential areas of some barangays) grounds with “Private” (tag:access=private) access. However, it is incorrect, because the Private tag will prevent routing. So, changes in the [Philippines Mapping Conventions] (osm.wiki/Philippines/Mapping_conventions) are made. The changes is to mark the subdivision (or other gated area) [road] entrances with the gate=* tag, plus the access tag, rather than to tag the roads’ access with the access attribute. Access attributes will be on the roads will be placed on the gates, so, that attribute does not impede routing. Access tags for gates may be destination (local traffic only and no through traffic), permissive (allows entry by payment of a fee, which should not be confused with tolls, which are rather tagged as toll=yes.), or private (in this case, the gates restricts access to vehicle, usually with stickers issued). But mostly, it is best to mark subdivision (or other gated area) roads’ gates as access=destination, so it will allow routing to a place within its grounds, because there are visitors outside of the grounds will go to a place within the area (such as a house, business, a school, like in some cases, or other place.).

Yesterday, I went to Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna, and I witnessed some changes on the area. On Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road (officially named Santa Rosa-Ulat-Tagaytay Road by the Department of Public Works and Highways), some places have opened, like a Walter Mart branch near CW Home Depot, an AllHome branch near Nuvali, and a new Jollibee branch near the former. On Nuvali, Seda, Solenad 3 and a S&R Membership Shopping opened.

But mapping the newly opened Solenad 3 is a bit difficult, with a need to map the places on the mall first on paper before adding them to OSM. I can trace some buildings and a few places (FamilyMart, Chicken BonChon, DIY Hardware, TGI Fridays, to name a few), but notes from the map may be needed. I think a few users may come there to trace GPS traces for paths and building outlines, and survey several places (shops, restaurants, services, etc.) through a handmade map or even Walking Papers, as a base for the final data to be added on OSM.

I made many changes on Batangas City, especially adding missing barangays, places, and mostly, jeepney routes. My mapping activity in Batangas City started because of out-of-date map data. Before those big changes, Batangas City has a lot of out-of-date and incorrect. map data.

I made realignments on roads around Batangas City to match the current Bing imagery. I also made naming and renaming of some streets, adding one-ways (the poblacion’s streets are mostly one-way). Before adding those one-ways, routing in Batangas City via OSRM is difficult. You may run into a one-way and receive a ticket from traffic enforcers.

The next is jeepney routes. The city has many jeepney routes, with color coding and route reference numbers (in contrast with most jeepney routes in my area, which mostly having no route reference numbers and having a yellow color code), and considerably needed for mapping public transport around Batangas City. Currently, I mostly completed them, but, stops and some missing routes are still needed.

After that is places. Many places are missing, especially in Poblacion, Cuta, Pallocan West, Kumintang Ilaya, Alangilan, and Balagtas. I added many, thanks to my knowledge, surveys, photos, and videos. Some places, such as schools are missing or have incomplete data, like incorrect name. I am able to add some, like Julian A. Pastor Memorial Elementary School (JAPMES) in Cuta, Pallocan West Elementary School, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Multiple Intelligence School and Carmel School of Batangas in Pallocan West, St. Peter D’Rock School and Libjo Elementary School in Libjo, Sunhill Montessori Casa and Lyceum of the Philippines University High School Department in Gulod Labac, Kumintang Elementary School in Kumintang Ilaya, Alangilan elementary School and Maranatha Christian Academy in Alangilan, and Concepcion Elementary School in Concepcion.

… See full entry