With OpenStreetMap looking virtually complete around Edinburgh, it is sometimes difficult to spot where to map next. Obviously there are a lot of data still to be added to the map, and overlays such as those produced by ITO maps [1] are very useful in highlighting those areas with missing attributes.

However, recently I have been finding the notes feature on the main map has been a really good source of “this needs checking”. It then becomes a treasure hunt, to go to that location, and spot the discrepancy flagged up, check it out, and update the map as required. This gives me a great excuse to explore areas of the city that I would unlikely otherwise visit, and keeps me fit as an added bonus.

As the saying goes, “many hands make light work”, and I think this is certainly true for tracking changes in OpenStreetMap. If many people can flag up potential errors, even if some are false positives, then it gives more experienced mappers a good incentive to update the local area that may otherwise become stale.

Plus, I almost always find something else nearby that is not on the map, which I can add in addition to the flagger “error”. Something that I most likely would not have gone to visit if it were not for the OCD compulsion to close as many of the open notes as possible :)

So thanks to the developers who implemented the notes feature, and thanks to the anonymous contributor(s) that flag up possible shortcomings in the data.

[1] http://www.itoworld.com/map/main & http://www.itoworld.com/product/data/osm_analysis/main