Talk:OpenStreetMap

You had an idea we didn't have?
Just add it here. This page is for brainstorming and collecting ideas.

See also Talk:OpenStreetMap/de

Simple Image Extension

I just want to draw everyone's attention to the "Simple image MediaWiki Extension". When I first developed this, people immediately commented that it would be cool bring in a "slippy map" instead, so I developed an extension to do that too. But I'm still more of a fan of the Simple Image approach, because for illustrating a wiki page, you're generally showing a map of a particular place. If it's just an little map illustration, the user doesn't necessarily want or expect to be able to interact with it. A slippy map loads a big old chunk of javascript which slows down page loading. It also grabs scrollwheel events which (if you're expecting to scroll up and down the wiki page) can be confusing and annoying. A simple image is much nicer, and if the user does want slippy javascript tricks, they can click on the image. People still seem to get more excited by my Slippy Map extension though.

One thing I was pondering developing, is an editing toolbar button for bringing in a map (inspired by Extension:Google_Maps). This might involve javascript slippy map tricks for the editing interface (pan around and pick the area you want a map of) and maybe even an option to make the resulting map slippy or static image.

-- Harry Wood 16:24, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

What about a png at first, that becomes a slippy map when clicked on? Best of both worlds! Richardprins 15:06, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikimaps extension

I'm a long time Wikipedian, and have been working on a mapping extension that allows adding OpenStreetMaps to wiki pages, along with other options including Google Maps, NASA WorldWind imagery/maps, and custom maps from a custom WMS GeoServer or MapServer setup. OpenStreetMaps are useful for articles about cities and other such places. However, I'm also interested in custom thematic type maps, such as showing bird migration routes where a political basemap is not really appropriate. Or, choropleth ("statistical") maps.

• Right now, my extension embeds interactive maps, but the goal is to have the extension generate map images that can be cached and displayed as a .png (by default) in an article along with a link to make the map interactive.

• A second feature of the extension to allow geocoding pages more easily.

• After getting the first two features working well, a third feature would be to allow users to edit the maps.

Right now, I have my own GeoServer and MediaWiki setup, but my goal is to make an extension that is robust and well-optimized, so that it might actually be feasible to run on Wikipedia. OpenStreetMap is definitely an important aspect of what I think Wikipedians would want, but not the only type of map. A map toolserver that could serve map tiles, and run GeoServer for custom map types would be hugely helpful.

I plan to be in Berlin for the developers meetup, so would be happy to give a demo and discuss ideas. Aude 14:24, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes this sounds very interesting and we need a serverside rendering for caching. So your experience are very welcome. Do you know from my Query-to-map-project? Do you have an idea how to make it with the help from Geoserver perhaps independent from cryptic Xapi (We only want the data once and use in the moment kml) and independent from Google Maps API? The serverside rendering would also be necessary to embedded this into Wikipedia. So a simple weblink is perhaps a better way for the first step. I hope to see you Berlin. --Kolossos 09:36, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Yep, sounds like a good foundation. Your static image with link to slippy map is how I would do it, too. By geocoding pages, I assume you mean inserting metadata in the form of meta elements and/or embedded markup like microformats' "geo"? I don't think you have to specifically develop anything to allow users to edit maps, just tell them about OpenStreetMap and encourage them to edit there. I do think exotic thematic layers like bird migration paths is a nice goal, though. --HughB 12:57, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Some thoughts and questions

Great news I've been looking for something like this for ages but it seemed few wanted to act upon it!WOuld such a project make it possible to have better location maps in infoboxes? FOr instance rather than set pin maps high quality ones. I've been brwising google maps recently and it has developed very well recently where in many places you can zoom in and then explore streets in a sort of virtual technology. Does anybody anticipate that we could also develop our own high quality satellite maps and have this feature. Also google now have the option to display wikipedia article son the maps. Would we be able to also do this? I just think the wiki has massive potential and we should be working towards developing our own high quality and detailed mapping system. It could generate a lot more traffic towards us.

• Detailed street maps are available for most places with OpenStreetMap and feasible to include in Wikipedia articles. Though, OpenStreetMap is not complete for some places.
• For providing a satellite and aerial imagery mapping mode, we can integrate NASA WorldWind (see demos). WorldWind does have detailed aerial imagery of U.S. cities, but beyond that, it uses Landsat imagery which is not near as detailed as what is available in Google Maps. Some day, perhaps the OpenStreetPhoto projects will enable us to integrate more detailed imagery.
• A free version of Google's "StreetView" is not feasible at this time, however photos on Wikimedia Commons that have geocodes can be put on a map, as can geocoded Wikipedia articles.
• And, yes it would be possible to have better location maps in the infoboxes. Aude 17:12, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

There is also the idea to use small quadrocopter with cameras or other ways to generate images for Openarialmap. But I believe this need time and is the second step. --Kolossos 20:45, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

I think we should we working towards achieving this as soon as possible. Personally though I'd rather the project was called WikiAtlas..

Contact the French/German Graphic Labs

One of them, fr:Utilisateur:Yug, a French mapmaker and graphic artist from the French Wikipedia Graphic Lab, has posted a diary entry in OSM back in February suggesting this very OSM-Wikimedia coordination. I suggest you guys contact him to solicit his ideas. --seav 01:47, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

I'm here ! REady to Work ! Great to see that we all had the same idea : include OSM ! More, I wish to expand OSM, and to lobbying to make an 'Encyclopedic OSM' where all SVG maps currently on Commons may be imported ! Is that your idea ?? : ] Yug 19:30, 6 April 2009 (UTC) PS: Nice to see you Seav !

In StyleEditor, there is a style which is a draft of ‘Wiki Exchange map style’. You can already display this style on this page (need an account > Change style >> Research "Wiki" > Clic on "Wiki Exchange map"). I requested some further features, which will allow to create true 'wiki roadmap' ! hope this feature will come soon ! Yug (talk) 6 avril 2009 à 21:09 (CEST)

Using OpenStreetMap relations for geocoding from Wikipedia

Many articles on Wikipedia have coordinates pointing to the object described (en:Template:Coord). For large objects, for example hiking routes, this is not possible as they cover a large area. Linking to OpenStreetMap relations in addition to using coordinates would be a useful new feature for large objects. --Dwi Secundus 13:54, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

The German Wikipedia Template has a parameter for the extension of referenced objects, which is nice for objects like parks, buildings, etc., but problematic for objects having odd shapes, or rivers, railroads, etc. --Purodha Blissenbach 01:22, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

In my mind is the idea to expand the geocoding in Wikipedia with the way of Query-to-map. It should be possible to do it and also to integrate it into Wikipedia article directly. I hope this is close enough to your wishes. --Kolossos 09:55, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Highway articles and maps

Hey all. My thought is that the many road articles on wikipedia could be linked to their corresponding hgihway maps on OSM. I figure this will work best when the highway s have relation coding for each highway, which the map could be centered on. Each highway infobox could then just be updated to look for specific numbers and state/province/country names to get the right highway. It will probably end up easier and quicker to add relations to the OSM highways than for me to make the maps for each highway, and there would be more consistency across all highways. 25or6to4 06:07, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

I'd suggest to automatically compute the center, unless specified by authors, and to allow a clipping object, such as to draw a map of highway 101 inside Los Angeles, e.g. - Similar for railways, rivers, etc. --Purodha Blissenbach 01:34, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Like I mention above Query-to-map (Example) can solve this also for highway 101, but we need some further development to integrate it into wikipedia. --Kolossos 11:43, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Some Ideas

1. As a wiki the maps in Wikipedia should be editable, corrected, completed... with data in OpenStreetMap, Will the future system/extension provide a tool for editing the data (potlatch or the future version of OpenLayer), or a link to OpenStreetBug.
2. Data, in OpenStreetMap, can have localized names (name:fr=Cologne, name:de=Köln, name:it=Colonia, name:ja=ケルン), what in the different wikimedia projects, a common background and localized layers ?
3. Dream : Will the accounts be linked between Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap (I appreciate between wikimedia projects... )

FrViPofm 22:04, 18 April 2009 (UTC) (on OSM)

As to linking accounts: consider the Extension:OpenID, which either could use. --Purodha Blissenbach 01:28, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Geocoding Commons images with OSM

Directly at the upload it should be possible to Geocoding your images for Commons with the help of a OSM-map (inclusive heading parameter). --Kolossos 19:44, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Integration with wikitravel

1. Show, comment and rate restaurants, hotels and other places. Links directly from the map to the article
2. Let people add, comment and rate sightseeing tours
3. Add bus schedules and other interesting information

So where is it?

According to the page, full functionality is expected starting on 8 July 2009. We're several months past that now, so where is this 'full functionality' available? - Andre Engels 11:41, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

en:Template:OSM

Greetings people (and this page is very well hidden). I've been playing and done some cleanup to free up en:Template:OSM for OSM linking use. I've also been playing with relationships;

• en:Cambridgeshire Guided Busway: this links to an OSM relationship[1] that highlights the guided sections of the route and this is presented in the Infobox.
• en:London Heathrow Terminal 5: Following on from that, as an experiment I created a relationship[2] in OSM that selects closed areas to cover the objects used in T5, which works well but there's the question of where to put it.
• en:Helsinki tram system: I tried creating a single relationship[3] group in OSM for the whole of it (100 kilometres) ... this doesn't work as expected (sub-relationships aren't shown directly).

Thoughts welcomed if anyone is watching. —Sladen 00:38, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Open Street Map

Hi. I've done a lot of work to making pin maps on wikipedia from OpenStreetMap, recently I created en:Template:Location map Norway Oslo actually to display landmarks!! However I just came across the geohack on German wiki. When you click the geo globe on German wiki now it features on the open street map at different zoomable levels without having to leave the site. This would absolustely ideal for english wikipedia and end a long term disagreement over set pin maps and to provide the option for zoomable maps iwthin wikipedia itself. Could you please import the technology they are using on German wikipedia to display open street maps within the wiki site itself. This would be perfect and would mean we could probably not bother with the city pins. Would it be possible to display these zoomable open street maps within article infoboxes themselves? An example. See Harris Theater. If we had the zoomable open street map within the infobox theatre we would not need that pin locator. By default there could be none but a "Click map" option within the infobox. When you click it, it would then display the open street map zoomable as shown here [here. Can you do this? It would be extremely beneficial to us. Dr. Blofeld ^{White cat} 18:18, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

OSM data testing area

Hi, I'm a OSMapper. Because I think it's an important thing to connect OSM with wikipedia and i like the way this feature is implemented on the dutch wikipedia I added a lot of wikipedia-tags to OSM. I tagged all towns and municipalities (boundry level 8 an 10) in this province. In the centre of that province I tagged a lot of other thing. Mostly big things routes, rivers and area's (nature and stuf). I think this will make a nice testing area for however is working on software to integrate OSM-data in wikipedia. Quercus mortus (talk) 16:54, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

Update of project page

The wiki community set up this page in 2009 to explore collaborations between OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia projects. There are lots of ideas and practices here. While the ideas about culture, ethics, shared goals, and collaboration still apply, the presentation of older technology is a distraction because of obsolete development strategies. The article right now has a tag as being "historical", and this version of the article is historical. However, the relationship between OpenStreetMap and the Wikimedia community is more bright than ever. With new technology, maps from OpenStreetMap appear in Wikipedia articles, Wikidata and OpenStreetMap have structured data exchange, and contributors to both projects share culture from one to the other.

I am posting here to propose the development of this project page by splitting it into multiple pages. I propose a landing page which stays evergreen, then moving all the old content to an archive. Blue Rasberry (talk) 19:20, 12 December 2020 (UTC)

Community organization - commercial contributors - OSM and Wiki

I participate in all sorts of Wikimedia community events. I am not a regular participant in OpenStreetMap events, but I have joined a few online and in-person meetings since 2012.

Both communities have a goal of publishing free and open media through crowdsourced community development. Both communities have some connection to nonprofit organizations for some administration.

More experienced OSM volunteers could speak to this, but I want to share my own opinions of a difference in attitude of the wiki community as compared to the OSM community. Briefly, the wiki community creates a lot of barriers to prevent "conflict of interest editing" because of a long history of 100s of 1000s of marketers and advertisers trying to publish commercial content in Wikimedia projects. In contrast, the OSM community has been more welcoming of professional contributions. In OSM, contributing is more challenging than Wikipedia, and fewer people try to contribute. People who do contribute tend to have more professional skills in mapping and data management, and are less likely to be attempting low-quality advertising or promotion attempts. There are many examples of how paid professionals and the representatives of commercial mapping organizations have contributed to OSM in a constructive and welcome way with no particular bias that anyone has noted. There are no such friendly commercial collaborations which the Wikimedia community celebrates as a success or model to emulate.

Despite this, as a wiki editor, I am aware of the difference in OSM events and communication channels that the influence of commercial and paid editors is prominent. Paid editors request and receive many speaking slots at events, which puts their projects in front of everyone's eyes at the cost of attention to volunteer-led initiatives. Paid editors in OSM join community conversations and advocate for guidelines which benefit professional interests. Many times professional interests may match volunteer interests, but if in the future they do not, then I strongly prefer to keep the power with volunteer and community participants.

I am sharing this as an example to discuss in the context of https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Okapi

Okapi is a Wikimedia Foundation project which seeks to sell special access to the Wikimedia API to commercial players. My perspective of Wikimedia Foundation descriptions of this relationship are that commercial organizations will give money to the Wikimedia Movement, and otherwise, there will be no cultural changes to anticipate.

I question this, because when there was commercialization of OSM, that was a cause of major cultural changes. Communicating with a corporate representative is not at all like communicating with a volunteer. Corporations are tireless in seeking their interests. The Wikimedia community is not prepared to discuss corporate negotiations or to advocate for itself in case of conflict between corporations and volunteers. There are lessons to learn from OSM, and I would not want for the wiki community the kind of corporate relationships that exist in the OSM community.

I am posting here in Meta-Wiki on the project page for OpenStreetMap because I feel that the Wikimedia relationship to OSM is a good window for the Wiki community to consider what is possible when a volunteer community network gets an influx of commercial players seeking data to monetize. Thanks. Blue Rasberry (talk) 19:38, 12 December 2020 (UTC)