Why this matters

In disasters and other connectivity outages, people on the ground often see road blockages, landslides, bridge damage, or other map-relevant changes before reliable Internet access is restored. Traditional reporting channels fail when cellular networks are down or overloaded.

This post shares a community-oriented experiment: using a LoRa mesh (Meshtastic) to send simple field reports from phones (via Bluetooth to a LoRa device) to a gateway that later publishes them as OpenStreetMap Notes once Internet is available.

Scope & safety: this is not an emergency response system. Please do not include personal data (PII) or life-critical requests. The goal is to support mapping workflows.

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What we built (high level)

OSM Mesh Notes Gateway turns offline messages into OSM Notes:

1. A field volunteer carries a GNSS-enabled LoRa device (e.g., T‑Echo) and connects their phone via Bluetooth using the Meshtastic app.
2. They send a short message starting with #osmnote.
3. The message travels across the LoRa mesh to a node connected by USB to a Raspberry Pi gateway.
4. The gateway validates that the device’s last GNSS fix is recent (for mobility), queues the report if offline, and creates an OSM Note when Internet is available.
5. The gateway replies by direct message (DM) with an acknowledgement and privacy reminder.

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Key ideas that make it work in the field

### 1) GNSS recency checks (mobility-aware) Because position updates and text messages may arrive separately in a mesh, the gateway uses the latest known GNSS position per device and enforces strict time thresholds (e.g., 15s ideal, 60s max) to avoid placing notes far from the real location (especially in vehicles).

2) Store-and-forward queue

If the gateway has no Internet, reports are stored locally (SQLite) and retried periodically. Users get a local queue ID like Q-0007.

3) “Queued → published” notifications

… See full entry

Dear all,

With this post I have the pleasure to share with you that the Missing Maps initiative has a brand new website!

👉http://www.missingmaps.org

The site has been renewed with a fresh design and you can now explore upcoming mapping events, read stories on our blog, and more!

I’ve always loved the old website, which was launched with the foundation of the Missing Maps in 2014, it however started to gradually break down with a lot of functionalities becoming rather non-functionalities.

Thanks to this renewal process:

• we have a completely fresh design!
• you can find out what projects Missing Maps member organisations could use help with,
• you can (again!) explore upcoming Missing Maps events - they are pulled in via OSMCal,
• we can post (again!) new stories on our blog - read for sure the newest post we made!
• you can browse learning materials and different ways to get involved,
• and more!

Feel free to explore our new website and let us know if you have any thoughts or find any bugs. You could leave a comment in response to this diary or directly submit an issue via GitHub.

… See full entry

Occasionally, I simply scroll through the map on openstreetsmap.org. A year ago, I became aware of the area around Sa Pobla, a Spanish town on the Balearic island of Mallorca. I noticed that, apart from the basic infrastructure, relatively few landcover features had been mapped. Since I had little experience with this and wanted to learn about basic things like fields and tracks in OSM, I started mapping everything that could be seen in the aerial imagery south of Sa Pobla: farmland, water ponds, tracks, roads, buildingy, orchards, etc.

I always tackle a small area that is bounded by surrounding roads. So I mapped my way clockwise around the town, extending the area northwards to the motorway. Then I planned to map the town of Búger and all its houses and began mapping my way towards it. It was rewarding and motivating to be able to see the area I had mapped in much greater detail rendered on openstreetmap.org the next day. Last year, I even had the opportunity to visit Sa Pobla on vacation!

Over the last quarter of a year, I have mapped my way further east to the large wetland area Parc Natural de s’Albufera de Mallorca.

I have left the town of Sa Pobla out for the time being, as mapping buildings in densely built-up areas has not really fulfilled me so far. It is not easy to identify the clear boundaries between houses using aerial imagery, and it is very time-consuming.

Speaking of which, I mostly use Bing, as it has the best aerial imagery available for this area. If I need a different exposure for details, I switch to Mapbox or ESRI. It is a little unsatisfactory that large areas of the town of Sa Pobla, which is at the center of my activity, are not mapped for now. But that will take some time…

Starting in 2026, I slightly adjusted my daily routine, particularly around my weeklyOSM-related activity. Instead of passively consuming updates, I began actively scanning for news by lurking in several regional OSM online groups. Occasionally, genuinely newsworthy discussions emerge there.

One such case appeared today in the OpenStreetMap Braga (Portugal) Telegram group.

In the aftermath of Storm Kristin, which recently hit Portugal, multiple OSM-driven humanitarian initiatives surfaced. These efforts focused on mapping damage, identifying locations that require assistance, and highlighting places offering help.

At some point, the discussion shifted toward the need for a truly offline mapping application. Connectivity issues in affected areas appeared to render many OSM-based emergency platforms ineffective, simply because they still depend on an active internet connection.

This resonated with my own experience. I have built several “half-offline” OSM-based applications before. They are only partially offline because they store coordinate data locally in the user’s browser, while the application code itself and the OSM map tiles still require network access.

That led to a straightforward question: if we want a truly offline application, shouldn’t the map tiles themselves also be stored locally in the browser? Storing coordinate data is already trivial, but what about images? BLOBs? Is this feasible at scale?

While I was still thinking through these constraints, someone in the same Telegram group announced that an offline emergency platform had already been built. Naturally, I was curious and tested it by toggling my network connection on and off.

The result was clear: the application remained accessible offline.

… See full entry

At SOTM EU I gave a demo of how to use the OSMF vector tiles with custom tiles for detailed information on a feature. In the demo I showed walls, focusing on the material of the walls.

This is an expanded explaination, focusing on the example of trees and forests.

Starting point

I start with the guide on switch2osm, building a style file to serve locally on http://127.0.0.1:8000. I then serve the release directory with a HTTP server. With simple stuff like this I tend to use node’s http-server with npx http-server release -p 8000 --cors -c-1

Making tiles with tree layers

I’m using Tilemaker to make the tile layers. This is a easy way to generate tiles but can’t be updated minutely.

I need a config file and a process file. The former tells tilemaker what layers there are, the latter takes OSM objects and adds them to the right layer

config.json

{
"layers": {
    "tree_points": { "minzoom": 10, "maxzoom": 14 },
    "tree_lines": { "minzoom": 10, "maxzoom": 14 },
    "tree_areas": { "minzoom": 6, "maxzoom": 14 }
},
"settings": {
    "minzoom": 6,
    "maxzoom": 14,
    "basezoom": 14,
    "include_ids": false,
    "compress": "gzip",
    "name": "Tree example",
    "version": "0.1",
    "description": "Sample vector tiles"
}
}

process.lua

node_keys = { "natural=tree" }
way_keys = { "natural=tree_row", "natural=wood", "landuse=forest" }

function node_function(node)
    if Find("natural") == "tree" then
        Layer("tree_points", false)
    end
end

function way_function(node)
    local natural = Find("natural")
    if natural == "tree_row" then
        Layer("tree_lines", false)
    elseif natural == "wood" or Find("landuse") == "forest" then
        Layer("tree_areas", true)
    end
end

I can now run tilemaker from the command line with ~/osm/tilemaker/tilemaker --input planet-latest.osm.pbf --output release/trees.pmtiles. The tiles takes my computer about 10 minutes to generate for the whole planet.

Using pmtiles

… See full entry

I fell down the rabit hole, learning about OSM, in order to port the map into a video game called Farm Simulator. They suggested I just rip it, and add what I want unsaved before I port, then realized I might as well just contribute to this neat open source database! I actually find it quite satisfying, and hope I’m helping. I’m not sure how long I’ll stick around, but I’m already at the max contribution…

The weather’s not been great around here, so I’m keeping myself busy (and out of harms way) by updating OpenStreetMap – there are lots of missing buildings here and there, and a few missing pathways and trails.

I’ve been focusing on the Ely, Caeru, and St Fagans areas in Cardiff as I’ve a particular interest in their history (see my previous posts). My aim is to add more detail to the woodland areas, especially the locations of hidden historical sites and secluded trails.

There are lots of buildings throughout that also need re-aligning, with the last edit for many being sixteen years prior! I’ll continue to chip away until everything’s up to date – given the horrid weather, I shouldn’t run short on time!

Merci de signaler si observation de polluants organiques ou chimique sur les rivières et lac sur les communes de Mazamet,pont de larn, aiguefonde, aussillon . Cela me permettra de signaler a l’OFB, et la fédération de pêche merci d’avance cordialement

I’ve been editing and modifying things on OpenStreetMap for about a year now, which is just insane to me!

I had never thought I’d make it to this point. At first, I was trying to modify a village and make it look a little better, but now, I can modify a lot of places.

If I showed my account to myself a year ago, he wouldn’t believe me.

Of course, this is still not my job. I’m still incredibly busy with life, which might make it harder for me to modify things on this platform, but I still enjoy my time here!

Thank you, guys, for reading this! I really appreciate your time here!

Peace.

• Emerucha

… railway departure boards in pubs.

A surprising number of pubs near stations in the UK have them now. The picture above (a detail from this Manchester Evening New article) is from the Victoria Tap in Manchester.

A search of the OSM data in the UK** finds a few, but I’m sure that there are more. A web search finds a bunch of suppliers, and many of their “here’s what you could have in your pub” examples are clearly in the southeast and southwest of England, so I’m sure that there are more to be mapped!

** That’s a simple postpass query:

{{data:sql,server=https://postpass.geofabrik.de/api/0.2/}}
SELECT osm_id, tags, geom 
FROM postpass_pointpolygon
WHERE tags->>'amenity'='pub' 
AND tags->>'departures_board' is not null
AND geom && {{bbox}} 

e.g. A place called “FooBar” should show up when you search for “Foo Bar”, or “Foo & Bar’s” should appear for “Foo and Bars”.

Note the space, ampersand, and apostrophe which may affect a search engine but are not pronounced in spoken English.

Is there a tag that the search engines pick up where I can put those variations? I notice that CoMap’s search engine is pretty good, but the search on openstreetmap.org is a little more strict.

Exactly a year ago I summed up the results in diary of my work on the script, it’s time to do it again.

You can view existing features of the script and install it on GitHub (⭐️ welcome :) or in the OSM Wiki

🛰 Custom map layers

Can be configured in the right side menu or by pressing shift + S.

Satellite images are finally working in Chrome.

It is now possible to customise not only backgrounds, but also vector styles shift + V (but there is a caveat for Chrome users )

… See full entry

I just created OpenMediaMap, an openly-editable map of old photo (pre-1930) locations.

I thought some fellow OSM editors who are also interested in history may find this cool. I also chose to use OSM as the background for the site.

Anyone can add a photo from any source whatsoever, and the goal is to build a visual historical map of how our towns and neighborhoods once looked.

Give it a look and perhaps add a few photos to the map! Feel free to provide suggestions for improvements, as well. :)

Here is the link: https://openmediamap.com/

江田島は人口が少ないからわかるけど地図が全く更新されてなくてびっくりしました。 今まででもう50個ぐらい修正しました。 これからよろしくお願いします。

Model buildings along the grid, after each grid add accessible parking and crosswalks, levels, addresses, alltheplaces, and wikimaps, then adjust roads and add streetside and zoning. I will later add lanes

add street lamps, check sidewalks, and add street signs and fences

add businesses ect.

survey area to find missing details

add neighborhoods to Evansville, each added once that neighborhood is complete

add neighborhoods to Newburgh, likely no borders only points

For the German regions of Sachsen-Anhalt and Niedersachen, I thought there are probably all buildings mapped. At least those called Einfamilienhaus or Reihenhaus.

But I found that with the following overPass query, many potential spots for missing buildings data can be found:

way["landuse"="construction"]({{bbox}});

And because of that my change set statistics of today is as follows:

Edited on 2026-01-27:

• 2281 nodes
• 404 ways
• 1 relation

Most used tags for nodes:

1. natural (371)
2. addr:housenumber (48)
3. addr:street (48)
4. addr:postcode (46)
5. addr:city (46)
6. entrance (36)
7. addr:country (26)

Most used tags for ways:

1. building (319)
2. landuse (22)
3. highway (16)
4. amenity (9)
5. addr:postcode (9)
6. addr:city (9)

Conclusion

Many buildings have been added (and some trees 🌳👼) in Niedersachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt.

But as the query suggests, there are still some construction sites which can be investigated. Probably this “trick” is already known to hardcore-mapper ;)

এই ম্যাপিং কার্যক্রমে রাজশাহী জেলার বাগমারা উপজেলার নাগা বাজার এলাকাকে কেন্দ্র করে মাঠপর্যায়ের তথ্য ব্যবহার করে OpenStreetMap হালনাগাদ করা হয়েছে। এতে নাগা বাজারের নিকট অবস্থিত একটি ইসলামি শিক্ষা প্রতিষ্ঠান (মাদ্রাসা), অবস্থান ও প্রাসঙ্গিক ট্যাগ যুক্ত করা হয়েছে, যা স্থানীয় শিক্ষার্থী ও পথচারীদের জন্য সহায়ক হবে।

Second day of “quick” weekend project.
Frankly, I’ve run out of interesting things to map around my immediate surroundings. During the holiday season I travelled around the countryside and noticed long stretches of cycleways running alongside highways, occasionally featuring benches, bins, and similar roadside infrastructure. On one trip I tried mapping a rural street using EveryDoor, but the result was similar to summer cycling: frequent stopping dropped my average speed by 10–15 km/h.

I needed a solution where I could mass-save coordinates while moving, and deal with proper mapping later. Vespucci’s copy-paste workflow is probably the closest thing in the OSM ecosystem, but it still requires first tagging a node, then tapping the correct spot on the map. If the map is accidentally dragged, follow-position mode is disabled, and changing the type of copied element requires tagging a new node.
After concluding development I was suggested OsmAnd may support something similar.

I’m android user, so the problem was phrased as “Is there some Android app with a super fast UI for saving coordinates?”

A quick search showed that virtually no existing apps allow bulk bookmarking of unnamed unorganised coordinates My intention was save location something i could later properly map from aerial images. Most apps seemed to require at least 2-3 taps to save position, often with typing bookmark name.

Functional requirements

For time estimates and comparison I used my typical summertime EveryDoor mapping experience. Potential mapping-assisting app should consider these points:

… See full entry

La mia proposta è in fase proposed

osm.wiki/Proposal:Civil_Protection_Areas

https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/rfc-proposal-civil-protection-areas-emergency-waiting-area-shelter-area-staging-area-rescue-logistic-entry-rescue/141031

Le Mur des réformateurs (ou Monument international de la Réformation) est désormais mieux cartographié et libellé en OSM.

Ce résumé décrit les divers éléments d’OSM dans leur état actuel (25 janvier 2026) et fournit des liens, bien que les détails aient pu changer depuis. Il précise également les champs (ou “tags”) utilisés pour donner ces informations.

Dans OSM, il y a 5 groupes d’éléments:

• 1 élément pour l’ensemble

• 10 éléments pour les statues

• 8 éléments pour les bas-reliefs avec les inscriptions monumentales

• 4 éléments pour les pierres commémoratives

• 1 élément pour le bassin

Restent à préciser les armoiries (Genève, Berne, Ecosse).

Statues

Il y a le groupe central:

• Guillaume Farel

• Calvin

• Théodore de Bèze

• John Knox

Les statues situées sur les côtés sont, à gauche (face au mur):

• Gaspard de Coligny

• Guillaume le Taciturne (Willem van Oranje)

• Frédéric-Guillaume, le Grand Electeur (Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg)

à droite:

• Roger Williams

• Oliver Cromwell

• Etienne Bocskay (Bocskai István)

Les bas-reliefs et les inscriptions monumentales

Il y a 8 bas-reliefs associés aux statues, sous des inscriptions monumentales. Sous chaque relief, il y a un titre descriptif. A gauche et à droite d’un relief, il y a une citation ou une inscription (latérale). Les noms des personnes représentées dans les reliefs sont notés dans le relief.

… See full entry