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I did tech work and tech education in two developing countries so here is what think.

You should listen to some of the other posters and get your feet wet to see about volunteering in a disadvantage local community in any tech capacity. The developing world is gonna to be orders of magnitude worse than the first world ghetto in terms of resources and poorly executed or vaporware jobs done by predecessors. Also, most people up to the most high in a developing country are going view any type of computer professional as an expert in all IT skills so this local volunteering could help you learn to wear the hats. Check out http:idealist.org to get a local gig.

If you want to get a feel for what the computing environment is in a low resource country without reliable power or broadband, check out this white paper http://www.inveneo.org/2014/07.... The organization Inveneo does well-reputed work as a network and systems integration partner in third world countries. You can also look at the large organizations such as MSF, UN, Partners in Health, US-AID, CARE, VSO and try to apply to the IT area for a job or a volunteer. The paid jobs are going to weight past volunteer experience in a developing country pretty strongly.

But from you talked about, you are interested in the software side. Developing nations generally don't have good electrical power or networking so those type of professionals are more in need than software professionals. I think if you want to get job doing that a combination of any volunteer experience in a developing country, and a remote contribution to a major humanitarian open source project would be the way forward. Software projects to watch that receive attention in the global development scene are http://www.ushahidi.com/, Humanitarian Open Street Map Team, http://hot.openstreetmap.org/ and Open Medical Record System Open MRS. http://openmrs.org/

Good thing we have OpenStreetMap which just keeps getting better and better.

We actually have a wiki page about that exact issue. We have worked on this quite a bit to work out the best way to tag the roads in Africa to handle the huge variety of what they have there. It really makes you appreciate the infrastructure that the developed world has when you see how difficult it would be to travel in these parts of the world.

-AndrewBuck

Not starting a flamewar. Both Google Maps and OSM have their place. But if I was an Indian, I would donate my time to OpenStreetMap so that everyone can profit from the data instead of just one American company.

You could consider donating server space and bandwidth to Openstreetmap projects. There's a wiki for OSM but it's quite confusing at times. Then there's Nominatim, the name search; it requires lots of computer resources. Open source routing from OSM data can be done with OSRM, which is quite fast.

Perhaps extracts of OSM data for downloading would be nice, eg. just roads, waters; see what's already available.

You could consider donating server space and bandwidth to Openstreetmap projects. There's a wiki for OSM but it's quite confusing at times. Then there's Nominatim, the name search; it requires lots of computer resources. Open source routing from OSM data can be done with OSRM, which is quite fast.

Perhaps extracts of OSM data for downloading would be nice, eg. just roads, waters; see what's already available.

You could consider donating server space and bandwidth to Openstreetmap projects. There's a wiki for OSM but it's quite confusing at times. Then there's Nominatim, the name search; it requires lots of computer resources. Open source routing from OSM data can be done with OSRM, which is quite fast.

Perhaps extracts of OSM data for downloading would be nice, eg. just roads, waters; see what's already available.

You could consider donating server space and bandwidth to Openstreetmap projects. There's a wiki for OSM but it's quite confusing at times. Then there's Nominatim, the name search; it requires lots of computer resources. Open source routing from OSM data can be done with OSRM, which is quite fast.

Perhaps extracts of OSM data for downloading would be nice, eg. just roads, waters; see what's already available.

You could consider donating server space and bandwidth to Openstreetmap projects. There's a wiki for OSM but it's quite confusing at times. Then there's Nominatim, the name search; it requires lots of computer resources. Open source routing from OSM data can be done with OSRM, which is quite fast.

Perhaps extracts of OSM data for downloading would be nice, eg. just roads, waters; see what's already available.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Nominatim#Reverse_Geocoding_.2F_Address_lookup ?

If you can't read the scaled-down map reproduced from the report in the linked blog post, you can either look on p. 54 of the PDF, or else here's the site on OpenStreetMap. It appears it's not just that they're being given permission for the launches, but also that they're being given use of the land: the approved launch site is Texas state-owned land in Boca Chica State Park, which they'll be allowed to construct a facility on, and use for a certain number of days/year.

agreed - it would be really great if you could add it :)
or, if you don't feel that you could figure out how to do it, you can also add a note for somebody else to potentially review : http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes

Here's a list of about 100 Android apps which use Open Street Map...
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/...

And, of course, navigation:
https://play.google.com/store/...

Holy Crap! I just tried Beta. It's pretty bad. I wouldn't call it as horrifying as some, but it is really quite bad from a design perspective.

But here's my main complaint: You can't read comments without Javascript enabled. Javascript is really cool, it's great for creating dynamic web pages. Things like OpenStreetMap have made my life fundamentally better when doing dynamic content perusal.

But there's a gap there; reading a comment tree is not dynamic content perusal. I click my desired mod level, then read the entire tree without any changes. Occasionally I pop open a new tab to reply to an existing comment, but that is rare enough that it can be done with static pages.

I don't enable Javascript by default, and I don't enable it on sites that don't need it. It's a security thing, like not leaving services running that you don't need. It's also about not chewing up memory and CPU for dancing baloney.

The value of Slashdot is the community comments. That is why I come here. It is why I spend so much time carefully crafting and editing comments that I hope will add to the experience for others (and often censoring my more bile-laden knee-jerk responses that would make it a more combustible environment).

Like so many members of the Slashdot community, I put a lot into making this a place that people like to visit. And I am happy for Dice to make a profit selling ad space on the comments that my community creates, in exchange for playing host. That's a pretty good trade all around. Don't fuck it up.

Programs that work with OSM data are abundant. True, some better than others. There are nice pages in the OSM wiki about various mobile OS'es, like Android or iOS which list all applications available for those platforms (at least all applications that someone put the effort in to make a OSM wiki page for it and add the correct tags).
For simple navigation, there is a choice of pickings. If you want realtime data like Waze or TomTom gives, I don't know if that's available yet, but the biggest problem with that is infrastructure and the cost associated with that. That's probably why Waze was sold to Google. Just try to set up and maintain a serverfarm that does live traffic reporting and you'll know.

Programs that work with OSM data are abundant. True, some better than others. There are nice pages in the OSM wiki about various mobile OS'es, like Android or iOS which list all applications available for those platforms (at least all applications that someone put the effort in to make a OSM wiki page for it and add the correct tags).
For simple navigation, there is a choice of pickings. If you want realtime data like Waze or TomTom gives, I don't know if that's available yet, but the biggest problem with that is infrastructure and the cost associated with that. That's probably why Waze was sold to Google. Just try to set up and maintain a serverfarm that does live traffic reporting and you'll know.

Try this: GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/r...

Looks like the only difference is that OSM gives us more information.

Way to cherry pick your area:

https://www.google.com/maps?q=...

http://www.openstreetmap.org/r...

You're jumping to unwarranted conclusions. OSM usually has better detailed and more accurate data than Google Maps. Don't take my word for it, though - look for yourself: OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr...

You're jumping to unwarranted conclusions. OSM usually has better detailed and more accurate data than Google Maps. Don't take my word for it, though - look for yourself: OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr...

You're jumping to unwarranted conclusions. OSM usually has better detailed and more accurate data than Google Maps. Don't take my word for it, though - look for yourself: OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr...

You're jumping to unwarranted conclusions. OSM usually has better detailed and more accurate data than Google Maps. Don't take my word for it, though - look for yourself: OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr... OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#... GMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/pr...

OpenStreetMap identifiers are not stable (at least according to a 2011 post), which makes reusing and linking OpenStreetMap data a bit challenging. Did that change?

Here's a map showing the vicinity of the city in which they're located (Winthrop, Iowa). I'll let you guess how many options there are for broadband internet there...

In addition to uMap, you might look into MapBBCode.

Really? OpenStreetMap can have speed limits and turn restrictions, and also where restrictions are enforced. I'm wondering how you concluded that "obsolete by design" and "lack of planning" applied to OpenStreetMap.

Really? OpenStreetMap can have speed limits and turn restrictions, and also where restrictions are enforced. I'm wondering how you concluded that "obsolete by design" and "lack of planning" applied to OpenStreetMap.

Really? OpenStreetMap can have speed limits and turn restrictions, and also where restrictions are enforced. I'm wondering how you concluded that "obsolete by design" and "lack of planning" applied to OpenStreetMap.

Admittedly the OSM website is still not really ready for enduser visitors. The google search is much more tolerant and "intelligent" (also because they have your whole search history in their archives and know who you are), but you do get results in OSM for Seattle if you know how to ask the right questions. Instead of a simple "Starbucks" you have to ask for "Starbucks in Seattle", see here:
http://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=starbucks%20in%20seattle#map=11/47.6082/-122.3421

Can said bike lane exposure be verifiably tagged?

And use Open Street Map http://www.openstreetmap.org/

Somehow I envision a Wikipedia of maps, with boundaries and street names changing at random if two groups can't agree. Sure it may not happen in downtown Topeka, but imagine to geo-edit wars that will happen in the Middle East or other disputed territory.

It's happened on rare occasions before.

But relative to the total amount of mapping going on, the amount of edit-warring is truly insignificant.

a) contact those users, try to find out (politely) what they are doing;
b) if that does not work, contact osm data working group, let them know your concerns : http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Data_working_group

Try Starbucks Seattle. Turns out there are a bunch of them. Yeah, not even close to as nice as defaulting to finding things right nearby your location, but not completely useless, either.

This is fine for avoiding Ford's intrusiveness, but now you're giving Google access to all your travel data.

MapQuest is also free, and does an infinitely better job than Google Navigation at routing around traffic. Or you can pay for the navigation apps that each cellular carrier sells... since they are very easily able to track you, anyhow, you're not giving them much extra info.

You can also get OsmAnd~ for Android with off-line maps, which is invaluable when you go off-route in the mountains or middle or nowhere where cell signals are iffy or nonexistent. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OsmAnd#Download_.26_Installation

at some point, I'll have to try a linux gps map and see if its as good as the commercial ones. would be nice to have a fully open source gps system in my car

There is GpsDrive and navit for navigation engines and UIs. I have played around with navit some on a raspberry pi and you can load maps from Open Street Map into it. I would suggest checking OSM for some locations you are familiar with to get a better feel for the accuracy of open source maps. In my experience it depends on the the users in a given are, if they are like myself they will map out almost everything they can, if there aren't many users or ones who aren't obsessive things might not be as up to date.

OSM?

and you can also help by mapping the region with the openstreetmap humanitarian team :

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Typhoon_Haiyan_(2013)

this should help rescue teams and relief workers

Not posting it publicly since it's literally next to my house. Plenty of examples here though http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Catalog_of_Errors.

Posting from work, so no login...

While it's not quite a game, volunteers from Openstreetmap have been helping in various disaster scenarios in the past and present by taking images aerial photography and turning them into usable (and potentially editable) maps for the people on the ground.

Take a look at the OSM HOT project (especially the effort in Haiti after the earthquake).

As far as i know there is no ship routes trough the northern arctic sea.

Not all the way across it from Europe to Asia, no. But the western portion of the Arctic near the Atlantic, i.e. far-northern Norway and far north-western Russia, is actually ice-free year round. That's why Murmansk is strategically important to Russia, as an ice-free port where access to the sea isn't controlled by the narrow straights between Sweden and Denmark.

You've added them to http://www.openstreetmap.org/ already presumably?

It would normally take anywhere between 2-20 minutes before you see any changes in the main map. Even longer depending on your browser cache settings.

One way to speed up viewing the result render is to, after sumitting your edit, open up a single .png-tile which covers your changes, add "/dirty" to the URL and hit reload after 5-6 seconds.

In Chrome, simply right-click --> Open image in new tab, then go URL in new tab and add "/dirty". Example: http://c.tile.openstreetmap.org/16/34723/19063.png/dirty
This works well for zoom levels 16-18 and also for lower levels, albeit a little slower.

Agreed the history tab needs work; some devs are working on just that, I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/lxbarth/diary/19185
http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/2013-January/065556.html

Agreed the history tab needs work; some devs are working on just that, I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/lxbarth/diary/19185
http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/2013-January/065556.html

osm history viewer is quite nice, although fairly cumbersome to use at this time : http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_History_Viewer

What I would like to see is better history viewing. on wikipedia it is quick to see if a page has been edited recently and by who. obviously this is a harder problem for a map. clicking history on openstreet map does not show much of use (right in the middle of an inland city i am seeing edits like "Update harbour tags ").

This is a much requested feature (#6) and progress is apparently being made on it...

there are various routing and similar applications. maybe you can find something you like at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Software

As the fine article notes, this feature has been in openstreetbugs for a long time, and has been actively used to fix issues in my area.

As for 1 million registered users, yeah right. Only if you include "users" who have never contributed anything, users who used to contribute but don't any more, and users who were blocked from contributing by the licence change. Their own stats suggest there's around 8000 contributors in any given month, so saying they've got 1 million "registered users" means nothing.

Of course, there are lots of "users" of the map who don't need to register, but those numbers are more difficult to get at.

There is some information on these as they relate to OpenStreetMap on the OSM Wiki - http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Copyright_Easter_Eggs