Just a super quick question about helping to update the map locations.
Between StreetComplete and Organic Maps, which is faster for submitting recommended changes to the OSM team in regards to things like business hours, etc…
StreetComplete, definitely. OrganicMaps is better for navigating. But you can also just try them both out :)
I’d say Organic Maps is quicker, if you know a specific information at a specific place needs to be updated, whereas StreetComplete is better for finding out where on the map information is still missing.
So, StreetComplete basically sends you on various ‘quests’ to check information on-site. It’s more intended, if you’re generally interested in contributing, but makes it rather fun to do so.
In my experience StreetComplete is almost real time. As soon as you close the app it adds all of your changes I think. I’ve never tried it in Organic Maps but I imagine it’s similar
Usually your edits will go straight to the map! There are people that work on tools and foundations of the map data but when it comes to the data itself WE are the OSM team!
Recommended changes are done via map notes. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can turn them on on openstreetmap.org to see what I mean
@SomeAmateur @Adderbox76 @openstreetmap
I think in its usual setting StreetComplete uploads as soon as you make it (if you have an internet connection). It can also be set to upload when you reach WiFi or manually.
You don’t “submit changes to the osm team”, you are actually editing the live map. Reviewers can revert changes, but there isn’t some process a change must go through, everything is live. Most apps don’t use the live data, but regular snapshots of it, that’s why it seems like there is some processing behind the scenes, but it’s up to the renderers and apps, not by osm.
Answering your question: OM is an app for navigation, and using the map, functionality for contributing data is very minimal and limited. SC is an app for contributing, nothing else, e.g. you can’t plan a route there. If you want to contribute, use SC. If you just navigating with OM and notice something is missing, use OM, if it’s quicker than opening another app.
Some more details on the update frequency of services and maps I use:
- After you upload something, it changes the database instantly.
- Things getting data directly from there should also update near instantly, like when you download in JOSM.
- The update delay of the raster map on openstreetmap.org depends on the zoom level. More zoomed in tiles update near instantly, lower zoom levels are updated weekly, monthly. Coastine is a special element, it doesn’t update with others, as it’s really resource intensive. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Coastline
- Queries on Overpass-turbo.eu have a delay of 6-10 minutes.
- Afaik StreetCompete quests are near instant, at the time you download them, but the base map updates only monthly, I read this in some forum, not sure.
- Organic maps usually monthly. Map updates are tied to app updates, so sometimes they miss some month.
- Magic Earth usually monthly, but sometimes they skip one or two. It’s annoying for me, because I use this for car navigation usually. The streets I use frequently are perfect now, but once I made a typo accidentally on a destination sign, and I fixed it some days later as I noticed while driving there, but ME didn’t updated its map for like 3 months after that, and I was always reminded to my typo I already fixed, ahhh…
- Osmand defaults to monthly updates, but if you pay for it or download the foss version or you are a frequent osm contributor you can get live updates up to hourly frequency: https://osmand.net/docs/user/personal/maps-resources#osmand-live
I wrote this from memory, so it may be not 100% up to date, please correct me if I’m wrong
Editing with Organic Maps can lead to duplicates since it update maps once a month. StreetComplete shows the current database so you are sure you won’t upload duplicate POIs.
