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In 2010, I started “How did you contribute to OpenStreetMap?” (HDYC) as a fun side project. Even after more than 15 years, it is still great to see that this website is being used by so many people from the OSM community and even in academic research.

Some features were implemented based on community feedback. Others were simply features I thought might be useful, so I just built and deployed them without much prior discussion. From time to time, I also like to draw inspiration from GitHub and other platforms. That is how the first version of the heatmap calendar on HDYC came about back in 2016, to make mapping activity more visible. More precisely, on August 5, 2016: greetings to Harry, even though we have never met in person. Since early 2025, a similar calendar has also been integrated into the default OSM profile page. Like the one on HDYC, it shows editing activity by weekday over the last 365 days.

For many people in the OpenStreetMap project, however, it is not just about mapping itself, but about many other activities around the project. That is why I decided to implement a new version of the calendar on HDYC. In this first version, it is called “OSM Activity.” In my view, this makes it easier to quickly see when a user was particularly active — not only in mapping itself, but also in other OSM-related activities such as changeset discussions or note handling.

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What does the calendar show? In addition to daily changesets, there are now also categories for:

• map edits
• changeset discussion comments
• note activity

The individual calendars on my server are no longer updated through a database trigger whenever a user contribution comes in, but instead through a job that runs every five minutes. So please do not think of the calendar as a live monitoring tool. If there is a strong need for that, I can still add it, but I wanted to reduce the number of triggers in my data processing.

For many years, there was also repeated interest in having an “OSM streak” shown on my site as a motivational indicator for mappers. The OSM Streak website already exists, but I decided to calculate this metric myself. As a result, the website now shows not only a contributor’s current streak, but also their longest streak. Since an OSM infrastructure outage or maintenance can interrupt a streak through no fault of the user, the following days are excluded from the calculation: 2006-05-03, 2009-04-18, 2009-04-19, 2009-04-20, 2010-07-02, 2012-04-02, 2012-04-03, 2024-12-16. If a day is missing here due to maintenance or a similar issue, please let me know.

What’s next? The HDYC website currently still includes detailed charts showing the frequency of contributions by day and by hour. I plan to remove these two charts soon, unless there are major objections from the community that strongly favor keeping this information.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this project was created with the idea of making as many aspects as possible of a member’s OSM contributions visible. My guiding principle was always to evaluate and display everything contained in the OSM data. However, recent technological developments have made me reconsider this approach. We should not make ourselves fully transparent online. My future direction will therefore be to focus more strongly on current user statistics — for example, the last 14 days or the last three months — instead of showing the full activity of the past 20 years by default.

The recently added username history has therefore been limited to username changes from the last three months. I received several messages from users asking for this, especially because earlier versions of their username included their real name.

Happy mapping!

3 hours ago

Yesterday marks the start of my Open Street Map contributions. Pikmin enthusiast. But more importantly, a food, culture and cuisine person.

15 hours ago

Nearly six years ago we introduced the “flex” output in osm2pgsql version 1.3.0 and then improved it over the years adding more and more functionality. About a month ago OpenStreetMap-Carto, the iconic OSM map style switched to using the “flex” output in version 6.0.0. And now the OSM Foundation has finished their gradual rollout of the new version. So the most important user of osm2pgsql doesn’t need the old “pgsql” output any more.

That switch has been eagerly awaited by the osm2pgsql maintainers, because it means we can start planning to retire the old “pgsql” output in earnest. This will allow us to remove a lot of code and simplify other parts of osm2pgsql making it easier to maintain and improve in the long term. We have already marked the “pgsql” output as deprecated with version 2.0.0 released in 2024, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The old “pgsql” output will not go away immediately, but it will also not be available forever. If you are still using it, start migrating your styles.

a day ago

Hello, I’m Aidan Kaita Saka from Tanzania 🇹🇿. An active youth mapper dedicated to improving maps for my community. I enjoy contributing roads, buildings, places, and useful local information to help people navigate better. Proud to support OpenStreetMap and community development.

a day ago

09/04/2026-15/04/2026

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[1] From Coordinates to Wall Art: Stylised Map Posters Online | © Yousuf Amanuel | map data © by OpenStreetMap Contributors.

Mapping

• Comments are requested on this proposal:
  • terminal=yes to consistently map freight terminals and better describe connected transport modes and handled cargo.

Mapping campaigns

• A new MapRoulette challenge in Germany uses Mapillary-detected traffic signs to identify and add missing access restrictions in OpenStreetMap. The initial focus is on German regulatory signs such as DE:260.

Community

• Raquel Dezidério blogged about her participation in ‘Mapping Together’, a virtual meeting of the MapYourGrid project, representing the Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development – IVIDES.org (Brazil). The overall objective of the meeting was to demonstrate the structure of Wikidata and discuss improvements to the connection between the MapYourGrid web map, Wikidata, and Wikipedia, which have been adopted to document objects related to the power distribution network map using OpenStreetMap. The project is maintaining the osm-wikidata-toolset repository on GitHub and invites you to map what is missing for your country on OSM.
• A message from CasGroenigen on the OpenStreetMap Community forum warned of possible incorrect OSM edits related to a Pokémon GO event targeting specific landscape types. Mappers are encouraged to monitor their areas and check suspicious changes using tools such as OSMCha.
• On Mastodon users have discussed open-source Android apps for cycling, including OsmAnd, CoMaps, BikeRouter, and FitoTrack. The conversation also highlighted a request for a dedicated cycling layer in CoMaps.
• Pierre-Yves Beaudouin tooted ♦ that OpenStreetMap is now available as an official icon in FontAwesome. This makes it easier to integrate OSM into web applications and designs.
• rphyrin noticed that MapComplete’s recent new feature of adding pictures to reviews is very relevant to a September 2025 discussion thread by boramalper regarding a crowd-sourced review service for OpenStreetMap.
• Andy Townsend explained how vector tile processing performance can be improved by reducing data volume, for example by delaying the display of smaller features. The changes halved tile sizes and highlight the importance of cartographic generalisation for both performance and readability.
• Christoph Hormann examined the development and use of tags related to the key waterway in OpenStreetMap. Despite regional differences and ambiguities, the analysis shows that the classification, which has evolved over time, remains widely used and functional.
• Ruslan Fatih, an OpenStreetMap contributor from Kazakhstan, shared ♦►♦ how he got into OpenStreetMap (and why ‘scary maps’ turned out to be the most useful hobby).

Imports

• Sweety_Kumar stated on the OpenStreetMap Community Forum that students from IIT Delhi propose importing hydrology data from the CoRE Stack project, such as watersheds and water bodies, into OpenStreetMap. The ultimate goal is to improve accessibility further to enable analysis and collaborative enhancement within the OSM ecosystem.
• The Kanach Yerevan initiative has proposed importing around 11,000 mapped urban trees into OpenStreetMap, based on volunteer field surveys. The dataset includes species and size information and is planned to be integrated gradually following import guidelines.

Events

• Bastian Greshake Tzovaras presented how CoMaps can be used for humanitarian use cases with the open technology and innovation working group of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap. The presentation slides are available online.
• The State of the Map Baltics 2026 conference will take place on Thursday 4 June in Riga, bringing together the OSM and GIS communities from Northern and Eastern Europe. Participation is free and talk submissions are encouraged.
• thapa prativa reported on Nepal’s Inclusive Mapping Week 2025; at the inaugural event there were over 400 participants who learned, mapped, and collaborated with OpenStreetMap. A key focus was humanitarian mapping and the encouragement of women’s participation in the geospatial space.

Education

• More than 20 students from a high school in Pesaro (Italy) have mapped their town in OpenStreetMap as part of a school project, making over 30,000 edits within two months. The initiative was proposed by their teacher Galessandroni to promote local mapping through hands-on contribution.

Maps

• The OpenStreetMap Ops Team reported that the standard map layer on openstreetmap.org is now running OSM Carto version 6.0.0 (we reported earlier).
• Daniel Dufour wrote, on his LinkedIn account, about the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority Route 4, a web map created with OpenStreetMap, MapTiler, JavaScript, and maplibre, which traces a route with its stops and buses. The source code is available on GitHub.
• Steven Feldman has published a map gallery on the KnowWhere portal, showcasing a series of experimental mapping projects. Each project includes reflections on what worked, what didn’t, and tips for others creating their own maps.

OSM in action

• Hans on the Bike showed that KLM uses OpenStreetMap data in its onboard displays for in flight map visualisations.
• mackerski described how he used ChatGPT to record GNSS track logs directly from a car browser to map the Dublin Port Tunnel. He worked in collaboration with Guillaume Rischard and the solution was tested on a Tesla model 3 and a Volvo XC90. The experiments show that even without GNSS signals, dead reckoning can produce useful data, and highlighted potential improvements to the OSM track logging workflow.

Open Data

• The New York MTA has released new open datasets on bus routes and stops, which they have combined with speed data to analyse and visualise bus traffic flow in detail.

Software

• The BRouter project, a configurable OSM offline router with elevation awareness, announced an upcoming server migration introducing the new lookups.dat version 11.1, additional pseudo-tags, a modernised library, and improved elevation data. The changes can already be tested on a preview server, with a new app version also planned.
• CoMaps has received a trust score of 9.6 from European & Open Source Alternatives, making it one of the top-rated map alternatives alongside OpenStreetMap.
• Oliver Wipfli reported on the progress of the open-source Mapterhorn project, which provides global terrain data as PMTiles and is now widely used (we reported earlier). The pipeline uses Copernicus GLO30, a global 30 m resolution dataset, as a baseline and refines it with local models. A new grant from the NLnet Foundation (which distributes funding from the EU Commission) will improve the pipeline to include open aerial imagery, as an extended project titled ‘Mapterhorn Imagery’ .
• OpenTrafficMap is a new project with a focus on visualising real-time data from traffic signals and C-ITS-enabled vehicles on top of OpenStreetMap. The current focus is on Graz (Austria), where a higher density of tracked signals and vehicles are already available.
• The OSRM API documentation has been refreshed with a cleaner design that provides easy navigation and covers all six OSRM services: Route, Table, Map Matching, Trip Planning, Nearest, and Tile. OSRM is a high performance routing engine for OpenStreetMap data and one of the most widely used in the world.
• The GNOME Maps project is working on displaying public transport delays using the Transitous and MOTIS APIs. In addition to scheduled times and real-time updates, status indicators will be taken into account. MOTIS is the acronym for the Modular Open Transportation Information System.
• Stadia Maps is offering a public preview of traffic-influenced routing based on OpenStreetMap, integrating real-time and historical traffic data. The feature targets use cases where accurate travel times, such as logistics and ride-hailing, are required.
• The ‘WillCycle GPS Art Generator’ allows users to turn drawings into real-world routes by matching them to roads and paths. It uses BRouter and OpenStreetMap data to generate GPX tracks for creative cycling routes.

Programming

• Cláudio Tereso demonstrated how OpenStreetMap data can be integrated via the Overpass API into Power BI to create interactive maps of wild swimming locations. Photos and additional information are also included.
• Thomas Derflinger has developed a Docker container to run your own local Overpass API instance. This stateless Docker container keeps OSM data on your host file system, while providing all the tools needed for data conversion and querying. It includes a simple shell script to download and ingest OSM data and it also runs on Raspberry Pi 5. The container does not implement updates from OSM. We reported on Roland Olbricht’s Docker container earlier and both Kai Johnson and Wiktor Niesiobędzki have their own versions.
• wielandb’s StreetComplete pull request proposed a new quest to capture the direction in which bicycles may travel on separate pavements and cycleways. The approach considers country-specific rules and visible signage to avoid incorrect data.

Releases

• [1] Ralph Straumann presented Terraink, a web application for creating stylised map posters based on OpenStreetMap data. It offers extensive customisation options for layout, colours, and content, targeting users who want to design unique maps for print or social media.
• Version 3.16 of OpenMapTiles brought improvements to the transportation layer, including better road connections, additional path information, and enhanced styling for roads and railways.
• Version 2026.04.07-8 of CoMaps updated OSM data and fixed several crashes, including issues with routing and edit uploads. It also introduced map style improvements, such as better road and tree visibility, and additional POI information.
• The April update of Organic Maps introduced elevation profiles for hiking and cycling routes, improved address search (especially in the US), and enabled seamless map rendering across the anti-meridian.
• MapComplete announced several new features, such as adding pictures to place reviews, a colour-coded maxspeed theme, and updates to the cycle-infra theme.
• Yohan Boniface has released version 3.7.3 of uMap. This update addressed an issue that occurred when cloning maps, where layer relationships were not copied correctly. In addition, a minor bug in the Docker configuration was fixed, so that nginx is now ready to use right away.
• OSRM version 26.4.0 brought multiple improvements, including enhancements to routing profiles (e.g., better handling of cycleway=* and sidewalk=* tags) plus various stability and build fixes. It also modernised the release process with automated monthly releases and a new versioning scheme.
• Marcus Jaschen reported that Bikerouter’s shortlink and QR code service has been migrated to a new server and that a new web service for generating route preview images has been developed. Both changes prepare for an upcoming feature: a built-in route manager that will allow you to store, organise, and restore planned routes on the server.
• Version 2.0 of Transportflow has been released ♦►♦, introducing a ‘radar’ feature that shows areas reachable by public transport within a given time. It is based in part on OpenStreetMap data alongside timetable and real-time information.
• Alexis Lecanu (aka ravenfeld) released version 1.21.0 of the Baba app, introducing automatic screen orientation based on camera sensors. This improves usability when capturing images, e.g., for Panoramax.
• Tiri, an independent developer based in Germany, reported on the OpenStreetMap Community forum that he is building Xopoz, an Android GNSS team tracking app for professional field teams, such as mountain guides, search and rescue volunteers, NGO field operations, and adventure tour operators. The app is built entirely on OpenStreetMap data with zero Google dependency and the geolocations are end-to-end encrypted.

OSM in the media

• The City of Seattle has temporarily removed its official bike map PDF in the wake of new accessibility requirements, according to an article on the Seattle Bike Blog. The article highlighted OpenStreetMap as an alternative, which offers more detailed and up-to-date cycling infrastructure and is continuously improved by the community.

Other “geo” things

• Attila Bátorfy wrote about Dutch ‘cartocubism’, a forgotten attempt to simplify maps from the interwar period.
• The website trainjazz.com uses subway train geolocation data to create a dynamic soundscape, where each train represents a musical note. The result is an ever-changing composition that even adapts to the user’s geolocation. Jake Z commented on kottke.org that there is a 10 year old application similar to this called Conductor, on mta.me, developed by Alexander Chen, where the New York subway system is turned into a string instrument.
• Brilliant Maps has published their ‘Map of Asia Made Up of its National Animals’. A similar map for European countries has also been published. Both maps were created by Ibis_Wolfieand and there is some discussion on Reddit about these maps.
• The article ‘Real Maps for Imaginary Places: a journey into the cartography of literature’, written by Neely Tucker and published on the Library of Congress’ website, highlighted how maps have long played a key role in literature, from Treasure Island to The Lord of the Rings. These maps help readers understand fictional worlds spatially and make the stories more tangible.

Upcoming Events Country Where Venue What When ♦ Milano Building 4A, Room Fassò – Politecnico di Milano PoliMappers Maptedì ♦ 2026-04-16 ♦ Freiburg im Breisgau CCCFR, Adlerstr. 12a, Freiburg (Grethergelände) OSM-Treffen Freiburg/Brsg. ♦ 2026-04-16 OSMF Engineering Working Group meeting ♦ 2026-04-17 ♦ Potsdam Kellermann Potsdamer Mappertreffen ♦ 2026-04-17 ♦ Golem, Avane, Empoli Mapping Day ad Empoli ♦ 2026-04-18 ♦ Dijital Bilgi Derneği OSM-TR Meet-Up – OSM League Pit-Stop ♦ 2026-04-18 Mapping Resilience Across the Yamuna Basin (UN Mappers & The FOSS Club India) ♦ 2026-04-19 ♦ Chennai Corporation Mapping Party @ Chennai ♦ 2026-04-19 ♦ Liège ULiège-RISE Understanding the OpenStreetMap ecosystem ♦ 2026-04-20 Missing Maps London: (Online) Mid-Month Mapathon [eng] ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Lyon Tubà Réunion du groupe local de Lyon ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Derby The Brunswick, Railway Terrace, Derby East Midlands pub meet-up ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ City of London The Globe pub, Moorgate London pub meet-up ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Bonn Dotty’s 199. OSM-Stammtisch Bonn ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Chemnitz Kaffeesatz, Chemnitz OSM-Stammtisch Chemnitz ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Online Lüneburger Mappertreffen (online) ♦ 2026-04-21 ♦ Richmond Richmond, VA USA Capital One TPM Summit Global Mapathon ♦ 2026-04-23 ♦ Bratislava Prírodovedecká fakulta UK Bratislava Missing Maps mapathon Bratislava #13 ♦ 2026-04-23 Presentacion de initiative piloto: Capitulos de ONU Mapas ♦ 2026-04-23 ♦ Richmond Virtual MapRVA Virtual Map & Yap with LaToya Gray-Sparks, VA DHR ♦ 2026-04-23 ♦ Catania Verso Coffice Modifichiamo Wiki e OSM insieme! ♦ 2026-04-23 UN Mappers Mappy Hour ♦ 2026-04-24 ♦ Rapperswil-Jona OST RJ See-Gebäude 6, Rapperswil (SG) 18. Mapathon & Mapping Party Rapperswil 2026 ♦ 2026-04-24 ♦ Pinneberg Hamburger Mapping-Spaziergang (in Pinneberg) ♦ 2026-04-25 ♦ Grad Zagreb Sveučilište Algebra Bernays, Gradišćanska ulica 24 State of the Map Croatia (DORS/CLUC 2026) ♦ 2026-04-25 ♦ Mumbai OSM Mumbai Mapping Party No.9 (Central Line) ♦ 2026-04-25 ♦ B of A – EC AM’s Mapathon -Global Service Month ♦ 2026-04-27 Missing Maps : Mapathon en ligne – CartONG [fr] ♦ 2026-04-27 ♦ Brno Kamenice 753/5, Brno, Kamenice 753/5, Brno Dubnový Missing Maps mapathon na Ústavu botaniky a zoologie ♦ 2026-04-27 ♦ Stadtgebiet Bremen Online und im Hackerspace Bremen Bremer Mappertreffen ♦ 2026-04-27 ♦ Kiel Mango’s, Kiel Kieler Mapper*innentreffen ♦ 2026-04-28 ♦ Wien Schlupfwinkel (Kleine Neugasse 10, 1040 Wien) 78. Wiener OSM-Stammtisch ♦ 2026-04-28 ♦ Berlin Online OSM-Verkehrswende #74 ♦ 2026-04-28 ♦ Hannover Kuriosum OSM-Stammtisch Hannover ♦ 2026-04-29 ♦ Düsseldorf Online bei meet.jit.si/OSM-DUS-2026 Düsseldorfer OpenStreetMap-Treffen (online) ♦ 2026-04-29 ♦ Essen Linuxhotel Essen FOSSGIS-OSM-Communitytreffen im Linuxhotel ♦ 2026-04-30 – 2026-05-03 ♦ Stuttgart Großraum Stuttgart MA1PING ♦ 2026-05-01 ♦ Augsburg Augsburger Linux-Infotag 2026 Workshop: JOSM – Java OpenStreetMap Editor – Eine Einführung ♦ 2026-05-02 ♦ Sovigliana-Vinci Mappando si Vinci! – 2 Maggio 2026 ♦ 2026-05-02 – 2026-06-02 ♦ Braunschweig Stratum 0 Braunschweiger Mappertreffen im Stratum 0 Hackerspace ♦ 2026-05-02 ♦ नई दिल्ली Jitsi Meet (online) OSM India – Monthly Online Mapathon ♦ 2026-05-02

Note:
If you like to see your event here, please put it into the OSM calendar. Only data which is there, will appear in weeklyOSM.

This weeklyOSM was produced by HeiGIT, Mateusz Konieczny, MatthiasMatthias, PierZen, Raquel IVIDES DATA, Strubbl, Andrew Davidson, barefootstache, derFred, jcr83, mcliquid.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

2 days ago

Translations into the following languages have been added:

• English
• German
• Italian
• Slovak
• Russian

There are a lot of German speaking people in OSM, so this should help :)

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Not much strings though :) There are also several validation messages, but there are just 32 lines total.

Just in case you would like to translate the plugin in any other language, here is the pot file.

We do not have any web UI for translations, but you can use PoEdit instead.

3 days ago

RETEX: My Journey into RTK

(text translated from my original entry in french using Chatgpt)

to be continued, perhaps:

• journal entry (coming soon): Existential questions about my encounter with Panoramax
• journal entry (coming soon): Mapping my village

I would like to point out that these journal entries are neither WIKI pages nor expert advice… They are simply accounts of lived experiences shared here for anyone who may be interested.

Why did I become interested in this topic?

During my urban recycling trekking (see previous journal entries), I photographed all the voluntary drop-off containers I came across, uploaded these photos to Panoramax, and added the Panoramax photo reference in OSM. This caused me no issues, as my goal was that, from the standard OpenStreetMap rendering layer, it would be easy (in this case, a simple click) to find the images.

I positioned the containers in OSM not based on the photo, but using aerial imagery and relevant environmental features (street intersections, buildings, etc.). This worked perfectly well until I noticed three things:

• when aerial imagery or the already mapped environment did not allow me to geolocate a container without hesitation, I sometimes went back to the geolocation embedded in the photo—and realized… that it placed my camera in the middle of a pond next to the road!
• when I discovered the “explorer” feature of Panoramax, I immediately checked the places where I had taken and published images. I then realized that the points with photos were rarely at the exact location of the container as I remembered it (nor at the exact shooting position).
• when I developed a small piece of software to process positioning streams emitted by OsmAnd to allow my family to follow me while hiking (Github oldnab OnlineTracker), I realized that without smoothing, the track was a sometimes chaotic polyline which still allowed people to know roughly where I was—within a few meters—but distorted any distance calculation (without smoothing, the polyline could produce a distance estimate off by more than 30%).

This realization will probably make most contributors reading this smile, but keep in mind that I had barely 6 months of experience on OSM, and the issue of “GPS accuracy” had never really struck me. I then looked into the subject and learned:

• that the GNSS antennas built into smartphones or cameras are of limited quality (to fit inside the device), which generally reduces the number of satellites properly received at any given moment, and therefore the reliability of positioning
• that, of course, the immediate environment (signal obstructions, reflections, etc.) disrupts satellite signals
• that even with a better antenna and a favorable environment, distortions caused by atmospheric traversal (which vary by location and time) affect signal processing (especially timing comparisons) and ultimately do not allow accuracy better than “within 5 to 10 meters” (unless one remains stationary, collects data over several hours, and then detects and compensates for atmospheric distortions through computation)

RTK principles from a layperson’s perspective

There is plenty of literature far better than what I could produce on the subject (Wikipedia, Centipede, etc.), so I will limit myself to a simplified introduction for beginners to the three main components:

• RTK Base: a reference point

  • Set up a reasonably good antenna and a suitable receiver on a fixed location.
  • Let this system compute (once) its position with centimeter accuracy using long measurements that detect and cancel atmospheric distortions.
  • Then let it perform regular measurements (every few seconds) to compute its theoretical position without accounting for atmospheric distortions, and thus determine (every few seconds), since the base knows its true position, the offset between actual and theoretical positions at that moment and location.
  • Use this offset/distortion calculation assuming that the distortion is roughly the same within a reasonable radius (a very good approximation up to ~10 km, very poor beyond ~40 km).

• RTK Rover: equipment requiring centimeter-level positioning

  • Equip a mobile setup (backpack, bicycle, car, agricultural machine) with a reasonably good antenna and a suitable receiver (so it can continuously receive at least a dozen satellites).
  • Provide this equipment with correction data computed by a nearby RTK base so it can apply the same corrections and thus eliminate atmospheric distortions specific to the time and place.

• RTK Network: the key to proper operation is, of course, having a base within reasonable proximity to any rover. This can be achieved either by installing your own bases in your working areas or by accessing networks of bases covering large territories. These networks may be open or private (with authentication and often paid access). In such a network, each base continuously reports observed distortions to a central distribution point (a “caster”). Each rover can then retrieve correction data from the nearest bases and apply it to its own positioning.

My choices

I quickly discovered the existence of the Centipede-RTK network, a collaborative and open-source RTK base network, fully aligned with the spirit of the digital commons ecosystem I had just entered through OSM: free, collaborative, open-source, open data. As of early 2026, the network includes nearly 1,200 bases, about half of them in France, covering most of the country. An active base is located about 15 km from my main mapping area (Villennes-sur-Seine), so I could reasonably rely on a rover connected to the existing network.

However, I did not hesitate long before deciding to install my own RTK base on the gable of my house and connect it to the Centipede-RTK network:

• it provides excellent accuracy in Villennes-sur-Seine
• it improves coverage southwest of Villennes-sur-Seine (previously somewhat lacking)
• it allows me to give back to the community some of what I benefit from through this free service

So:

• deploy an RTK rover (goal achieved in November 2025)
• deploy and integrate an RTK base into the Centipede-RTK network (goal achieved late November 2025)
• deploy a GoPro Max with the RTK rover (goal achieved mid-January 2026; see a future journal entry on Panoramax)

RTK Rover: choices, discoveries, learnings…

I’m somewhat of a geek as long as things remain intangible (math, software, etc.), but quite challenged when it comes to hardware (DIY, assembly, etc.). So I quickly ruled out building my own rover and directly purchased a commercial “surveying kit.”

Upon receiving it, I realized it did not match my needs: the kit includes an antenna and receiver, but also a survey pole with mounting options and a clamp system for attaching the receiver and a smartphone. I assume the idea is to plant the pole at the point to be geolocated and keep hands free.

I immediately stored the pole and mounting accessories in my garage (which I should not have bought if I had thought more carefully) and kept only the antenna and receiver.

I bought a telescopic photo pole and a threading adapter to mount the antenna, and placed it in my backpack (in the map/water pocket), leaving the receiver and a small 10,000 mAh power bank (more than sufficient) inside the backpack in a small plastic bag.

“Physical” observations

• if the pole is too thin, walking vibrations cause it to collapse and the antenna drops against the bag
• in all cases, a simple pole in a backpack has no lateral guidance and ends up leaning significantly left or right
• when I later added a GoPro, I used a second pole placed next to the first; both poles started oscillating laterally (sometimes in sync, sometimes not 🙂)
• the freedom of movement inside the backpack also creates unpredictable rotations around the vertical axis, which is not an issue for the antenna (symmetrical) but is problematic for GoPro images

The solution after several iterations:

Poles:

• for the antenna: 110 cm carbon handheld monopod
• for the GoPro: 2.7 m carbon GoPro pole (admittedly overkill, but since its collapsed length is 40 cm, I use it at ~1 m, avoiding vibration-induced collapse, and occasionally allowing higher positioning)

Lateral stabilization frame:

• bottom: dual-mount tripod plate
• top: two double pipe clamps (Ø22), connected with wire and tape

Rotation stabilization:

• add metal washers with locking tabs to prevent loosening

This frame, inserted into the backpack pocket, is perfectly stable. I position the GoPro 60–80 cm above the antenna to avoid interference with 360° images. Carbon poles prevent GNSS signal interference.

“Software” observations

• The receiver communicates via Bluetooth with the smartphone (free Lefebure NTRIP client), which connects to the Centipede caster (via IP) and injects positioning into the Android location API so all apps benefit from centimeter accuracy. The NTRIP client is not available on my de-Googled LineageOS phone—so I must use my Samsung phone… unfortunate, since it should technically work.
• The Samsung camera app produces erratic Exif positioning when NTRIP is active. The solution is simple: OpenCamera works perfectly.

RTK Base

Like the rover, I purchased a pre-assembled solution (from StephaneP, an OSM and Panoramax contributor).

The hardest part was physical installation. Not only am I not skilled in DIY, but I also have balance issues, so climbing a ladder was not an option. I hired a professional to mount the antenna on my roof gable, above the chimney and trees, then install the base in the attic and run an Ethernet cable to my fiber box.

He did not fully grasp the purpose (he understood precise positioning, but not why it needed to be continuous, since my house is supposed to stay put 🙂), but followed instructions and everything worked quickly.

Today the base is operational (Centipede-RTK station VLNS) and clearly useful to others—which was the goal.

Final thoughts

Base operational, rover operational.

Walking around with a backpack topped by two poles—one with a flying-saucer-shaped antenna, the other with a GoPro—sometimes attracts questions. I ended up creating a small flyer (tri-fold A4) answering three questions: “What are you doing?”, “Who do you work for?”, and “Why are you taking images?” It has been quite successful.

I also learned that I am taller with my setup than without (indeed!)—and tree branches or porches do not grow to compensate… So:

• watch above your line of sight
• position the GoPro sideways (to avoid unexpected impacts on lenses)
• even sideways, do not place the power button forward (a branch once turned my GoPro off)

And returning to RTK: remember that centimeter accuracy still requires satellite reception and IP connectivity (to query the caster), so nothing works in tunnels (typically short when walking). Therefore, once out of a tunnel, pause briefly to allow the NTRIP client to resynchronize and reposition.

These RETEX (feedback) journal entries describe my beginner choices, hesitations, discoveries, and questions. They reflect only my experience and are not WIKI entries. Some of these choices were discussed on the France forum, but not all. I remain open to comments and do not claim to provide recommendations here.

4 days ago

Gemeinsam hacken, mappen und Ideen teilen

Beim Hackweekend Berlin 04/2026 kommt die OpenStreetMap Community zusammen, um in entspannter Atmosphäre gemeinsam an Ideen zu arbeiten. Ein Hackweekend ist kein reiner Programmier Marathon. Es ist ein offenes Treffen, bei dem neue und erfahrene Leute zusammenkommen, sich gegenseitig helfen und am Ende konkrete Verbesserungen mitnehmen.

Wir danken Wikimedia Deutschland herzlich für die erneute Gastfreundschaft: für die Räume, die gute Arbeitsatmosphäre und die tolle Verpflegung.

Die Beispiele aus diesem Wochenende zeigen die Bandbreite sehr gut. Es ging um kleine, nützliche Tools für Events wie Platzmonitor oder Abfahrtsmonitor, um Daten und Darstellung wie externe WMS Layer in BBBike oder einen Rust Renderer im Browser, und genauso um Austausch und Mapping Themen rund um Micromapping und Strassenraumdetails. Du kannst an deinem eigenen Projekt weiterarbeiten, dich an etwas dranhängen oder einfach erst mal zuschauen und Fragen stellen.

Wenn du neu dabei bist, reicht oft schon ein Laptop und Neugier. Du kannst aber auch ganz ohne Technik mitmachen, zum Beispiel beim Mapping, Testen, Dokumentieren oder einfach im Austausch. Hilfreich sind ein OSM Account und, je nach Themengebiet, Smartphone oder Kamera, aber notwendig ist das nicht. Vor Ort gibt es kein festes Programm, stattdessen entstehen spontan Aufgaben und Mini Sessions, und jemand findet sich fast immer, um dich beim Einstieg zu unterstützen.

Wenn du die naechsten Termine nicht verpassen willst, beobachte die verlinkte Wiki Seite oder osmcal.org.

Das nächste Hackweekend in Berlin wird am 24. und 25. Oktober 2026 stattfinden.

Im Folgenden sind einige der Themen gesammelt, an denen gearbeitet wurde.

Lars: Platzmonitor und Fahrplan Druck

• github.com/gislars/platzmonitor erstellt, um freie Plätze für Workshops und Exkursionen auf der FOSSGIS Konferenz anzuzeigen

♦

• github.com/gislars/fossgis-fahrplan-druck kleinere Änderungen, unter anderem in config.js ausgelagert
• Mobile Version mit Favourite Funktion: gislars.github.io

♦ Christopher: Abfahrtsmonitor für die FOSSGIS Konferenz

Abfahrtsmonitor für die FOSSGIS Konferenz:

• github.com/britiger/fossgis-abfahrtsmonitor

♦ Christian (Jaller): Kassenbondrucker und MapSCII

Wir hatten einen Kassenbondrucker vor Ort und natürlich haben wir darauf Karten gedruckt:

♦ MapSCII

MapSCII ist ein Braille und ASCII Renderer für das Terminal. Ein grosser Wunsch ist es, aktuelle Karten in MapSCII anzuzeigen. Der offizielle Server hat einen Kartenstand aus 2016 ohne Chance auf Updates von der ursprünglichen Quelle.

Dank Pull Request 155 von ionmeo gibt es nun die Option, auf einen topaktuellen Datensatz von OpenFreeMap umzusteigen. Der Pull Request wurde an dem Wochenende gelesen und freigegeben. Ein weiteres Ziel war es, den Quellcode nach TypeScript zu übersetzen.

Aktionsplan für ein neues Release:

• github.com/rastapasta/mapscii issue 159

Murphy (StrangeGirlMurph): Mapping und Diskussionen

• Kleistpark weiter gemappt
• Fahrradwege in der Kolonnenstrasse hinzugefügt
• Fotogrammetrie diskutiert

Wolfram: BBBike Map Compare mit externen WMS

BBBike Map Compare ist ein spezialisiertes Kartentool, mit dem man verschiedene Online Karten direkt miteinander vergleichen kann.

Neu ist auch die Einbindung externer WMS Services. In der Admin Console lassen sich zum Beispiel Karten aus Geoportalen einbinden und neben oder über eine OpenStreetMap Karte legen. Das funktioniert mit allen gängigen WMS Servern.

♦ ♦ Oliver: Geldautomaten Layer in der Obstbaumkarte

Geldautomatenlayer in obstbaumkarte eingebaut, auch zur weiteren Verwendung als Vektortile Layer in geldautomaten-suche.org.

Dazu wurden mittels osm2pgsql zwei Postgis-Tabellen mit Geldautomaten und Geschäften, bei denen Bargeldauszahlungen vom Bankkonto möglich sind, angelegt. Für die Geldautomaten werden die OSM-Tags amenity=atm und atm ausgewertet. Für die Geschäfte wird der Key cash_withdrawal ausgewertet; außerdem wird über die Keys brand und operator festgestellt, ob das Geschäft zu einer Kette gehört, die Barabhebungen in ihren Filialen ermöglicht. Über eine Postgis-Abfrage werden Polygone herausgefiltert, die als Möglichkeit zum Bargeldabheben getaggt sind und zuzätzlich Geldautomaten oder entsprechende Geschäfte als Nodes enthalten. Das Ergebnis dieser Postgis-Abfragen wird als Mapbox-Vektotiles ausgeliefert und kann als Layer in andere Karten eingebunden werden. Auf diese Weise werden die Daten zu Bargeldabhebemöglichkeiten zusammen mit den Kacheln der Hingrundkarte in den Client geladen, so dass sich eine Abfrage über die Overpass-API erübrigt. Der Vorteil dieser Vorgehensweise ist, dass auch Informationen für große Gebiete angezeigt werden können. So lassen sich Geldautomaten und Geschäfte auch auf niedriegeren Zoomstufen darstellen (hier ein Beispiel für Zoomlevel 9 ). Ein nächster Schritt könnte z.B. sein, clientseitig durch Auswertung der Öffnungszeiten tageszeitabhängig zu filtern, so dass nur die Automaten und Geschäfte angezeigt werden, bei denen man zum Zeitpunkt des Aufrufs der Karte tatsächlich Geld abheben kann.

♦ Sven: Rust Renderer für area:highway im Browser

Experimenteller Rust basierter Renderer für area:highway und barrier=kerb, der per WebAssembly direkt im Browser läuft:

• github.com/svenpilz/highway_area_map

♦ Slaven: BBBike Optimierung, Converter und Bugfixes

• Fahrradstrassen Optimierung in BBBike, zunächst nur in der Desktop Anwendung, am Beispiel Bundesallee vs Handjerystraesse plus Prinzregentenstrasse
• Mapillary Vector Tiles nach BBBike Datenformat Converter
• Bugfixes
• Nominatim Issue zu problematischen neighbourhood und quarter Angaben in den Ergebnissen angestossen

♦ Alex: Austausch, QGIS Rendering und Modernisierung der Prozessierung

• Viel Austausch zu Micromapping, Mapping von Strassenraumdetails und Diskussionen über Vibe Coding
• Experimente mit komplexen Rendering Reihenfolgen in QGIS, um Features auf oder unter Brücken abhängig ihres layer Taggings zu rendern. Die nächste Version der Strassenraumkarte soll übereinander liegende Features besser darstellen.
• Modernisierung der Prozessierung der Strassenraumkarte auf einen osm2pgsql plus SQL Stack. Arbeit an der Generierung von Strassenmarkierungen ging weiter voran.

♦ 4 days ago

Un petit tuto pour montrer comment importer du stationnement vélo issus d’une base de donnée en Opendata.

Ici la Communauté d’agglomération du Saint Quentinois vient de publier un jeux de données sur les aménagements cyclables.

www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/amenagements-cyclables-10

Avant de vérifier le linéaire avec OSM, on peut déjà importer les données ponctuels de stationnements vélo.

Avec QGIS, on importe les données, on vérifie leur homogénéités.

On peut suite traduire les champs et valeur en fonction de ce qui est attendu dans OSM.

exemple : champs “type” valeur ‘Appuis-vélos’ créer un champs “bicycle_parking” valeur ‘stands’ et on supprime ensuite le champs “type”

On supprime ensuite l’ensemble des champs inutiles dans OSM.

Dans QGIS, on importe également les stationnements existants déjà dans OSM, et on note bien les points en doublon, qu’il va falloir corriger après l’import.

Dans JOSM, on importe le fichier créer dans QGIS en .gpkg fichier - ouvrir

Puis on exporte après vérification.

Une fois importer dans OSM, on va retrouver les points en doublons et on effectue des fusions en prenant en compte les valeurs les plus à jours.

5 days ago

Accurate and precise updates

I’ve made excellent, accurate, and completely correct updates for o.s.m users in my area where I live, work, and spend most of my time. I’ve lived here for six years, I love my area completely, and I feel a true sense of belonging to it.

I’ve made the updates, but I don’t know when the new changes will appear in the map updates. There might be a delay in the update for some applications that use o.s.m.

6 days ago

The Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development - IVIDES.org® participated in “Mapping Together”, the virtual meeting of the MapYourGrid project

 

♦ MapYourGrid logo © 2026 Open Energy Transition (OET).

 

The Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development - IVIDES.org® attended the virtual meeting of the MapYourGrid project, represented by its Chairwoman, Dra. Raquel Dezidério Souto, who participated in the meeting to learn about the project and understand its infrastructure and logical model.

The overall objective of the meeting was to demonstrate the structure of Wikidata and discuss improvements to the integration between the MapYourGrid web map, available at mapyourgrid.org/, and the Wikidata and Wikipedia structures, which are used to document objects related to the power distribution network mapped using OpenStreetMap.

You can see here the mental model of a workflow to this connection which was elaborated by Norman, Lacombe and other meeting attendees.

The connection with Wikidata is one of the MapYourGrid project’s strategies and aims to link objects mapped in OSM to their corresponding Wikipedia pages. You can follow the short guide to see what’s missing in your country and then map those on OSM.

The organizers are committed to empowering individuals, communities, and nations around the world to map their countries’ power grids. They invite interested individuals to participate in the next meeting, which will take place in two weeks; you can view the project agenda.

♦

♦

Important note: IVIDES.org® and IVIDES DATA® are registered trademarks. To keep contact: ivides [at] ivides.org | ivides.org  

6 days ago

Membantu orang hendaknya ikhlas, dan tidak mengharap pujian atau apresiasi dari orang lain. Bantulah dengan bantuan yang terbaik. Dan tidak perlu kita mengungkit-ungkit bantuan yang kita berikan, berharap balasan dari ALLAH subhanahu wata’ala semata. Caranya mudah, bantuan yang engkau berikan itu ibarat yang engkau keluarkan dipagi hari. Dengan begitu engkau akan lupa, tidak ingat bantuan apa yang telah engkau berikan kepada orang lain

♦

6 days ago

All that’s left is things like power poles, fire hydrants. But every building has a shape now. Every thing that has an address is now on the map.

I know in a month or so I will have to go back and adjust 2nd at Windfeldt as a new sidewalk is being put in. It’s about 2/3 complete.

I started the mapping process on November 18. So five months to map my home.

13 hours ago

Descrição

Nos últimos 6 meses, mapeei todos os parcómetros e áreas de estacionamento pago com duração limitada na cidade do Funchal, na Ilha da Madeira, como parte do projeto Parking in Portugal. Em algumas edições, utilizei o hashtag #portugal-estacionamento.

Para este projeto, foram úteis o aplicativo de uso gratuito iParque Driver, que oferece um mapa que indica as ruas que têm lugares de estacionamento pago (coloridas dependendo da zona), e as imagens aéreas da Ilha da Madeira de 2023, de 10 cm de resolução. Com estas indicações, fui a pé a cada um dos parcómetros, tirei uma foto da informação do parcómetro, e, logo em casa, com ajuda das imágens aéreas, adicionei os nós dos parcómetros com a sua informação (com uma precisão de, como máximo, 3 metros) e desenhei as áreas de estacionamento, também com a sua informação. A imagem seguinte é um exemplo da informação disponibilizada em um parcómetro:

♦ (exemplo do nó osm.org/node/13568145429/.)

Zonas

O estacionamento pago com duração limitada na cidade é gerido pela empresa municipal Frente MarFunchal, que define, em conjunto com a Câmara Municipal do Funchal, 4 zonas, segundo as partes da cidade com mais movimentação de trânsito:

♦ (screenshot da página da wiki do Funchal.)

Há 108 zonas castanhas, 65 vermelhas, 21 verdes e 12 amarelas.

Áreas

Todas as áreas têm as seguintes etiquetas (exemplo da área osm.org/way/1393820495/):

access=yes
amenity=parking
capacity=6
capacity:disabled=no
charge=0.56 EUR/hour
covered=no
fee=no
fee:conditional=yes @ (Mo-Fr 08:00-20:00; Sa 08:00-14:00)
note=Parking in Portugal project: wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:Mikedld/Portugal/Estacionamento
operator=Frente MarFunchal
operator:website=frentemarfunchal.pt/
operator:wikidata=Q138600065
orientation=diagonal
parking=street_side
surface=asphalt
zone=castanha
zone:colour=brown

É preciso pagar das 08:00 às 20:00 de segunda-feira a sexta-feira e das 08:00 às 14:00 no sábado; no resto das horas e dias, é gratuito estacionar nestas zonas.

Foi possível adicionar detalhes, como as etiquetas orientation e surface, graças às imagens aéreas e de rua. A maioria das áreas são street_side. Nenhuma das áreas está coberta.

Infelizmente, não todas as zonas têm a etiqueta capacity, que seria útil para saber quantos espaços existem no total. No futuro, com a ajuda de aplicativos como StreetComplete, será fácil adicionar esta informação.

(Query do Overpass Turbo para analisar os dados: overpass-turbo.eu/s/2ocD.)

Parcómetros

Sobre os parcómetros, todos eles têm as seguintes etiquetas (exemplo do nó osm.org/node/13208674714/):

amenity=vending_machine
brand=Schlumberger
currency:EUR=yes
manufacture_date=2011
manufacturer=Schlumberger Technologies GmbH
model=Stelio
note=Parking in Portugal project: wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:Mikedld/Portugal/Estacionamento
operator=Frente MarFunchal
operator:website=frentemarfunchal.pt/
operator:wikidata=Q138600065
payment:app=yes
payment:coins=yes
payment:coins:change=no
payment:coins:denominations=0.05 EUR;0.10 EUR;0.20 EUR;0.50 EUR;1.00 EUR;2.00 EUR
payment:coins:min_payment=0.10 EUR
payment:notes=no
ref:PT:IPQ=301.25.98.3.29
ref:manufacturer=1263583
vending=parking_tickets
zone=castanha
zone:colour=brown

Com estes dados podemos saber factos curiosos, como que a maioria dos parcómetros foram fabricados em 1999 e que todos são da mesma marca (Schlumberger) e modelo (Stelio). Há 71 castanhos, 43 vermelhos, 15 verdes e 12 amarelos.

Nenhum parcómetro dá troco. O pagamento mínimo é diferente dependendo da zona. Os castanhos, vermelhos e verdes aceitam moedas de 0,05, 0,10, 0,20, 0,50, 1,00 e 2,00 euros, enquanto os amarelos não aceitam moedas de 2,00 euros.

Não foi possível encontrar o número de referência de cada parcómetro, pois não aparece em lado nenhum do parcómetro. Se estão referenciados, provavelmente é informação não pública.

(Query do Overpass Turbo para analisar os dados: overpass-turbo.eu/s/2ocE.)

Conclusão

No total, há 141 parcómetros, que acompanham a 206 zonas de estacionamento, como se vê na seguinte visualização:

♦

Pode aceder ao mapa interativo aqui: dld.sh/osm/parking/?rel=8421413.

Assim, podemos ver qual é a distribuição das zonas, quantos parcómetros costuma haver por cada área e quão perto estão das áreas.

Tem sido muito interessante e, sobretudo, divertido trabalhar neste projeto (é sempre bom fazer exercício e conhecer lugares novos 🚶). Agradeço ao @mikedld, que criou a página da wiki do projeto e investigou as leis e quais etiquetas são as mais adequadas para os parcómetros, além de ter criado (e manter) o mapa mostrado acima. 🙌

Há uma semana começaram a instalar novas zonas de estacionamento pago com duração limitada em duas ruas da cidade, por isso, o mapeamento continua! 😄🗺️

19 hours ago

Saya sedang memulai proyek untuk menambahkan tag name:id pada objek place=* di wilayah Jepang, Korea Selatan, dan Korea Utara. Tujuannya adalah mempermudah pengguna Indonesia dalam mencari dan mengenali nama tempat di Asia Timur sesuai dengan ejaan dan istilah administratif yang lazim (seperti Prefektur dan Provinsi).

Untuk saat ini, penyuntingan hanya dilakukan pada level Node. Objek berupa Relation (seperti batas administrasi) belum termasuk dalam cakupan kerja saya saat ini karena batasan workflow teknis.

Localizing place names (name:id) in Japan and the Koreas

I am starting a project to add the name:id tag to place=* objects in the Japan, South Korea, and North Korea regions. The purpose is to assist Indonesian users in searching for and recognizing place names in East Asia according to common spellings and administrative terms (such as Prefecture and Province).

For now, editing is only being performed at the Node level. Relation objects (such as administrative boundaries) are not yet included in my current scope of work due to technical workflow limitations.

a day ago

 

♦
I reached Hauxley again today, but this time I started from Alnwick and used the cycle path along the Aln Valley Railay to connect with NCN1 at Hipsburn. Parts of this route were on main roads. but traffic on a Sunday was fairly light, so didn't cause much of a problem. Along the coast there was a bit of a tailwind on the way out, and a headwind on the way back. Otherwise it was calm, dry, and mostly sunny. There were several walkers and cyclists enjoying the weather, and Amble was busy with the Sunday market on the quayside. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.  We regularly walk the path along the Aln Valley Railway, but it's a long time since I've cycled it, so that was a bit of novelty. To reach the railway on the return journey I had to climb the gradient from Hipsburn, past Alnmouth Station to Bilton. I anticipated that this would be too difficult for me to ride up. and expected a walk. But in the event I managed it. So that was a pleasant surprise. Also, hedges have now burst into life but they've been trimming them on the road to Warkworth Beach. As a result a wartime pillbox has been exposed. I've passed this numerous times, without noticing it. There are surprises even on familiar parts of a route. ♦

a day ago

Regarding Lougheed Highway in Coquitlam, BC, Canada: Nothing along Lougheed between Sage Place and Schoolhouse is accessible to foot traffic, but much of it claims to be, despite the significant danger. Lougheed appears to be editable in many sections, and I don’t know how to change the entire strip easily. Can someone help? Thank you!

3 days ago

♦

Because sometimes you want to see less rather than more, I created this. It’s the railway information from the existing transportation layer of the SVE01 schema, together with railway stations, places and water as needed for context.

One thing that it does is to distinguish between regular transportation railway stations and tourist ones.

Freight lines are de-emphasised (see here and disused and abandoned railways are shown in a barely-discernable grey.

The source of the style is here but that is just a subset of the “show everything” style for this schema here.

3 days ago

RETEX : RTK et moi

à suivre peut-être :

• entrée de journal (à venir) : Questions existentielles sur ma rencontre avec panoramax
• entrée de journal (à venir) : Cartographier mon village

Je rappelle que ces entrées de journal ne sont ni des pages de WIKI, ni des conseils d’expert … . Ce sont juste des comptes-rendus d’expérience vécue mises ici pour servir à toute personne intéressée.

Pourquoi me suis-je intéressé au sujet ?

Au cours de mon trekking urbain recyclage (voir entrées de journal précédentes), j’ai photographié tous les conteneurs de point d’apport volontaire que j’ai rencontrés, versé ces photos sur Panoramax et mis dans OSM la référence de la photo Panoramax. Cela ne m’a posé aucun problème, mon but étant qu’à partir du calque standard de rendu d’Openstreetmap, il soit aisé (en l’occurence un simple clic) de trouver les images.

Je positionnais dans OSM les conteneurs non pas à partir de la photo mais à partir de l’imagerie aérienne et des éléments pertinents de l’environnement (croisements de rues, bâtiments, …). Cela m’a parfaitement convenu jusqu’à trois constats :

• lorque l’imagerie aérienne ou l’environnement déjà cartographié ne permettent pas de géolocaliser sans hésitations le conteneur, il m’est arrivé de revenir sur la géolocalisation portée par la photo et de me rendre compte … que cela mettait mon appareil photo au milieu de la mare à côté de la route !
• lorsque j’ai découvert la fonction “explorer” de Panoramax, je suis tout de suite allé voir les endroits où j’avais photographié et publié des images. Je me suis alors rendu compte que les points avec photos étaient rarement à l’endroit précis du conteneur dans mes souvenirs (et pas non plus à l’endroit de la prise de photo).
• lorque j’ai développé un petit logiciel de traitement des flux de positionnement émis par OsmAnd pour permettre à ma famille de me suivre en randonnée (Github oldnab OnlineTracker ). Je me suis rendu compte que sans lissage, le trajet était une ligne brisée parfois chaotique qui n’empêchait pas de savoir où j’étais - à quelques mètres près - mais faussait tout calcul de distance parcourue (sans lissage, la ligne brisée peut fournir une indication de distance parcourue fausse de plus de 30%)

Il est probable que cette découverte fait sourire la plupart des contributeurs lisant ces lignes mais il faut se souvenir que j’avais à peine 6 mois de présence sur OSM et que cette question de la “précision GPS” ne m’avait jamais vraiment frappé. Je me suis alors intéressé au sujet et ai appris :

• que les antennes GNSS internes aux smartphones ou appareils photos étaient de qualité faibles (pour tenir dans l’appareil), ce qui réduisait en général le nombre de satellites correctement reçus à un instant donné, et donc la pertinence des informations de croisement
• que bien sûr l’environnement immédiat (obstacles aux ondes, réverbérations, …) perturbait les signaux satellites
• que même si l’antenne était de meilleure qualité et l’environnement très correct, les déformations induites par la traversée de l’atmosphère (variables selon le lieu et l’instant) faussaient l’exploitation des signaux (notamment sur les comparaisons temporelles) et au final ne permettaient pas une précision meilleure que “à 5 ou 10 mètres près” (sauf à rester immobile, prendre les données sur quelques heures et détecter et compenser alors par calcul les déformations atmosphériques)

Les principes du RTK vus par un béotien

Il y a toute une littérature bien meilleure que moi sur le sujet (Wikipedia, Centipède, …) et je me contenterai d’une présentation de / pour néophyte) des trois composants concernés :

• Base RTK : un point de référence
  • Positionner une antenne un peu sérieuse et un récepteur ad hoc sur un point fixe du territoire.
  • Confier à ce dispositif le soin de calculer (une fois) sa position au centimètre près par une longue mesure permettant la détection et l’annulation des déformations induites par l’atmosphère.
  • Puis le laisser faire des mesures régulières (toutes les quelques secondes) permettant le calcul théorique de sa position sans tenir compte des déformations atmosphériques et en déduire (toutes les quelques secondes donc), puisque la base connaît sa position réelle, le décalage entre réel et théorique à l’instant de la mesure et à l’emplacement de la base.
  • Utiliser ce calcul de décalage / déformation en considérant que cette déformation est certainement la même dans un rayon raisonnable (approximation très correcte jusqu’à 10 km, très incorrecte au delà de 40 km)
• Rover RTK : un équipement ayant un besoin de positionnement centimétrique
  • doter un équipement mobile (sac à dos, vélo, voiture, engin agricole) d’une antenne un peu sérieuse et d’un récepteur ad hoc (pour lui permettre de capter en permanence au moins une douzaine de satellites)
  • donner à cet équipement les informations de décalage calculées par une base RTK pas trop éloignée afin qu’il applique les mêmes corrections, s’affranchissant ainsi des déformations atmosphériques propre à l’instant et au lieu.
• Réseau RTK : la clé du bon fonctionnement est bien sûr d’avoir toujours une base à proximité raisonnable de son ou ses rovers. Ce but peut être atteint en créant et positionnant ses propres bases sur les zones d’usage ou en accédant à des réseaux de bases couvrant le plus large territoire possible, réseaux pouvant être d’usage libre ou privé (avec authentification et souvent alors payants à l’usage ou par abonnement). Dans le cas d’un réseau, chaque base informe en permanence un point central de rediffusion (un “caster”) des déformtions constatées à sa position. Chaque rover peut alors récupérer les informations de déformation des bases les plus proches pour les appliquer à son propre positionnement.

Mes choix

J’ai très vite découvert l’existence du réseau Centipède-RTK, réseau collaboratif et open-source de bases RTK, complètement dans l’esprit de la galaxie des communs numériques dans laquelle je venais d’entrer par la porte OSM : libre, collaboratif, open-source, opendata. Le réseau comprend début 2026 près de 1200 bases dont la moitié en France, couverte en quasi totalité. Une base active est à 15 km de ma zone de cartographie principale (Villennes-sur-Seine) et je pouvais donc raisonnablement me contenter d’un rover RTK appuyé sur le réseau existant.

Je n’ai cependant pas hésité longtemps à décider de mettre en place sur mon pignon de résidence une base RTK à joindre au réseau Centipède-RTK :

• cela m’offre sur Villennes-sur-Seine une excellente précision,
• cela augmente la couverture au sud-ouest de Villennes-sur-Seine (un peu faible)
• cela me permet de rendre à la communauté un peu de ce dont elle me fait bénéficier via cette offre libre.

Donc :

• mettre en service un rover RTK (objectif atteint en novembre 2025)
• mettre en service et intégrer au réseau Centipede-RTK une base (objectif atteint fin novembre 2025)
• mettre en service une Gopro Max avec le rover RTK (objectif atteint mi janvier 2026, voir une future entrée de journal sur Panoramax)

Rover RTK ; choix, découvertes, apprentissages …

Je suis un peu geek tant que cela reste immatériel (maths, logiciels, …) et particulièrement handicapé dès que cela devient matériel (bricolage, montage, …). J’ai donc repoussé toute idée de montage de rover par moi-même et ai directement acheté dans le commerce un “kit d’arpenteur”.
Dès réception, je me suis rendu compte que ce n’‘était pas mon besoin : Le kit d’arpenteur contient bien sûr une antenne et un récepteur, mais aussi une pique d’arpentage avec possibilité de fixer l’antenne et un système de fixation du récepteur et d’un smartphone (par machoire). Je pense que l’idée est de pouvoir planter la pique d’arpentage dans le sol au point à géolocaliser et de disposer des mains libres pour le reste des manipulations.

J’ai tout de suite remisé dans mon garage la pique d’arpentage et les systèmes de fixation (que je n’aurais pas dû acheter si j’avais réfléchi un peu) pour ne garder que antenne et récepteur.

J’ai acheté une perche photo téléscopique et un adaptateur de filetage pour fixer l’antenne sur la perche et ai glissé cela dans mon sac à dos (dans la partie prévue pour les cartes et / ou la poche à eau) en laissant le récepteur et une petite batterie externe 10.000 mAh (très largement suffisante) tranquillement dans le sac à dos dans un petit sac plastique.

Constats “physiques”

• si la perche est trop fine, les secousses de la marche la font se replier et l’antenne descend se coller au sac.
• dans tous les cas, la simple perche glissée dans le sac n’a aucun guide latéral et finit par se pencher à droite ou à gauche de façon marquée.
• lorsque j’ai voulu ensuite mettre en place aussi une Gopro, j’ai utilisé une seconde perche glissée à côté de la première de la même façon. Et les deux perches se sont mises à osciller latéralement de concert (ou non :) ).
• la liberté de positionnement des perches dans le sac à dos génère aussi des rotations d’axe vertical imprévisibles qui ne sont pas gênantes pour l’antenne (symétrique) mais le sont grandement pour les images Gopro.

La solution apportée après plusieurs essais : ♦ ♦ ♦

Perches :

• pour l’antenne : monopode de main 110cm en carbone
• pour la GoPro : perche Gopro carbone 2,7 m. Je reconnais que le 2 mètres 70 est très largement inutile (mais comme sa position non étirée fait 40 cm, je l’utilise autour de 1m, donc peu étirée et donc je n’ai aucun problème de repli progressif dû aux vibrations. Cela permet aussi occasionnellement de remonter assez haut la Gopro.

Cadre de stabilisation latérale des deux perches verticales :

• en bas : plaque de fixation des bases des perches : support de trépied à deux montures (fait pour appareil phote et flash, par exemple)
• en haut : deux colliers doubles de fixations pour tube plomberie Ø22. Les colliers enserrent les perches et sont reliés entre eux par fil de fer et chatterton

Solution de stabilisation de rotation :

• adjoindre aux rondelles de caoutchouc protégeant les deux fixations au cadre inférieur des rondelles métalliques avec petits ergots empêchant le desserrage.

Ce cadre glissé dans la poche à cartes du sac à dos est parfaitement stable. Je mets la Gopro 60-80 cm au dessus de l’antenne pour ne pas que celle-ci perturbe les images 360 degrés. L’usage de perches en carbone évite toute perturbation de réception des signaux GNSS par l’antenne (même située plus bas).

Constats “logiciels”

• Le récepteur discute en Bluetooth avec le smartphone (application gratuite Lefebure NTRIP client) qui assure l’intermédiaire avec le caster Centipede (via IP) et se glisse sous l’API de positionnement de Android afin que toutes les applications sur le smartphone ayant besoin de positionnement bénéficient sans effort de la position centimétrique. Le client NTRIP n’est pas disponible sur mon smartphone LineageOS dé-google-isé. Encore un cas où je dois utiliser mon Samsung Google-isé … . C’est dommage car il n’y a pas de raison qu’il ne fonctionne pas (en supprimant bien sûr le fait de se glisser sous l’API de positionnement).
• L’appareil photo Samsung détraque complètement ses positionnements (données Exif erratiques) quand le client NTRIP est en service. Pour le coup, la solution est simple : OpenCamera fonctionne parfaitement.

Base RTK

Comme pour le rover, j’ai acheté une solution pré-montée (auprès de StephaneP, contributeur OSM et Panoramax, contactable sur le forum OSM France). Aussitôt reçue, aussitôt testée et opérationnelle (mais non positionnée).

La partie la plus difficile a été son positionnement physique. Non seulement je suis incompétent en bricolage, mais en plus j’ai de gros problèmes d’équilibre et il est donc hors de question pour moi d’effectuer du bricolage en haut d’une échelle. J’ai donc dû faire appel à un professionnel pour monter l’antenne en haut du pignon de ma maison, au bout d’un mat la mettant au dessus de la cheminée et des arbres environnants (donc soudure de la fixation, peinture du mât - concession à mon épouse un peu circonspecte) puis positionner la base dans les combles et tirer un câble Ethernet jusqu’à ma box fibre. Il n’a pas très bien compris quel était le but (il s’est arrêté à l’idée que cela permettait de connaître de façon précise la position de l’antenne mais n’a pas compris l’intérêt de le faire en continu puisque ma maison est supposée être fixe :) ) mais il a suivi mes requêtes et tout a été OK rapidement.

Aujourd’hui la base est opérationnelle (station Centipede-RTK VLNS) et est visiblement utile à d’autres que moi (c’était le but).

Au final

Base opérationnelle, Rover opérationnel. Mes déplacements avec le sac à dos dont émergent les deux perches, l’une terminée par une antenne en forme de soucoupe volante, l’autre par une Gopro, attirent de temps en temps des interrogations de la part des personnes que je croise et j’ai fini par faire un petit flyer (A4 plié en trois) qui répond aux trois questions : “Que faites-vous ?”, “Pour qui travaillez-vous ?” et “Pourquoi prenez-vous des images ?”. Il rencontre pas mal de succès.

J’ai aussi appris que je suis plus haut avec mes deux antennes que sans (eh oui!) et que les frondaisons des arbres ou les porches ne grandissent pas pour compenser … . Et donc :

• surveiller au-dessus de ma ligne de vue
• positionner la Gopro de façon transverse (pour qu’une rencontre imprévue ne se fasse pas sur les objectifs photo)
• même en transverse, ne pas mettre la tranche avec le bouton de mise en marche / arrêt vers l’avant (une branche d’arbre a un jour tout simplement éteint ma Gopro)

Et, pour revenir au sujet RTK : ne pas oublier que la précision centimétrique nécessite quand même une réception satellite ainsi qu’un accès IP (pour interroger le caster) et donc rien dans les tunnels (en général assez courts à pied : tunnel sous une route ou sous une voie ferrée). Donc ne pas hésiter, une fois sorti du tunnel à s’arrêter quelques secondes pour permettre au NTRIP client de se resynchroniser et repositionner.

Ces entrées RETEX (retour d’expérience) dans mon journal font état de mes choix de débutant, mes hésitations, mes découvertes, mes questions. Ces textes n’engagent que moi et ne sont pas des entrées de WIKI. Plusieurs de ces choix ont été évoqués sur le forum France, mais pas tous. Je reste bien sûr ouvert à tout commentaire et n’ai aucunement la prétention de donner ici des recommandations.

4 days ago

My hood

Hello

You might have noticed that I have been maping this neighbourhood. Richmond. Why? Well Way: Richmond (1489761671) is small, historic and central with a mixed architectural heritage. You’ll find points of interest in the suburb of Q61359147. There are a number of offices and public (and private) education facilities. There’s no shortage of nearby recreation facilities either.

Mapping the hood with SPARQL.

In this post (which is in draft) I’m going to show how I go about creating a map of the hood

Take a specific place (Q61359147) as the center point Finds all nearby places within 10 km radius Filters them according to specific category (tourist attractions, bookshops ) Calculates how far each one is from the centre point and returns results from nearest to farthest.

Tourist Attractions (Q570116)

Let’s begin with a list. Are there tourist attractions (Q570116) near Richmond (Q61359147)? ~~~ SELECT DISTINCT ?place ?placeLabel ?location ?distance WHERE { hint:Query hint:optimizer “None” . wd:Q61359147 wdt:P625 ?arcLoc . #Change the location SERVICE wikibase:around { ?place wdt:P625 ?location . bd:serviceParam wikibase:center ?arcLoc . bd:serviceParam wikibase:radius “50” . } ?place wdt:P31/wdt:P279* wd:Q570116 . SERVICE wikibase:label { bd:serviceParam wikibase:language “en” . } BIND(geof:distance(?arcLoc, ?location) AS ?distance) } ORDER BY ASC(?distance) ~~~

Mapping the hood with Overpass Queries

You might want to explore [Overpass] (osm-queries.ldodds.com/) and see if you can finds a range of potentially interesting, historic or noteworthy locations. A lack of a wikidata link doesn’t mean that there is a wikidata entry to link to, or that the location should have one. This might be another useful starting point to find locally significant places. Credit to Leigh Dodds for all this information

@title Interesting places without wikidata links @see osm.wiki/Key:wikidata @see osm.wiki/Key:tourism */ [bbox:{{bbox}}]; ( //historic locations nwr[“historic”];

//tourist attractions nwr[“tourism”=”attraction”]; nwr[“tourism”=”artwork”]; nwr[“tourism”=”museum”];

//parks nwr[“leisure”=”park”];

//historic buildings nwr[“amenity”=”townhall”]; nwr[“amenity”=”university”];

)->.qi; nwr.qi[“wikidata”!~”.”]; out body; >; out skel qt;

Richmond Points of Interest

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Data:South_Africa/Gauteng/Richmond_POI.map

Melville Koppies

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Map_data/Melville_Koppies

Melville Koppies East

♦

Credit to Stanislav Kralin for the SPARQL query.

5 days ago

今日，到广州图书馆一游，记录一下

5 days ago

Hello, i have an irrational fear of technology. Because i hate OSMwiki. i hate how things related to public transit is inconsistent. i hate how iD editor is inconsistent in giving necessary tags for PTv2. i don’t like stop positions. i don’t like iD editor not having an auto sort for relation members. i don’t like weird tagging schemes. i don’t like the OSM wiki having multiple different tags for very similar things without the wiki explaining them in terms of how the things that are being talked in OSMwiki is implemented in your country. i don’t like how convoluted it is for adding bus routes. harumph.

in another news, pt_assistant plugin for josm is a godsend. thank you kind stranger for this gift to humanity.

also, even if i added PTv2 compliant perfect bus routes, OSMand is still not able to properly show bus information on itself.

harumph.

please, someone save OSM and me.

6 days ago

Ajout du parcours de “La Chartreuse” à Dijon

Par ici : osm.org/node/13731747305

Des infos par ici : www.discjonctes.fr

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Photos trouvées ici : udisc.com/courses/la-chartreuse-dijon-icgi/photos

6 days ago

Das Vernetzungstreffen des FOSSGIS e.V. hat am 15.04.2026 mit 28 Teilnehmenden in der dafür neu gestalteten Netzwerkwelt stattgefunden. Die Idee ist, das gegenseitige Kennenlernen und gemeinsamer Austausch zu Anliegen, Themen, Menschen im Umfeld des FOSSGIS-Vereins erhalten Gelegenheit Kontaktpunkte zu finden.

Ein weites Spektrum an Perspektiven war vertreten, von Einzelpersonen, die sich engagieren, über Anwendende, die spezielle Fragen haben und Firmen, die erfolgeich auf OSS umgestiegen sind.

♦
Eindrücke vom Treffen

Zu Beginn trafen sich alle im Raum FOSSGIS e.V. für einen gemeinsamen Einstieg und um den Ablauf der Veranstaltung miteinander zu teilen. Vier Räume waren thematisch vorgeplant. Im FOSSGIS e.V. Raum war die Vorstellung des Vereins, inklusive Fragen geplant, da die Option keiner angewählt hatte, verschiebt Katja die Session auf das nächste Treffen. Dafür wurde Interesse bekundet. Im Bällebad haben Janine und GisLars Buddy findet Buddy gespielt, FOSSGIS-Wiki. Zu Karrierewegen und Karriereplanung im Geobereich tauschte sich eine Gruppe über Jobfindorte, Arbeitgeber aus, auch Erfahrungen und gefragte Skills wurden im Raum GDAL besprochen.

♦
Eindrücke vom Treffen

Im Raum Wiese war Gelegenheit mit Jannik aus der AG Grundsatz des FOSSGIS e.V. über Ideen zur Weiterentwicklung zu sprechen. Die Perspektiven reichten von Ausweitung der Lobbyarbeit, um FOSS weiter zu verbreiten, über Digitale Souveränität bzw. den Umstieg dahin. Die FOSSGIS-Konferenz dient als Informationsquelle für zahlreiche Themen, doch wären Visualisierungsmöglichkeiten für Fachwissen über Gemeinwohllösungen, um der steigenden Konzentration von Macht über das Netz und das Geld entgegenzuwirken, eine wünschenswerte Sache. Links zu Infomaterialien der FSFE und OSBA wuden ausgetauscht sowie auch die Initiative des Digital Independence Day Erwähnung fand.

Für das spontan eingebrachte Thema “GEODATEN - managen?!” wurde der Raum OSGeo genutzt. Die Gruppe wird beim nächsten Vernetzungstreffen wieder einen Raum öffnen und verschiedene Varianten von Geodatenlösungen vorstellen.

♦
Eindrücke vom Treffen

Das Treffen in der Netzwerkwelt hat auf Basis von Workadventure stattgefunden. In der Netzwerkwelt ist die Interaktion von Teilnehmenden möglich, man ist mit einem Avatar unterwegs, gibt sich beim Eintreten einen Namen. Trifft man eine andere Person, öffnet sich ein Videochat, eine Unterhaltung ist bis maximal 4 Teilnehmende möglich. Die Räume (Inselchen) sind Videokonferenzräume, man tritt einem Jitsi-Videochat bei, dort fanden die Austauschrunden statt. Vielen Dank an Stella fürs Bauen der Netzwerkwelt und danke den FOSSGIS e.V. für die Unterstützung des Treffens mit den Entgelt an die Betreiber der Plattform.

Abschluss und Feedback

Die Rückmeldungen waren durchweg positiv, die Teilnehmenden kommen wieder und wollen sich weiter über verschiedene Themen unterhalten.

Das nächste Vernetzungstreffen ist für den 17.06.2026 um 18 Uhr geplant und wird voraussichtlich wieder in der Netzwerkwelt stattfinden

Folgende Themen wurden gewünscht/ werden angeboten:

• Lösungen zu Geodatenmanagement werden vorgstellt (Anja Sigesmund)
• noch mehr über FOSSGIS e.V. (Katja)
• Fortsetzung Karriere/ Jobplanung
• Wird es im PostGIS-Raum ein Angebot geben?
  Wer Interesse hat einen Raum anzubieten, meldet sich bitte vorab bei Katja.

Infos aus dem Verein

Die Aktivitäten des Vereins sind im FOSSGIS-Vereins-Kalender zu finden: fossgis.de/aktivitäten/termine.

JETZT OSM-Förderer werden und die digitale Souveränität stärken!: openstreetmap.de/foerderer/

7 days ago