Cheat sheet

This page is about discussing and developing an OSM cheat sheet for mappers to take into the field. All the points below are up for discussion and please do so on the talk page.

Contents 1 Concept 2 Size 3 Layout 4 Which tags? 5 Distribution / Usage of the cheat sheet 6 Examples

Concept

The Map Features page has evolved a lot during the last years and now harbours hundreds of different tag/value combinations. Most mappers will not be able to remember even a part of them and their specific use-cases. This leads to "incomplete" and inconsistent mapping. A possible solution is a standardized "cheat sheet", which combines the necessary tagging information and a portable size for the mapper in the field and (to a smaller extent) at the PC.

Size

For a maximum portability, DIN A5 size seems optimal. If this is big enough for a decent amount of information remains to be seen.

Layout

Both sides of one DIN A5 card should be used. It would make sense to split the needed information between those sides: tag values and short descriptions on one, rendering and real life examples on the other side.

The A5 card should be still usable, if it is folded to put it in the pocket of a shirt or jacket, without unfolding it.

Which tags?

Of course one can not print the whole map features page on one sheet of paper (regardless if A4, A5 or any other reasonable size). So it makes sense to make a thematic selection. Possible themes include

• Mapping for cars
  • On the motorway
  • In the City
• Mapping for walking / trekking
• Mapping for cycling
• tracktypes, surfaces, smoothness
• Mapping amenities
• Mapping public transport
• Mapping landmarks (landuse/natural)
• Please insert your proposal here

If you want to know which the tags of the features you frequently edit, you can run the following Linux bash script as a start. It will tell the frequency of key=tag pairs in all your edit history:

#!/bin/bash
# To use this: change the display_name below by an OSM user name.
wget -q -O - http://api.openstreetmap.org/api/0.6/changesets?display_name=Mayeul | sed -e 's_.*changeset id="\([0-9]\+\)".*_\1_' | grep -v "<" > my_changesets.txt
echo "Processing changeset:"
while read changeset_id
do
 echo $changeset_id
 wget  -q -O - http://www.openstreetmap.org/api/0.6/changeset/$changeset_id/download | grep "<tag k" | sed -e 's/ \+<tag k="//g' | sed  -e 's/" v="/=/' | sed -e 's_"/>__' >> tmp.txt
done < my_changesets
sort tmp.txt | uniq -c | sort -b -n -r > favorite_tags.txt

Distribution / Usage of the cheat sheet

Of course the sheets would be available for download on the wiki, but there could be "premium-version" available via internet order. These would be high quality prints of the cards, printed on thick paper and sealed against rain. These would also be great for newbies on mapping parties, as promotional giveaways, etc.

Examples

• http://files.getdropbox.com/u/1418629/OpenStreetMap%20cheat%20sheet.pdf
• http://bleah.co.uk/~simon/stuff/osm/mapfeatures/
• http://cid-4314bea099f918ab.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/openstreetmap/cheatsheet%5E_jp0910.pdf (Japanese)
• http://shop.kernelconcepts.de/product_info.php?products_id=112 (OSM Mug)
• http://download.jonasstein.de/josmref.pdf Source