Editing
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Editing OpenStreetMap is the process of making changes to the map data - such as adding roads, pubs or changing names of features. Several editors can be used to edit features in the OpenStreetMap database. Before you can edit any data you will need to create an OSM account.
Contents |
Beginners Guide
The Beginners' guide will show you how to add data to OpenStreetMap. Tutorials are available in many languages and can be select from the table at the top of the page. You may also wish to see Mapping projects for inspiration about what to map.
Top two editors
- Potlatch is the easy to use editor found on the 'Edit' tab of the main map, and is ideal for quick editing contributions. It runs in your browser (requires flash) and downloads data automatically as you look around.
- JOSM is currently the most popular desktop editor. It is a standalone Java application which allows fluid zooming, panning, and editing of a locally stored dataset, before uploading changes in a batch.
For a more detailed comparisons of the major editors see Comparison of editors
Choice of editors
Because OpenStreetMap is an open platform with an editing API, there are many other editors to choose from, some with a simplified sub-set of functionality, some operating on specific platforms such as mobile devices. The following table lists the options.
| Name | Screenshot | Platform | Add POIs | Edit / Delete POIs | Edit arbitrary tags of existing OSM objects | Edit geometries | Edit relations | Upload to OSM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go Map!! | 
|
iOS (iPhone; iPad) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Amenity Editor [1] | 
|
win; linux; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| ArcGIS Editor for OSM [2] | 
|
win; win2k; winxp; wm; wm2003; | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluemapia [3] | 
|
wm; iOS (iPhone) | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | Yes |
| GeorgeMap [4] | 
|
wm5 | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| GpsMid [5] | 
|
J2ME; Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | not directly, will open web browser editor for area | No | Yes |
| iD [6] | 
|
web-based (Javascript) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iLOE [7] | 
|
iOS (iPhone) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| JOSM [8] | 
|
win; linux; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mapzen [9] | 
|
win; ;linux; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mapzen POI Collector [10] | 
|
iOS (iPhone); Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Merkaartor [11] | 
|
win; linux; unix; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mumpot [12] | 
|
linux; openmoko; GPE | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes |
| Nomino [13] | win; linux; OS X | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| OpenMaps [14] | 
|
iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| OSM2Go [15] | 
|
linux; maemo; n800; n900 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OSMapTuner [16] | 
|
android | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Potlatch [17] | 
|
win; linux; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Potlatch 2 [18] | 
|
web-based (Flash) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Potlatch 2 [19] |
|
web-based (Flash) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pushpin OSM [http://App Store] | 
|
iOS (iPhone; iPad) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| RawEditor [20] | 
|
web | ? | ? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| ShareNav [21] | 
|
Android; J2ME; win; win2k; winxp; linux; OS X | Yes | Yes | Yes | not directly, will open web browser editor for area | No | Yes |
| Vespucci [22] | 
|
android | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
This table is generated automatically by a bot. Do not edit it manually. Learn more.
In the past there were some other choices such as Osmeditor (QT) and osmpedit, however these are no longer maintained, and no longer interface with the latest API.
In development
- iD (project page | github) - beginner-friendly HTML5 editor
External Links
See also
- Mapping techniques
- Map Features - how to tag streets, and other features
- Editing Standards and Conventions
- Tagging FAQ
- Editing with transparent windows - How to use overlapping windows displayed transparently
- Quality Assurance
