OSM Tasking Manager

Job in progress on OSM Tasking Manager

The OSM Tasking Manager is a mapping tool designed and built for the Humanitarian OSM Team collaborative mapping. The purpose of the tool is to divide up a mapping job into smaller tasks that can be completed rapidly. It shows which areas need to be mapped and which areas need the mapping validated.

This approach facilitates the distribution of tasks to the various mappers in a context of emergency. It also permits to control the progress and the homogeinity of the work done (ie. Elements to cover, specific tags to use, etc.).

Logging On

The OSM Tasking Manager requires you to logon using your OSM ID.

Jobs

Jobs are setup as the need arises. Each job will have a description of what is required and if necessary details of how to add the relevant imagery into JOSM/Potlatch.

Each Job is then subdivided into a number of tasks designed to be manageable in size.

Tasks

Setting up your editor

To use the Tasking Manager efficiently you will need to setup your editor when you start a new job. See:

• Setting up JOSM

Taking a Task

To take a task select the job from the Tasking Manager homepage.

• An Area to work on will be allocated automatically when you click the Take a Task button. If you have indicated that you are an advanced mapper, then this may be an area to do or an area to validate, otherwise you will be given an area to do.
• Alternatively, you may click a square on the map to select the Area to be allocated. This let you work in contiguous areas.

Doing a task

When doing a task you should map all the features indicated on the job description. Once you have completed the area upload the data in OSM, then add a description and mark the task as done.

If you are unable to complete all of the area then you should upload the features you have added to the map and 'unlock' the task. This will enable other mappers to pickup the area and continue.

Adding the grid square to Potlatch

• Open the task in potlatch2 as normal.
• Go back and find the "Link to .osm file" link on the Tasking Manager job page. Right click to copy the URL of the link
• In Potlatch2, click the Background button and Vector File

• In the text box next to File and the button "open" paste in the URL into the box. (1)
• Click the fetch button (2) on the right of this text box. A new "export.osm" entry should appear in the list, and the square should appear on the map
• Uncheck "select" from the column on the left for this export.osm (3)

Further Help

If you need further help on mapping an area see:

• LearnOSM
• Map_Features

Validating a task

The purpose of validating a task is to confirm that the task has been mapped according to the job description. If you are happy the task has been mapped correctly then click the validate button.

In the event of the mapping not being right you may:

• Invalidate the task, adding a description as to why. This will send the task back to the list of tasks that need doing.
• Fix the mapping yourself. This is likely to only be suitable if the changes required are small; if the changes are significant then you can map the changes and unlock the task, to ensure somebody else will check your additions.
• Contact the original mapper to discuss the mapping.

It may be the case that features in addition to those listed on the job description could be mapped but haven't been, this on its own isn't a reason to invalidate the area.

Development

The tasking manager was designed and built for the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and is still under active development.

The main developer is User:Pgiraud

Source code (Python) is on github: https://github.com/hotosm/osm-tasking-manager

Issues & bugs area also managed on github: https://github.com/hotosm/osm-tasking-manager/issues

A dev/testing instance of the task manager with a later version of the code, is running here: http://tasks-dev.hotosm.org (Note. Don't use the jobs/tasks on here to track actual mapping. It's a separate test database)