User talk:Wild Willy
Send Tracks to OSM
As a recent contributer to the OSM project through the Mud Map system, I spent hours wading through documentation related to various aspects I needed to know to successfully export my GPS traces to OSM, which are then picked up by the Mud Map THEMAP. I thought it might help to encourage other new contributors to get involved if I provided a couple of shortcuts to get started. These instructions are only intended to provide a starting point, not complete documentation.
OSM provides three editors, the offline JOSM and the two in-browser editors Potlash 2 and iD. My preference is for the iD editor for the reason that it does not require Java (JOSM) or Flash (Potlash 2) both of which have a long history of security holes. While iD is the most basic of the three editors, it uses HTML 5 and Javascript (no relation to Java beyond the name). The reason for the Potlash 2 instructions below is that it took me some time before I discovered the (so simple) way of importing tracks into iD so I had to gain a basic knowledge of how to use this one. I may or may not make changes to the iD instructions but not to the Potlash 2 instructions as I no longer use it.
These instructions refer specifically to an iOS app Mud Map. However other GPS tracking apps should work fine as long as you export your trace to your hard drive as a GPX file one way or another. If you are using another app, complete the above and then go to step 6 below. NOTE: When you name your track either in Mud Map or another GPS app, be aware that the OSM iD editor does not like the ampersand "&" character. If an "&" occurs in the name of the trace, it will not appear in the editor when you drag it across. The name of the GPX file itself is not relevant.
I have been unable to find a way to export a track directly from Mud Map to a GPX file so...
1. From Mud Map on the iPhone, select the track you’ve recorded and sync to your account on the Mud Map web site.
2. Log in to your account on the Mud Map web site. This assumes you already have a Mud Map account. If not, You’ll have to sign up.
3. Under “My Account” select “Tracks”.
4. Click on “Options” for the track you wish to work with from the list of tracks.
5. Select “Downloads”. This will download the track in GPS.XML format to the Downloads folder on your computer.
6. Log into your OSM account. This assumes you already have an OSM account. If not, You’ll have to sign up.
iD Editor
7. Regardless of what appears in the OSM window, click on the down arrow next to Edit in the upper left of the window and select iD.
8. Open a Finder window (or Windows Explorer window) showing your GSX downloaded trace file.
9. Drag your trace file from that window to the iD editor window. The trace will appear as a green line at the correct map location. You may need to scroll the map to that location to see it. Note: This process does not add this trace to your list on OSM. If you wish to do so, as a separate exercise follow steps follow steps 8 to 12 for the Potlash 2 editor below.
10. From the three buttons that appear at the top left of the window, click “Line”.
11. On the map click at the beginning of the green trace line to initiate the road or track to be uploaded to OSM.
12. Continue moving the pointer along the track clicking at each point that represents a deviation from a straight line. Your results will be much more accurate the further you zoom in.
13. Double click or type ENTER/RETURN to end the track. Note: The Help menu available from second icon down the left side is brief but helpful. Just one detail not specifically documented, to continue a road already terminated, click on the “Line” button at the top and centre the cross hairs cursor over the end of the road. The end point will pop up. Just click the mouse there and carry on.
14. Be sure to click on “Save” at the top when you’re done.
Potlash 2 Editor
7. If the Potlash 2 editor doesn’t come up by default, click on the down arrow next to Edit in the upper left of the window and select it.
8. Click on “My traces” and “Upload a trace”. At Upload GPX file: click on “Choose File”.
9. Navigate to the GPX.XML file on your hard drive and click on it.
10. Fill in the Description, Tags, and Visibility fields as desired and click “Upload”.
11. Assuming a successful response, the screen will list your track with the work Pending.
12. Wait for an email confirming receipt of the trace in the data base. Refreshing your browser screen should now show the trace where the word Pending was.
13. Click “Edit” next to the track listing, not from the menu at the top.
14. This will open the trace in the Potlash 2 editor, IF you have the Flash plugin installed.
15. Find your GPS trace and click at the beginning to establish a start point.
16. Continue moving the pointer along the track clicking at each point that represents a deviation from a straight line.
17. At the last point type ENTER to end the route.
18. Double click somewhere along the route and fill in the information at the top of the column on the left of your screen, including the name of the route if know
19. Click “Save” in the upper left corner. You can also click save at any intermediate point in the above routine, and then continue mapping your trace. Note: The online OSM Beginners Guide is extensive and I find can be confusing to negotiate and to find what I need, but page 1.3.2 gives a list of useful tips.