Matrix

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Quick start

Note for members of OSGeo and some universities in Austria and Germany: your institution has a Matrix server (OSGeo example) where you can log in and join the OSM chats.

  • Join the OpenStreetMap space and browse the room list. Your community may have many rooms, bridged to different networks.
  • Other rooms are on IRC (OFTC) at this list:
    • Open the link and adapt the room name #osm accordingly. #_oftc_#osm:matrix.org
    • Replying to a message, or editing your own message, looks ugly to the IRC users. Just mention the user name, rather than clicking Reply.
    • IRC has no concept of deleting a message.
    • (optional) If you need advanced usage of IRC, such as changing the nickname, see here.

Optional tips:

  • Clicking Join on the OpenStreetMap space will group together all OSM-related community chats and private chats under a single button (most chat apps have a collapsible panel at the left).
  • Create new spaces (private to you, private to your team, public) to organize group chats and direct messages.
  • Create private chats with yourself to follow the QA or forum RSS feeds (see below) or to take personal notes.
  • Private chats between users are not possible across most bridges, for example Telegram.

Support and questions:

Usage and setup

You can skip reading this section and go to the chat list below.

Client choice

Matrix is a decentralized communication protocol (a generic publish-subscribe HTTPS REST API, whose message format is JSON), which also serves as the common language of the largest federation of chat servers in the world. A bridge bot is still required for a small number of large, vendor lock-in-suffering chat networks, until Europe's Digital Markets Act forces them to expose interoperable APIs, following the principle that technological diversity fosters a healthy ecosystem, but lack of interoperability fragments the community and hampers market competition and end product quality.

You can live without installation, just follow the room links in your web browser. For maximum comfort, you can optionally install any client from the list.

  • Like OSM editors, there are a few very famous clients and a lot of minor clients, but there is no "best client" and it's common in the Matrix world to log into 3+ clients for the fun of trying.
  • Like OSM editors, what's difficult, bugged, or missing in a client may be the strong point of another client. Clients are interoperable: they use different techniques under the hood to perform the exact same user-visible tasks.
  • Features of common usage that are not yet perfect on all the mainstream clients:
    • Spaces have a good UI in Element Web and Element Android (i.e. the reference implementations by the people who make Matrix) and in SchildiChat. FluffyChat has little and ugly support for spaces.
    • Selecting more than one message at the same time, to copy-paste into your personal notes: currently supported by Element Web and FluffyChat.
    • Searching past messages: currently requires to be online in Element Android, Element Web, SchildiChat.
    • Threads: currently requires to be online in Element Android, Element Web, SchildiChat; FluffyChat shows them also when offline, but as normal replies.

Bots

  • To subscribe the QA RSS feeds, use Element's Integration manager's RSS bot (instructions here). Group chats are supported. For QA feeds of personal/limited use (for example, the recent edits in your neighbourhood) you can make a private chat with yourself and add the integration bot to this chat. Another example is following
  • You can follow topics and replies from a category in the Discourse forum community.openstreetmap.org with the same technique as for any RSS feed, or with a custom bot (like OSM FR).

Making a bridge

Slack, Telegram and other semi-closed networks need explicit action by an admin of the Matrix chatroom and an admin of the non-Matrix chatroom. A bot joins both rooms and copy-pastes the messages. For instructions, contact valor naram.


Chat list

General chats

Chats possibly focusing on some topics of global (non-regional) interest.

Chat Interest Chat Name Description / websites
#_oftc_#osm:matrix.org International World Chat Group IRC world channel, also available at irc.oftc.net #osm
#osm-space:matrix.org International OpenStreetMap space OSM public space, partial listing of all Matrix-related OSM Matrix stuff.
#osmcommunity:matrix.org International Local Chapters & Communities Working Group public chat Bridged to IRC and Telegram.
osmf:Local Chapters and Communities Working Group
#osm-cultural:matrix.org Cultural spheres OSM Cultural Spheres Group This group is for discussing and considering cultural similarities and differences in contributing to OSM maps and wiki.(And for OSM contributors with limited English proficiency) Bridged to Telegram @OSM_cultural.
#osmworld_off-topic:matrix.org off topic OSM Off-topic For discussion of stuff unrelated to OSM, because talking about OSM in an OSM server is overrated. Part of the #osmworld:matrix.org space. Bridged to the OSM World Discord server.
#openmapping-humanitarian:matrix.org International HOT OSM Humanitarian Open Mapping space Wiki
#osmvegan:matrix.org Veganism OSM Vegan Coordinated effort to map places that offer plant-based options in OpenStreetMap. Bridged to Telegram @osmvegan.
#osm-infrastructure:matrix.org Infrastructure OSM Infrastructure Infrastructure mapping (power, telecoms, etc). Bridged to irc.oftc.net #osm-infrastructure.

Chats for certain applications or services

Such as web applications, certain mapping providers etc.

Chat Interest Topic Description / websites
#comaps:matrix.org International CoMaps English chat Bridged to Telegram @CoMaps_EN.
#comaps-DE:matrix.org International CoMaps German chat Bridged to Telegram @CoMaps_DE.
#_oftc_#josm:matrix.org International JOSM Official support, bridged to IRC.
#osmworld_josm:matrix.org International JOSM Bridged to Discord.
#MapComplete:matrix.org International MapComplete Bridged to Telegram @mapcomplete.
#organicmaps:matrix.org International Organic Maps Bridged to Telegram @OrganicMaps.
#osmand-space:tchncs.de

English chat
French chat
German chat

International OsmAnd Unofficial space bridged to Telegram groups.
#osm-osmose:matrix.org International Osmose Official chat with the maintainers.
#osmworld_overpass:matrix.org International Overpass Bridged to Discord.
#panoramax-space:matrix.org

English chat
French chat
German chat

International Panoramax general talk Official Panoramax project chat, an open-source and federated street-level mapping tool. The French room is bridged to Telegram @panoramax_fr.
#umap:matrix.org International uMap (new room)
#umap-project_umap:gitter.im International uMap (old room, still operational)

Local community chats by continent / country

This is a partial list - please add channels as you find them.

You can also find these channels using the Belgian rendering of the OSM Community Index.


Africa

Link to chat Country City Chat Description Website
#osmafrica:matrix.org Africa Africa Bridged to Slack and Telegram @OSMAfrica.

America

Link to chat Country City Chat Description Website
#osm-latam:matrix.org Latin America OSM Latin America Bridged to Telegram @OSMLatam.
#osm-ar:matrix.org Argentina OpenStreetMapAR
#osmbo:matrix.org Bolivia OpenStreetMap Bolivia Bridged to Telegram @osmbolivia.
#osm-ca-space:matrix.org Canada OpenStreetMap Canada
#osm-cl:matrix.org Chile OpenStreetMap Chile Bridged to Telegram @OSMcl.
#OSM-Mexico:matrix.org Mexico OpenStreetMap Mexico
#mapanica:matrix.org Nicaragua MapaNica Bridged to Telegram @MapaNica.
#osmpe:matrix.org Peru OpenStreetMap Perú
#osmus:matrix.org United States OpenStreetMap US

Asia

Link to chat Country City Chat Description Website
#_oftc_#osm-asia:matrix.org Asia OSM Asia IRC channel, also reachable at irc.oftc.net #osm-asia. Bridged to Telegram @OpenStreetMapAsia.
#osmworld_asia:matrix.org Asia OSM Asia Bridged to Discord.
#osm-in-general:matrix.org India OSM India Bridged to Telegram @OSMIndia.
#osm-kerala:matrix.org India Kerala OSM Kerala Bridged to Telegram @osmkerala.
#OSM_BLR:matrix.org India Bengaluru OpenStreetMap Bengaluru Bridged to Telegram @OSM_BLR.
#OSMPunjab:matrix.org India Punjab OpenStreetMap Punjab Bridged to Telegram @OSMPunjab.
#OpenstreetmapMalaysia:matrix.org Malaysia Openstreetmap Malaysia
#OSM_Korea:matrix.org South Korea
North Korea
Openstreetmap Korea Bridged to Telegram @osmKorea.

Europe

Link to chat Country City Chat Description Website
#osm-at:matrix.org Austria OSM Austria Bridged to irc.oftc.net #osm-de.
#osmbe:matrix.org Belgium OSM Belgium Bridged to irc.oftc.net #osmbe. https://www.openstreetmap.be/
#openstreetmap-cat:matrix.org Catalan Countries OSM Catalan Countries Bridged to Telegram @osmcat. Catalan Project
#osmcz:matrix.org Czech Republic OSM CZ Bridged to IRC, xmpp, Discord and Telegram @openstreetmapcz.
#osm-fi:matrix.org Finland OpenStreetMap Finland Bridged to IRCNet #osm-fi and Telegram @osmFI.
The space #osmfrance:matrix.org

The chat #osmfr:matrix.org

France OSM FR Bridged to Discord, IRC and Telegram @osmfr. openstreetmap.fr
#osm-de:matrix.org Germany OSM Deutschland Bridged to irc.oftc.net #osm-de. https://www.openstreetmap.de/karte.html
#osmberlin:matrix.org Germany Berlin OSM Berlin / Brandenburg
#osmberlinverkehr:matrix.org Germany Berlin OSM Berlin / Brandenburg Verkehrswende Berlin/Verkehrswende
#osm-gr:matrix.org Greece OpenStreetMap Greece
#osm:grin.hu Hungary OSM Hungary General chat
#osm-esemeny:matrix.org Hungary Budapest OSM Események Planning mapping parties, online conferences, sharing hiking tips, interesting observations, ideas for promotion. Bridged to MUC xmpp:osm@conference.movim.eu Hungary/Találkozók, Hungary/Kommunikáció/Promóciós_anyagok
#osm-jeloles:matrix.org Hungary OSM jelölés, címkézés Coming up with new tags or applying existing ones, micromapping. Bridged to MUC xmpp:osm-jeloles@conference.movim.eu Hungary/Jelölési_példák, Hungary/Csövezés, Hungary/Jelölési_példák/Tűzcsap, Hungary/Jelölési_példák/Növények_jelölése, User:Bkil/OSM_accessibility_initiative
#osm-szerszamzat:matrix.org Hungary OSM szerszámzat Software development coordination Hungary/Szerszámzat
#openstreetmapitalia_hello:matrix.org Italy OpenStreetMap Italia Antechamber to say hello and you will be invited to the Telegram-bridged Matrix community chat.
#osm-italia:matrix.org Italy OpenStreetMap Italia Space of the Italian rooms
#osmkosovo:matrix.org Kosovo OpenStreetMap Kosovo Bridged to Telegram @OSMkosovo.
#osmlu:matrix.org Luxembourg OpenStreetMap Luxembourg
#osm-netherlands:matrix.org Netherlands OSM Netherlands Space of the Dutch chats. Bridged separately to Discord and Telegram @osm_nl.
#openstreetmap-no:matrix.org Norway OSM Norway Bridged to irc.oftc.net #osm-no.
#ogolny-osm1:matrix.org Poland OSM Poland https://www.openstreetmap.pl
#osm-gorakalwaria:matrix.org Poland Góra Kalwaria OSM Poland Discussions and conclusions regarding the mapping of the city and commune
#osm-warszawa:matrix.org Poland Warszawa OSM Poland Discussions and conclusions regarding the mapping of the city
#osm-ru:matrix.org Russia OSM Russia
#freemap.sk:matrix.org Slovakia Freemap Slovakia https://www.freemap.sk/

Bridged to Slack.

#openstreetmap-es:matrix.org Spain OSM Spain Bridged to IRC, Slack and Telegram @OSMes. https://www.openstreetmap.es/
#osm.ua:matrix.org Ukraine OSM UA https://openstreetmap.org.ua/

Oceania

Link to chat Country City Chat Description Website
#osmworld_oceania:matrix.org Australia OSM Oceania Bridged to Discord. https://osgeo-oceania.org/

Bridges to other networks

This is a partial list - please add channels as you find them.

#osmworld:matrix.org International OpenStreetMap World The chats on the Discord server "OSM World" are bridged to the Matrix chats found in this space.

See also