Introduction to using and improving OpenStreetMap

We recommend bringing a laptop, a mouse, and a smartphone for this session.

Participants will learn in brief about -

1. what OpenStreetMap is and why it is important

2. Organic Maps, OsmAnd, and osmapp.org - freedom-respecting apps which use OpenStreetMap data and provide replacements for apps like Google Maps;

3. StreetComplete, a gamified and freedom-respecting OpenStreetMap editor.

Finally, participants will learn to use iD, the browser-based OpenStreetMap editor, to make basic edits from their laptops.

OpenStreetMap is the Wikipedia of maps - a map for the people and by the people, on which anyone can add places and correct mistakes. Your changes are applied immediately and can be seen within minutes.

OpenStreetMap data is free/libre/open data, so it can be used and shared without restrictions, and is guaranteed to remain available in the long run. For this reason, there are many applications and organizations which use OpenStreetMap data. Additionally, freedom-respecting ("FOSS") replacements for Google Maps like Organic Maps, OsmAnd, and osmapp.org rely on OSM data.

The easiest way to start editing OSM is to visit the website osm.org on a desktop and click the Edit button. This is the browser-based iD editor, which allows you to add and modify the three most common types of data on OSM - points, lines, and areas.