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OSM Map Data

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If you see something incorrect as you’re planning or navigating a route -- perhaps a gravel road that you know and love is incorrectly labeled as pavement -- you have the power to become an OpenStreetMap contributor and improve the data that drives our routing abilities.

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Ride with GPS uses map data from OpenStreetMap (OSM) to power the RWGPS, OSM, OSM Cycle and ESRI map types in our route planner and navigation software. OSM is a free and collaborative project to create a detailed map of the entire world — and it is constantly evolving and improving because of a worldwide community of volunteer contributors who regularly update the map to reflect new roads, closed roads, private/public land access, surface type information and more.

Leave a Note

The easiest way to help contribute to OpenStreetMap is to leave a Note. Notes are used to communicate to other users and map editors that there's an issue, so that editors can verify this issue and make the necessary changes to the map. To add a Note, follow the steps below:
  1. Visit www.openstreetmap.org
  2. Locate the area you want to leave a Note on by panning on the map or using the search bar.
  3. Click the Add Note button on the right hand side of the page.
  4. Click and drag the blue Note marker to the place you'd like to add a Note, and then add a descriptive comment about the issue with the map data.
  5. Click Add Note to save your note!
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You can learn more about Notes on the OSM Wiki here: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes. Notes may take some time to be verified by an editor and updated. If you'd like to make changes that are enacted quicker, read on to learn how to contribute directly to Open Street Map.

Contribute Map Data to OSM

It’s free and simple to become a contributor to OpenStreetMap:

  1. Open OSM's website and Click Sign up to create a free account.
  2. Go to the map and type the address or coordinates of the area that you want to edit into the search box.
  3. Hit the Edit button in the top left of the screen. This will open the iD editor, which allows you to make edits in your browser. The first time you open the iD editor, you'll be prompted to follow a quick walkthrough to learn the ropes. This is available at any time when logged in by clicking Edit in the upper left corner > clicking the Help icon in the lower right corner > clicking the link to start the Walkthrough.

OSM has a large number of tags, which provide information about map data. Ride with GPS deals with a number of these for identifying surface types and determining the best routing options for cycling, walking, or driving.

Editing Surface Types

Ride with GPS draws on surface type tags from Open Street Map to assess the surface type of routes in the Route Planner. Open Street Map provides some distinctions between Paved and Unpaved surfaces in their wiki here: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:surface. 

  1. Create your OSM account and log in > Click Edit to open the iD Editor.
  2. Click on the road/path in question to see a variety of fields displayed on the left side of your screen for the highlighted feature.
  3. Click the Surface Types option and select a surface type from the dropdown menu. 
  4. Click Save > Input a Changeset comment describing the changes you've made > click Upload to submit your edits.

 

Editing Other Data

There are a large number of tags that we utilize to determine routing behavior. OpenStreetMap has some information about tagging bike-specific infrastructure here: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Bicycle.

If you're having issues routing along a specific path or trail, you'll want to check to ensure that the access tag is set to yes. Similarly, ensure that the bicycle tag is set to yes, designated, or similar. 

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Updates from OSM to Ride with GPS

The edits you make to OpenStreetMap will be visible immediately after you save them. However, edits may take up to a few weeks to appear on Ride with GPS, as it takes time for OSM data to be updated in our software.

Tips & Tricks

  • If you find yourself needing to make an edit or leave a note while planning a route in the Route Planner, you can right click on any location in the Route Planner, then click Show Lat/Lng  to easily copy the latitude and longitude of that location. From there, you can paste it into the search box on OpenStreetMap to quickly be taken directly to that point.

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  • The Query Features tool on OpenStreetMap's website allows you to right click on any part of the map to inspect any features that are there. Clicking on the feature from the sidebar will then allow you to easily see all of the feature's tags. ezgif-3-6fdd60b729.gif
  • Need more assistance? OpenStreetMap has a wealth of information on their help page and wiki.