pelias VS Openstreetmap

https://pelias.io is another self hostable one. In my experience it performs better than nominatim

The stack I describe in the post is only for map tiles - Map tiles are a good fit for CDNs because the input space is small (just Z/X/Y coordinates on a square grid) and thus very cacheable.

Geocoding is a very different problem because the input space - human language - is much, much larger, and answering queries quickly to support features like autocomplete really requires a server with hot data in memory.

One of my favorite projects in this space is Pelias https://pelias.io which is an open source auto-completing geocoder based on OSM plus other open data. It's backed by a great team that also runs a business: Geocode Earth https://geocode.earth

Pelias is a self-hostable option.

If anyone comes across this looking for an alternative, we can help at Geocode Earth (https://geocode.earth).

We're a small independent company that has been working on geocoding since 2013, first as part of Mapzen(https://mapzen.com), and then with our own self-funded business after Mapzen shut down at the start of 2018.

Our core software, the Pelias Geocoder (https://pelias.io) is open source, and ironically we understand it to be the primary geocoder in use by Positionstack.

We're biased of course, but we think that as the primary authors of the open source project, and with a high-volume service that has had _zero_ major outagee, we're a great option for anyone who needs forward or reverse geocoding, addresss parsing, place or address autocomplete, etc.

Here is why you should contribute to OSM even though there are major players profiting from it:

OSM is big enough and good enough that all the tech giants (except Google) would do better to start with OSM and improve it to meet their needs than to start a new, completely proprietary map from scratch.

That means that we are in an amazing place where in addition to the substantial volunteer OSM community, there are contributions from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and hundreds or thousands of smaller companies all coming back in to a single global map that everyone can use. It's very worth it to do work that strengthens OSM, as it increases the number of companies that will use it, and possibly contribute back, rather than doing work the world at large won't benefit from.

P.S. As a disclaimer, I am co-founder of Geocode Earth (https://geocode.earth) a small business that does indeed profit from OSM (and other open) data. We also contribute back both through OSM contributions and by releasing our core software as the Pelias geocoder (https://pelias.io)

Pelias uses ElasticSearch to merge these data sets. Yes, it is too much data to stuff into OSM, but basic address information wouldn't bloat OSM too much, imho.

I wouldn't compare osm-website and osm-carto at all. The commit logs are very different.

openstreetmap-website: https://github.com/openstreetmap/openstreetmap-website/commi... . Numerous commits most days.

openstreetmap-carto: https://github.com/gravitystorm/openstreetmap-carto/commits . So far in 2024; one small regression fixed, one niche bit of tagging added to an existing style, some largely pointless code style tidying. That's it.

Contributing is simple:

1. When you see a trail or any other feature that doesn't appear on the map, take a picture.

2. When you get home, visit https://www.openstreetmap.org and start drawing.

The website has satellite images overlayed wirh map data, so it's easy to see what you are doing.

You can look at your pictures to remind yourself of what was missing.

If you have recorded your ride,you can also upload your GPX trace to OpenStreetMap to make it easier to trace features that don't show up clearly on satellite images.

What impressed me was that it looks like openstreetmap shows the bridge as down already.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/39.2144/-76.5279

Through the Fast Forward program, we give free services and support to open source projects and the nonprofits that support them. We support many of the world’s top programming languages (like Python, Rust, Ruby, and the wonderful Scratch), foundational technologies (cURL, the Linux kernel, Kubernetes, OpenStreetMap), and projects that make the internet better and more fun for everyone (Inkscape, Mastodon, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Terms of Service; Didn’t Read).

Way overdue. OpenStreetMap's website at openstreetmap.org is its calling card, and for the past few years the default style shown (called Carto) has all but stagnated in development. Accepted features like highway=busway (introduced three years ago) are not rendered there because the maintainers can no longer be bothered, or dislike the tag personally despite broad community backing.

What worries me for this new effort is that Paul Norman is one of the two remaining Carto sometimes-active maintainers who refuse to merge contributed PRs or even provide alternative minimal support for features like highway=busway, leading to awkward gaps on the baseline map shown on openstreetmap.org.

I would love to be surprised in a positive way about this new effort, but I'm not holding my hopes up. Thankfully OpenStreetMap can be thoroughly useful in apps like OsmAnd and OrganicMaps, and the tile-based Tracestrack Topo layer on openstreetmap.org is getting quite decent:

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#layers=P

https://www.hotosm.org/tools-and-data runs software that's used for example after an earthquake. The tasking manager specifically is a reactjs app plus postgresql with plenty of open issues. HOTOSM has full-time staff, I'm not sure if the developers are full-time, but it's more organized than a volunteer project.

https://github.com/openstreetmap/openstreetmap-website/ is Ruby on Rails (easy installable with a docker setup). The maintainers have trouble even reviewing incoming PRs so an experienced person who can triage, test, review is currently needed.

If you're in the US then https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_for_America might be worth having a look at.

https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/ will soon annouce vetted organizations who do open source. (last year https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2023/organizati...). Project are paid, the process is long though, all summer. https://developers.google.com/open-source/gsoc/timeline

> 9450 S. W. Barns Rd

Portlandians: Are Barns Rd and Barnes Rd the same thing? Looks like a nice spot if so: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/45.50901/-122.77468

That building is now a SFX agency: https://hellohinge.com/ (No relation to the dating app)

Also curious if the TEKsystems employment agency next door took its name from Tektronix.

Yes, https://www.openstreetmap.org has quite inconsistent detail as it relies on people mapping stuff.

And help is welcome, anyone can join and help with mapping!

It's shown on OpenStreetMap, but not as a street: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/51.3682/1.0330