MAPS.ME/Questionable OSM Edits

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This page collects changesets created by Maps.Me users which are "questionable", i.e. they are of low quality, introduce duplicated objects or have other problems. Please only add cases which might have been prevented by a better Maps.Me.

Vandalism is possible and known via all editors and is difficult to prevent by a developer. ;-) Therefore please do not add it here.

Please sign your contributions using --~~~~.

See also the thread at the German forum.

You can do some changeset filtering via http://simon04.dev.openstreetmap.org/whodidit/ or http://osmcha-django-staging.tilestream.net/ ... these services have a text box where you can enter any editor name, like maps.me, Osmand, Vespucci, iD, Merkaartor, JOSM etc.

There is a Maps.Me monitoring tool at http://mmwatch.osmz.ru/ . It allows for filtering by country, edit type or user, and it has links to JOSM and Level0.

Duplicates

There is systematically a risk of creating duplicates as the data provided in Maps.Me is more or less out-of-date (weeks to months). Possible solution might be a real-time check of the OSM-db before uploading.--geow (talk) 11:37, 12 June 2016 (UTC)

Maps.me does check the actual data and tries to prevent duplicates, but it doesn't have enough data to conflate e.g. two shops with slightly different names. Think a mall, where similar shops are one above the other. --Zverik (talk) 08:26, 14 June 2016 (UTC)

Duplicates could be entered into OSM database because they are not rendered by Maps.Me (hidden by another feature which is very close to them, e.g. two shops in one small building). The user would add the "missing" shop because he thinks that the shop is missing. (I have no changeset to prove this because I encountered this together with a workmate at his iPad) --Nakaner (talk) 11:53, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

When you click "Add a place", all objects are displayed regardless of their position, even overlapping ones, so a user will see the shop they are trying to add. --Zverik (talk) 08:26, 14 June 2016 (UTC)
I've got an example here: highway=rest_area tag paired with area=yes, changeset 41975372. It is rendered on OSM's slippy map, but it is not rendered by the app. Please refer to this screenshot. A MAPS.ME user has introduced a duplicate, with the assumption that this rest area doesn't exist yet in OSM's database. AkuAnakTimur (talk) 13:51, 7 September 2016 (UTC)

Maps.Me should also display objects which have tags not used by OSM. This prevents the entering of duplicates because the correctly tagged objects are not rendered. example --Nakaner (talk) 09:09, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

The "The place has gone or never existed." note could get two features:

  1. If not using the latest map the note should not be allowed to create
  2. The text should include the type of POI (e.g. "bakery"). Really cool would be the node/way/relation id. If the feature is already removed in the database the note is very confusing and other nearby POI might be deleted in order to close the note. Example: note on 2016-08-20 with map data 2016-06-20 and bakery already deleted on 2016-06-25 (incidentally on an earlier Maps.Me note).

Maps.me cannot add to existing address-nodes. Hence users tend to create a new POI and then duplicate the details of the address-node (partially, and often faulty) into the POI. Resulting in confusing/conflicting data. This problem is especially true in the Netherlands where almost all buildings have their proper address-nodes. Marczoutendijk (talk) 13:02, 21 August 2016 (UTC)

As of 2023 Maps.me changed the map view for adding POIs. Now users cannot see all existing POIs any more, as POIs are only shown if there is enough space on the map. In previous Maps.me versions the editing view showed all POIs with overlapping icons and labels. This frequently results in duplicate POIs. (e.g. 143661305, 143687362)--Map per wiki (talk) 15:26, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

To have some numbers I checked the last 25 Maps.me edits in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. 9 edits are good, 13 bad and for 3 I am not sure whether they are good or bad. Out of the 13 bad edits 9 added duplicates. With 36% of all edits being duplicates this can be called a major problem.--Map per wiki (talk) 12:26, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Example Changesets

The main issue here is that the person does not respond, not that he/she submits duplicate data. --Zverik (talk) 08:26, 14 June 2016 (UTC)
Both is an issue, but adding duplicate date is wrong, too. (Missing response also happens with users of other editors) --Nakaner (talk) 08:59, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

Duplicate notes

Maps.Me creates a lot of duplicate notes at the same position with the same content. This problem is known to Maps.Me for years, but there there is no fix for that: GitHub issue #4663. Examples are provided at that page already. The number of open note duplicates is more than 1000. U30303020 (talk) 20:31, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

Invalid Tag Value (e.g. opening_hours or phone numbers)

Usage/Abuse of the name Tag

Language related

name=* is abused by users whose language is not offered by the app (e.g. Chinese users entering Chinese names into name=*). They either add it to or replace the local name by a Chinese one. This might be a RTL (right to left) problem. --Nakaner (talk) 05:41, 14 June 2016 (UTC)

  • English translation added to name tag, though an name:en already exists: 40324079, 40323842 40323731--morryis (talk) 16:17, 27 June 2016 (UTC)
  • [1] Data is entered into the unusual (and in this context incorrect) name:cs tag (likely based on phone language) Stephankn (talk) 14:57, 30 October 2016 (UTC)

Confusion about scope for edits

Many users seem to think maps.me edits are their personal, local data.

  • 39828910: A place name was changed to "the house of the user's sister near Tasek Gelugor". I changed it back, and I assume the user thinks that this is a local edit which is only stored in the device. AkuAnakTimur (talk) 23:54, 19 June 2016 (UTC)
  • 40735620 The name tag was set as "Home" for a bus stop, as one would for a locally stored favorite/bookmark for example. --MMN-o (talk) 22:13, 14 July 2016 (UTC)
  • Note 616766 This note was labeled "my appartment".--Jojo4u (talk)
  • Note 645958 which describes a changeset.--Jojo4u (talk) 22:23, 1 August 2016 (UTC)
  • Any edit of this user: reverted by others across the globe; also, \
  • any of these changesets in the past month: 41067305, 41099803, 41099824, 41112549, 41049301, 41049301, 41061157, 41031683, 41017302, 40961184, 40923013, 40916179, 40814860, 40811869, 40811120, 40513223, 39813637 --Piskvor (talk) 21:36, 29 July 2016 (UTC); since then, any of the multitude of changesets in my edit history with title containing "mm" and "revert" (one or two a day, just for http://mmwatch.osmz.ru/?country=Czech+Republic).
  • 39898568 which marks a highway rest_area in a residential front yard. 39912457 by the same user which inserted a furniture shop in the back yard of the same residence. --AndrewSnow 17:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC).
  • The Middle East is infested with personal bookmarks. See my edit history and this discussion. I deleted hundreds (and perhaps a thousand) already. -- SwiftFast (talk) 15:34, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
  • 45598571 First names of people at addresses Cjf (talk) 22:29, 24 March 2018 (UTC)
  • Inexperienced Maps.me users regularly confuse 'Add a place to the map' for personal bookmarks. I recently had to explain to a guy tagging 47 weirdly named lawyer offices along some small tracks (via PM's) why he would want to use the 'bookmark' button (and how to find it). He had no idea he was editing OSM through Maps.me. --Hjart (talk) 18:43, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

Name used to convey metadata

Others

"Deleting" POIs with a note

640390 - The user created an erroneous fuel pump. When deleted through maps.me, it only created a note saying the POI "cannot be found on the ground".--MMN-o (talk) 08:31, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

Data Sources

Wrong Tagging

  • In terms of (tagged) places in OSM, the coverage in Malaysia can be said quite sparse. Some MAPS.ME users would love to improve that, but using the completely wrong tags. E.g. tourism=*. 1 2 AkuAnakTimur (talk) 00:08, 20 June 2016 (UTC)
  • MAPS.ME users don't find the correct category and select "alpine hut" (first). Please, add generic categories for offices (office=company), shops (shop=yes) or amenity. e.g. [2] Smaug (talk) 02:18, 22 June 2016 (UTC)
    • an alpine hut in one of the hugest cities of the world: [3] --Geogast (talk) 20:20, 29 September 2016 (UTC)
  • MAPS.ME user did not find a good category and entered a astronomical observatory as tourism=attraction. Maps.Me should offer a category "other" whose entries are not uploaded automatically to OSM and instead put on a moderation website where experienced OSM contributors can pick them and enter them manually with correct tagging. --Nakaner (talk)
    • Or just let it through and the experienced contributors can correct and/or add the appropriate tags later. Sometimes, even as an experienced user, it'd be a lot quicker for me to add the name and general type of place instead of finding the appropriate category on my phone for every single entry. Then I can fill in the rest at home with the category definitions at my side. If the moderators can't keep up with the submissions, there is a danger that other users will try to add the same places which haven't gone through the moderation process. That could be avoided if the entries went through, even if they didn't include as much information as people would like. -Svavar Kjarrval (talk) 23:55, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
      • That's nice in theory. In practice, MAPS.ME turned the middle east into tourism=* hell. See my edit history for a glimpse. -- SwiftFast (talk) 15:27, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
    • tourism=attraction is not wrong here. Almost always it is possible to add more tags, this edit was OK Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 18:25, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
  • Maps.Me user added bus_station for a bus_stop.--Jojo4u (talk)
  • Maps.Me users use the building:levels tag in a wrong way. They enter all levels including the roof level, even though the roof level should not be counted as building:levels. -- Prince Kassad (talk) 21:30, 27 July 2016 (UTC)
  • There is no possibilty to add parking. Medulove (talk) 11:40, 15 September 2016 (UTC)
  • Maps.me user added a speed camera as a police station in 42565576, tried to delete this mistake some minutes later with a note: [4] --rurseekatze (talk) 19:27, 6 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Maps.me users add cuisine=vegetarian;vegan for restaurants (Example) that offer vegan/vegetarian dishes. The correct tagging should be diet:vegetarian=yes/only and diet:vegan=yes/only -- Mapper999 (talk) 20:59, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Useable tags when adding objects in mapsme is very limited so, a lot of people are using the first tag available to add anything they want and type in more info as notes. People using english uses "attraction" tag ,those from Brazil is using "abrigo", including more things in the list might help to resolve the issue partially. Also including an option to leave notes without creating or editing objects will also help to lessen wrong edits. Muzirian (talk) 11:06, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
  • OSM User Elvis Mehic added a lot of information in the Swiss Canton Jura during last year as tourism=attraction. In general it was useful info (housenumbers, streetnames, businesses, etc), but it should not be tagged as an attraction. After some discussion on the talk-ch list the user now has a block by the DWG and currently a few people of the Swiss community are fixing his edits. Dikkeknodel (talk) 07:46, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

Modifying Tags

  • Maps.Me (I assume the app did this automatically) changed cuisine=Gutbürgerliche_Küche to cuisine=gutbürgerliche_küche. This should not happen automatically. --Nakaner (talk) 08:57, 27 June 2016 (UTC)
  • Name got changed from name=Hvammur name=秘密泡湯 [5]. fixed it -- malenki 20:38, 6 July 2016 (UTC)
  • Maps.Me encourages users to delete opening hours for public holidays (PH). I have reported this bug twice via email and github but there has been no reaction from Maps.me so far. -- Mapper999 (talk) 21:06, 24 July 2016 (UTC)
  • previous name was revived in https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/55218763 (old map data problem). A few days ago I visited the place and added the new name. I kept the previous name as old_name as it is still used as advertisement ("be surprised by our new concept"). Yesterday someone saw the previous name in the MAPS.ME app, as my change wasn't yet in their offline map data, and also tried to update the name. The user uploaded the new name as "name:de" and "name:en", but the previous value of the "name" tag was restored, overriding my change and being in conflict with the "name:de" and "name:en" tags. --Athalis (talk) 00:18, 7 January 2018 (UTC)
  • https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/56692027 updated the name of the shop. But it didn't update the "name" tag, only added new tags "name:de" and "name:en" with the new value. I fixed it in https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/56781287 --Athalis (talk) 08:52, 1 March 2018 (UTC)
  • Apparently all on it's own, the ios version (not the Android) of Maps.me has changed the default name of the Icelandic Þingvellir national park to the same russian description 3 times over a span of 2 years (last example in june 2018)

Mysterious

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