Frequently Asked Questions

Answers

I’ve signed up to OpenStreetMap and its showing a map, but how do I get to the area you want us to map?

The first time you log in, OpenStreetMap might not direct you to the correct location on the map. If this happens then simply close the OpenStreetMap tab and return to the Community Mapping tab. Click “I’ve given up mapping this square” and it will give you a new square (possibly even the same one!), then press “Start Mapping” and the OpenStreetMap tab will open as expected.

I have clicked on a feature (e.g. a hut or a path) to classify it, and it is not giving me the classification options that I need

This is probably that you have clicked on one of the little white dots that make up the feature, which OpenStreetMap sees as different from the feature itself. If you click on the feature itself (avoiding the dots) - such as the middle of a hut or the line between the dots, then you should see the options that you are looking for.

I am right-clicking on a hut/building to make it circular/square, and it is not giving me the menu that I am expecting.

It is likely that you are right-clicking on one of the little white dots that make up the feature, which OpenStreetMap sees as different from the feature itself. If you right-click on the middle of the hut (rather than the dots around the edge), then you should see the circularise or squarify option.

What happens if I’m not sure how to label what I’ve mapped? e.g. if I’m not sure if it’s a track, minor road etc. Can I save it with edits to be checked?

We check all of the data that our volunteers create (please do not tick the box asking OpenStreetMap to check this - as we will already do it) . We know that sometimes it is very difficult even for experienced mappers to tell how to classify features, so all that we ask is that you make your best judgement. Even if you are totally wrong, the geometry is valuable, and it won’t be long before it is checked and fixed by another volunteer!

OpenStreetMap is telling me my track doesn’t join up to anything, is it ok just to track part of a road/track and save it?

This is fine - where possible, it is good to connect lines to other lines, but if this is not possible (i.e. because there is nothing to connect it to) then it is perfectly fine to leave it for someone else to connect in the future. The warnings are just there to ensure that you haven’t forgotten to connect them by accident - they can be safely ignored if there is nothing to connect to (as the person who maps the adjacent square will likely connect them in the future!).

I’ve started a road/track line then accidentally double clicked to finish, how do I go back to editing it / continuing with it?

No problem, simply select the line tool again, and start your new line at the end of the previous one - it will seamlessly extend the original line - you can then set it to have the same classification, and this will be no different to if you had drawn it all in one go in the first place.

I noticed I went wrong on a section, but I’ve since mapped some other sections of my square, how do I delete it without losing my other work?

Absolutely, you can simply either:

  • left-click on any feature and edit either its geometry or classification, just the same as when you were creating it
  • right-click on any feature and select the bin icon to delete it
  • left click on it and press the delete button on your keyboard to delete it

Is it OK if I don’t complete everything in the square?

This is fine, just be sure to click the red “I’ve given up mapping this square” button on the community mapping.org tab, and the square will be allocated to another volunteer!

Why can I not see the square in the editor?

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to add the square to the editor because it is operated by OpenStreetMap. However, both the Community Mapping Uganda tab and the OpenStreetMap editor have identical satellite imagery, so you can compare the two to find where you are if you get lost. Do not worry too much about the exact location of the square, it does not matter if you go outside it a bit - it will just mean less work for the next person!

Is it OK if I go outside of my square?

Yes, this is fine. Do not worry too much about the exact location of the square, it does not matter if you go outside it a bit - it will just mean less work for the next person! We ask that you try to keep roughly to your square as best as you can, then get another square and mark it as complete (as this allows us to better understand how much of the area has been mapped), but there are no consequences if you wander outside a little bit!

When I click Save it doesn’t work

If you can’t save, it might be because you have an error in your data - this will be displayed in a red box in the bar to the left. In this case, click the red box to Zoom the map editor to the feature that has an error.

If there is no red box and save isn’t working, refresh the page. It will ask you if you want to resume your mapping session, and you should click yes to this (the blue arrow). Now click the save button and try again. If it still doesn’t work, refresh the page again (and click the blue arrow to get your edits back), and click save, but do not click to upload in the left panel. Instead, scroll to the bottom of the left panel and click to download the changes file (*.osc) - if you email this to , we will upload it for you. You can then return to the Community Mapping Uganda tab and start a new square if you wish (we would recommend using a different browser for this if you can, and trying to save after mapping only a few features to make sure that it works)!

How often should I save?

We would recommend saving your mapping as often as possible in order to minimise problems and then chance of losing your work. We would recommend keeping the feature counter in the top-right below 50 by saving your progress regularly.

I am really stuck

Simply email and we will try to help!