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OpenStreetMap contributions

Use Improve this place in a place's Overview tab to correct supported facts on an existing OpenStreetMap object. The control appears only when the operator has enabled contributions and the place has a valid OSM reference.

  1. Sign in to OpenMapX, then link and authorize your OpenStreetMap account.
  2. Read the current OSM values and choose the correction.
  3. State a permitted source, write a changeset comment, and review the old and new values.
  4. Choose Publish to OpenStreetMap. Use the success link to inspect the published changeset.

Your OSM username, changeset, source, comment, and edit history are public. Read the source and privacy warnings below before publishing.

What you can change​

The editor changes these supported fields on one existing OSM element:

  • the name
  • the category, when the current and target categories are both unambiguous
  • address components that are already on that exact element
  • opening hours
  • phone, email and website
  • wheelchair access

Use the explicit remove action to delete a value you know is wrong.

What it deliberately will not do​

Some corrections need more context than this flow can safely collect. Rather than guess, OpenMapX hands you off to a public note or the full OpenStreetMap editor:

  • Adding a place that is not in OpenStreetMap yet.
  • Marking a place closed, demolished or gone. Lifecycle tagging is a judgement call about what replaced it, and doing it badly destroys history.
  • Moving a place or changing any geometry, shape, or which feature contains it.
  • Editing raw tags, arbitrary presets, several places at once, or several elements in one changeset.
  • Social-media links, photos, ownership claims, reviews or private feedback.

A category the editor cannot resolve unambiguously is also refused. When two categories match a place equally well, OpenMapX will not pick one for you.

Live OpenStreetMap is the source of truth​

The place panel shows a merged view: OpenStreetMap plus whatever enrichment integrations you have enabled. None of that merged data is ever used to fill an editor field.

When you open the editor, the server reads the element straight from OpenStreetMap and shows you those values. It reads it again immediately before publishing. Everything you see in the editor, and everything that gets sent, is OpenStreetMap's own current data plus your change.

Evidence, and what not to copy​

OpenStreetMap is built on verifiable facts, so the review screen asks where your correction comes from:

  • you saw it in person,
  • it is on a sign at the place,
  • it is on the feature's own official website, or
  • another source you are allowed to use.

Do not copy from another map, a commercial directory, or a database you do not have the right to use. That includes checking a competing map to "confirm" a name. Doing so puts OpenStreetMap's licensing at risk, and it is the single most common way well-meant contributions cause real damage.

Reviewing before you publish​

The review screen is mandatory. It shows:

  • each change as a plain old value → new value row,
  • the exact tag changes the server will send, expandable,
  • your choice of source,
  • a changeset comment you write yourself: OpenMapX never drafts or suggests one for you, because the comment is how other mappers understand your edit (see good changeset comments),
  • the OpenStreetMap account the edit will be published under, and
  • an option to ask another mapper to review it.

Then you press Publish to OpenStreetMap.

Public contributions​

The edit is made with your linked OpenStreetMap account. Your username, the changeset, your comment, your stated source, the resulting tags and your edit history are all public, and are governed by OpenStreetMap and the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Deleting your OpenMapX account does not remove contributions you made to OpenStreetMap.

Contributing requires accepting the Contributor Terms, which OpenStreetMap asks of everyone who edits.

This is a normal, human-initiated editor. OpenMapX does not make automated or mechanical edits on your behalf; see the automated edits code of conduct.

When someone else edits at the same time​

If the element changes in OpenStreetMap while you are working, publishing stops and shows you what changed upstream. Your correction is kept. You then review it against the fresh data and publish again deliberately. OpenMapX never quietly re-applies your edit on top of someone else's.

Public notes​

For a closed shop, a misplaced feature, or another unsupported correction, leave a public note instead. Notes are read by other mappers, who then make the actual change.

A note is public and attributed to your account, so describe the map-data problem and do not include personal or confidential information. It is not a support channel for OpenMapX itself.

Why your change may not show up immediately​

OpenStreetMap accepts your edit right away, but OpenMapX and other services rebuild their own copies of the data on their own schedule. A correction can be live in OpenStreetMap while the place panel still shows the old value. The success screen links to your changeset so you can confirm it landed.

Turning it on​

Contributing is off by default and requires operator configuration, an OpenStreetMap OAuth application, and two separate flags. See configuration and the developer notes.

Further reading​