Mapping is a great hobby, and a lot of what we map falls into some of these areas. This page will be updated infrequently, and you can follow #OSMNelson on the Fediverse for more frequent updates.
Mapping the pedestrian sidewalk network #
Main page: Mapping the sidewalks
This is a constant project, and completion is slowly creeping out of where we started. I (Sunset Sakura) am focusing on Nelson City, and have completed the CBD, the Wood, and am now going along further South. Catgirlseraid started in Tāhunanui and has done quite a large area around there as well.
It will take a lot more time, but the effort is definitely worth it and eventually (6 months? 1 year?) the majority of Nelson / Tasman / Richmond will have detailed mapping of pedestrian paths. And this is only Stage One - lots more can be done after the general network is set up.
Keeping shops up to date #
This is arguably the most important thing for an online map. Although most of the other things listed here can be done remotely (“armchair mapping”), this requires on the ground survey. Occasionally someone will set aside a couple hours in a weekend, choose an area of town, and just go around it solving all the StreetComplete quests, adding shops, and taking photos for use as reference for later. e.g. for micromapping an area it is very useful to have imagery of that area to map from.
A lot of shops have contact details, opening hours and other information on the storefronts, which is added during survey if available. Otherwise we turn to online sources to find that information, usually just hunting down the website of the particular shop.
Adding and updating the eBus routes #
Main page: How I mapped the buses in Nelson (may not be published yet)
Most, if not all, of the bus stops in the Nelson-Tasman region have been mapped, although most only include the stop’s name. There is a lot more information which could be added when mappers are walking by - the ref number; is there a shelter, a bench, a rubbish bin; is it lit at night; etc. These details can be easily added when surveying using StreetComplete or OpenStop.
The bus routes are quite close to being finished, it’s something I am currently working on. PTv2 (the Public Transport schema) is confusing, but I am determined to figure it out and get public transport routing working in Nelson.
Micromapping! #
Micromapping is a very fun thing - essentially we sit down and micro-map all the known features in a certain area, down to things as small as building entrances and trees, leading to highly detailed and useful maps! Here is an example of micromapping Nelson Hospital done by catgirlseraid, compared to the adjecent Nelson College for Boys which has not been micromapped:
Mapping bicycle infrastructure #
After the pedestrian mapping is at a good, consistent state across the region, focus will turn to ensuring bicycle infrastructure is properly mapped.
Street-level imagery #
We do not (currently) collect any street-level imagery to upload to online services for use in mapping. If we did, we’d most likely use Panoramax as it’s the only libre, (semi-)decentralised platform that isn’t owned by a for-profit company such as Meta (which owns Mapillary).