Some may upload GPS tracks regularly but go a long time between editing sessions. You can also help out by editing the GPS data provided by other users. Consequently, although it is very good, it is far from perfect, especially with respect to new construction. The TIGER data was generated from government-owned maps and aerial photography and is used by the Census Bureau. If you live in the United States, there is a vast collection of untouched map data in the OSM database courtesy of a bulk import of the US government’s TIGER map set. That works to the newbie’s advantage, because there is already data available for much of the world. And even if you have a GPS logger and collect data, the vast majority of your time is spent editing the OSM map itself - correcting, labeling, and updating what is already there. It is true that a GPS logger is the simplest way to collect the raw road traces that eventually become part of the map, but it is by no means mandatory. Perhaps the biggest misconception among people who know of but have not contributed to OSM (including myself, at the beginning) is the notion that you must own a GPS unit in order to help out. This is not meant to be an authoritative guide to the project OSM maintains a detailed wiki with extensive documentation for newbies and experts alike, in multiple languages. You can contribute a lot to the project even if you don’t own a Global Positioning System (GPS) device - or even a compass. Since it is the vacation high season in the Northern Hemisphere and many more people will be hitting the maps, this is the perfect time. We have written about the OpenStreetMap (OSM) project many times, but we have yet to explain how to get started with it as a contributor.
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