Mapping for OSW in the OSM US Tasking Manager
Mapping for OSW in the OSM US Tasking Manager⚓︎
This tutorial explains how to contribute to OpenSidewalks pedestrian infrastructure mapping efforts organized through the OSM US Tasking Manager.
Purpose⚓︎
Staff at the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT) support organized editing efforts as part of the OpenSidewalks (OSW) initiative. This tutorial applies to participants who choose to contribute either as a mapper adding new features or as a validator reviewing others' contributions.
The Tasking Manager divides a target area into a grid of small tasks so that many mappers can work simultaneously without duplicating effort. OpenSidewalks projects use the OSM US Tasking Manager to coordinate the mapping of sidewalks, crossings, and curbs across a city or neighborhood, building toward a complete and accessible pedestrian network in OpenStreetMap.
What You'll Map⚓︎
OpenSidewalks projects typically focus on the pedestrian features that enable accessible routing in applications like AccessMap:
- Sidewalks — Dedicated pedestrian paths running alongside streets
- Crossings — Connections across streets, mapped with curb details at each end
- Curbs — Points at the streetside edge of each crossing that describe accessibility
Choose Your Role⚓︎
New to mapping? Start with the Mapping Guide — it covers creating an OSM account, claiming a task, and adding pedestrian features in the web-based editor.
Experienced mapper? If you'd like to help by quality-checking others' contributions, the Validation Guide covers what to check, common issues to fix, and how to mark tasks complete or return them for revision.
