To improve the map quality in Germany, we propose to make data improvements by sharing challenges that can help fix data errors, improve the road network, and add other missing features or tags.
When appropriate, our team will also work on these challenges. If a challenge is more suitable to be solved without organised help, we will leave it for local users interested in completing the tasks. Challenges like this will be indicated as such in the overview below.
Additionally, we conduct edits based on map feedback.
How to participate
Anyone is welcome to contribute to this project by participating in our MapRoulette challenges. Here is the extended documentation for using MR. Note that sometimes additional instructions are provided within the challenges.
Germany - Correct Too Short Highways
This TomTom challenge focuses on identifying and correcting short highway segments. These short segments can cause issues with:
Navigation: Confusing and inaccurate driving directions.
Data Analysis: Skewed results for traffic patterns and routing.
The tag lanes= on ways with tag highway= indicates the amount of lanes on the road at hand. The value for the lanes tag should be only one of the following numbers: 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Any other value is incorrect and should be fixed.
Ways with tag highway= must be connected to the rest of the road network to ensure its continuity, e.g. for route planning. When such a way is not connected to another way with tag highway=, an error is logged.
The area=yes tag is required for some closed ways when used to define a polygon. For closed ways with other tags, there is an assumption that the way defines an area. In some circumstances, a closed way may define both a closed polyline and an area. When tag area=yes is used, it is expected that one of the necessary accompanying tags is also found.
In general, roads intended for vehicles should be built to maintain proper angles which ensure maneuvers and fluent traffic. Extreme, too sharp angles applied to a way may indicate errors in the road geometry.
This check identifies invalid turn restrictions. Invalid turn restrictions occur in a variety of ways, from invalid members to edge geometry issues to not being routable to wrong topology. Relations, ways and nodes in relations as well as turn restrictions are checked. A relation needs to have exactly one way with role 'from' and exactly one way with role 'to'. These ways should be linked together by at least one way with role 'via' OR with exactly one node with role 'via' (no more and no less).
Mini-roundabouts are a special kind of roundabout with the same rules as other roundabouts, but present as painted circles rather than physical circles. There might also be a low, fully traversable dome or island that vehicles can drive across. Road traffic flows in one direction around a point in the middle, and the traffic in the roundabout has right-of-way. A mini-roundabout is recorded using the tag highway=mini_roundabout.
The necessary edits will be made to fix cases where the tag on a way indicates that the object is a polygon feature, but the way does not meet the definition of a closed way because it is self-intersecting, or ways in a relation with the same role form a self-intersecting polygon
Simple areas are mapped in OSM by creating a closed way and tagging it as an area object rather than a line. Relations of the type multipolygon are used to represent complex areas with holes inside or consisting of multiple disjoint areas. A multipolygon relation can have any number of ways in the role outer (the outline) and any number of ways in the role inner (the holes), and these must form valid rings to build a multipolygon. When a relation of the type multipolygon consists of only one member, which is a simple area, an error is logged.
Features intended to be a polygon should be correctly tagged. When the tag indicates that the object should be a polygon, but the geometry is built out of a NON-closed way, an error is logged.
Identify and add if needed, one or more missing ways.
Edits based on map feedback
Click to expand.
We make improvements to OSM based on user feedback submitted for the TomTom map after comparing and ensuring that it is also valid for OSM.
Here is a list of the types of edits to be made, provided they do not conflict with others’ edits and a local source is available:
- Highways
- Adding or correcting highways
- Adding or correcting link roads
- Adding or adjusting bridges, tunnels, layers, or relations
- Adding or updating lanes and related properties
- Adding or updating traffic signs
- Adding or updating access barriers
- Adding or updating turn restrictions
- Addresses
- Adding or correcting addresses
- Updating the position of address nodes, usually when an object has multiple addresses
- Adding or correcting names of ways
- POIs (Points of Interest)
- Adding POIs
- Correcting POI locations
- Adding or correcting POI information
- Resolving POI-land use discrepancies
- Handling POI closures
- Land use
- Adding land use
- Modifying existing land use extent
- Buildings
- Adding buildings
- Updating building type
- Adjusting building shape
- Water
- Adding or realigning rivers, streams, and lakes.
- Railways
- Adding railway tracks
- Realigning railway tracks
- Adding or adjusting railway infrastructure tags such as bridges, tunnels, level crossings
- Ferry lines
- Adding ferry lines
- Realigning ferry lines
- Adding ferry terminals
These are incidental edits spread over time starting April 27, 2023. We follow local guidelines and, if needed, consult with the community before making an update.
Geographical scope
Data improvements will be made across the whole country.
Announcements
This project was announced in the German user forums:
We will follow the Organised Editing Guidelines for this project. TomTom will not make any edits until two weeks after the project announcement. Here is our Organised Editing page, including a list of our editors.
How to find TomTom's edits
All edits made by our team receive the hashtag #tomtom. Edits based on user feedback additionally have the hashtag #tt_mapfeedback.
tt is a hashtag that has been used for TomTom’s edits in the past.
Sources for editing
Local Imagery
Saxony latest aerial imagery
Saxony latest aerial imagery infrared
Saxony unprocessed aerial imagery
NRW Orthophoto
NRW aerial photograph
Bavaria (80 cm)
North Rhine-Westphalia ALKIS and aerial photos
Berlin
Digital color true orthophotos 2022 (TrueDOP20RGBI)
Digital color orthophotos 2021 (DOP20RGBI)
Brandenburg
GeoBasis-DE/LGB (2023)
Other imagery (used in case up-to-date local imagery is not available)
ESRI World Clarity (Beta)
Bing
Mapbox Imagery
For some OSM map edits TomTom editors will use proprietary sources for support. These will typically be in situations where there is not sufficient evidence using the available sources in OSM editors themselves. The proprietary sources will be ground-level imagery and GPS traces, both collected by TomTom's mobile mapping vans. On occasion, we will also use sources collected from a field survey by one of TomTom's sourcing specialists who have visited the location and collected data to support the required map updates.
How to reach out
If you have remarks about a specific edit of ours, please drop a comment in the changeset, and we will do our best to respond thoughtfully. Or, you can also:
Project description
Goal
To improve the map quality in Germany, we propose to make data improvements by sharing challenges that can help fix data errors, improve the road network, and add other missing features or tags.
When appropriate, our team will also work on these challenges. If a challenge is more suitable to be solved without organised help, we will leave it for local users interested in completing the tasks. Challenges like this will be indicated as such in the overview below.
Additionally, we conduct edits based on map feedback.
How to participate
Anyone is welcome to contribute to this project by participating in our MapRoulette challenges. Here is the extended documentation for using MR. Note that sometimes additional instructions are provided within the challenges.
Here is the current set of challenges.
Challenges
Active challenges
Germany - Correct Too Short Highways This TomTom challenge focuses on identifying and correcting short highway segments. These short segments can cause issues with:
Fix Intersecting Buildings
Identify and fix, if needed, situations where a building intersects with another building on the same level.
Identify and fix cases where two or more highways are connected to the same node on a roundabout.
Identify and fix, if needed, cases where a way with tag highway=* intersects with a building.
Identify and connect, if needed, roads (with a highway=* tag) that are not connected to the rest of the road network.
Identify and add if needed, one or more missing roads (with a highway=* tag).
Germany - Fix Spiky Buildings - Deutschland - Behebung von Gebäude mit spitzen Winkeln his collaborative effort requires a review and possible geometry correction, as the challenge identifies buildings with potential issues due to their unusual shape
Deutschland - Datenverbesserungen für die EURO 2024 | Germany - Data Improvements for EURO 2024 Championship This collaborative mapping project, introduced by TomTom, aims to ensure the correctness and completeness of OpenStreetMap data in the regions hosting international sports events.
Inactive challenges
Click to expand.
Fix Incorrect Highway Junctions
Identify and fix if needed, cases where highway junctions are incorrectly or imprecisely mapped.
Identify and fix if needed, cases where duplicate nodes with the same location (coordinates) should be merged.
Identify and fix cases where the bridge or tunnel has an incorrect tag.
The tag lanes= on ways with tag highway= indicates the amount of lanes on the road at hand. The value for the lanes tag should be only one of the following numbers: 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Any other value is incorrect and should be fixed.
Ways with tag highway= must be connected to the rest of the road network to ensure its continuity, e.g. for route planning. When such a way is not connected to another way with tag highway=, an error is logged.
The area=yes tag is required for some closed ways when used to define a polygon. For closed ways with other tags, there is an assumption that the way defines an area. In some circumstances, a closed way may define both a closed polyline and an area. When tag area=yes is used, it is expected that one of the necessary accompanying tags is also found.
In general, roads intended for vehicles should be built to maintain proper angles which ensure maneuvers and fluent traffic. Extreme, too sharp angles applied to a way may indicate errors in the road geometry.
This check identifies invalid turn restrictions. Invalid turn restrictions occur in a variety of ways, from invalid members to edge geometry issues to not being routable to wrong topology. Relations, ways and nodes in relations as well as turn restrictions are checked. A relation needs to have exactly one way with role 'from' and exactly one way with role 'to'. These ways should be linked together by at least one way with role 'via' OR with exactly one node with role 'via' (no more and no less).
Mini-roundabouts are a special kind of roundabout with the same rules as other roundabouts, but present as painted circles rather than physical circles. There might also be a low, fully traversable dome or island that vehicles can drive across. Road traffic flows in one direction around a point in the middle, and the traffic in the roundabout has right-of-way. A mini-roundabout is recorded using the tag highway=mini_roundabout.
The necessary edits will be made to fix cases where the tag on a way indicates that the object is a polygon feature, but the way does not meet the definition of a closed way because it is self-intersecting, or ways in a relation with the same role form a self-intersecting polygon
Simple areas are mapped in OSM by creating a closed way and tagging it as an area object rather than a line. Relations of the type multipolygon are used to represent complex areas with holes inside or consisting of multiple disjoint areas. A multipolygon relation can have any number of ways in the role outer (the outline) and any number of ways in the role inner (the holes), and these must form valid rings to build a multipolygon. When a relation of the type multipolygon consists of only one member, which is a simple area, an error is logged.
Buildings with extremely sharp angles will be identified and corrected if needed.
Features intended to be a polygon should be correctly tagged. When the tag indicates that the object should be a polygon, but the geometry is built out of a NON-closed way, an error is logged.
Identify and connect if needed cases where the end of the way with tag highway=* is not connected to the rest of the road network.
Identify and fix cases where highways intersect without a common node.
Identify and add if needed, missing school grounds.
Cities are growing for many aspects - different buildings types as well. Identify and add if needed, one or more missing buildings.
Identify and add if needed, one or more missing ways.
Edits based on map feedback
Click to expand.
We make improvements to OSM based on user feedback submitted for the TomTom map after comparing and ensuring that it is also valid for OSM. Here is a list of the types of edits to be made, provided they do not conflict with others’ edits and a local source is available: - Highways - Adding or correcting highways - Adding or correcting link roads - Adding or adjusting bridges, tunnels, layers, or relations - Adding or updating lanes and related properties - Adding or updating traffic signs - Adding or updating access barriers - Adding or updating turn restrictions - Addresses - Adding or correcting addresses - Updating the position of address nodes, usually when an object has multiple addresses - Adding or correcting names of ways - POIs (Points of Interest) - Adding POIs - Correcting POI locations - Adding or correcting POI information - Resolving POI-land use discrepancies - Handling POI closures - Land use - Adding land use - Modifying existing land use extent - Buildings - Adding buildings - Updating building type - Adjusting building shape - Water - Adding or realigning rivers, streams, and lakes. - Railways - Adding railway tracks - Realigning railway tracks - Adding or adjusting railway infrastructure tags such as bridges, tunnels, level crossings - Ferry lines - Adding ferry lines - Realigning ferry lines - Adding ferry terminals These are incidental edits spread over time starting April 27, 2023. We follow local guidelines and, if needed, consult with the community before making an update.Geographical scope
Data improvements will be made across the whole country.
Announcements
This project was announced in the German user forums:
thread about the quality check challenges,
thread about the isolated highway and school ground challenges,
thread about edits based on map feedback,
announcement of building/highway intersection challenge and improved missing highway challenge,
announcement of incorrect highway junction challenge,
announcement of duplicate node challenge,
announcement of challenge for fixing incorrect junctions on roundabouts,
announcement of challenge for fixing intersecting buildings,
announcement of challenges for adding highways and fixing highway/building intersections,
announcement of challenge for fixing inconsistent highway intersections,
announcement of challenge for fixing inconsistent bridge and tunnel tagging,
announcement of challenges for adding buildings and highways.
Germany - Fix Spiky Buildings - Deutschland - Behebung von Gebäude mit spitzen Winkeln was announced in Germany OpenStreetMap Community Forum on 23rd April 2024
Deutschland - Datenverbesserungen für die EURO 2024 | Germany - Data Improvements for EURO 2024 Championship was announced in Germany OpenStreetMap Community Forum on 22nd May 2024
Germany - Correct Too Short Highways was announced in Germany OpenStreetMap Community Forum on 10 July 2024
Refilling of Deutschland - Verbinden Isolierter Straßen | Germany - Connect Isolated Highways and Deutschland - Behebung von sich Kreuzenden Gebäuden | Germany - Fix Intersecting Buildings announced on Sept 11th in Germany OpenStreetMap Community Forum
TomTom organised editing
We will follow the Organised Editing Guidelines for this project. TomTom will not make any edits until two weeks after the project announcement. Here is our Organised Editing page, including a list of our editors.
How to find TomTom's edits
All edits made by our team receive the hashtag #tomtom. Edits based on user feedback additionally have the hashtag #tt_mapfeedback.
tt is a hashtag that has been used for TomTom’s edits in the past.
Sources for editing
Local Imagery
Other imagery (used in case up-to-date local imagery is not available)
For some OSM map edits TomTom editors will use proprietary sources for support. These will typically be in situations where there is not sufficient evidence using the available sources in OSM editors themselves. The proprietary sources will be ground-level imagery and GPS traces, both collected by TomTom's mobile mapping vans. On occasion, we will also use sources collected from a field survey by one of TomTom's sourcing specialists who have visited the location and collected data to support the required map updates.
How to reach out
If you have remarks about a specific edit of ours, please drop a comment in the changeset, and we will do our best to respond thoughtfully. Or, you can also: