The seriousness with which the OpenStreetMap community approaches discussions is a true strength of the project. Over years of debate, the community has formed a highly cohesive tagging system for names. These guidelines are simple for beginners, yet they allow for the precise classification and mapping of real-world names. A name is perhaps the most vital piece of data for most users—it is what they want to see on screens and paper, hear via voice navigation, and even touch.

However, this post isn’t about which tag to choose, but rather the format in which the name should be entered. I want to discuss the phenomenon of ellipsis—or, to put it simply, the shortening of names—and what we as mappers should watch out for when collecting and adding toponyms to the map.

What are elliptical toponyms?

Elliptical toponyms are geographical proper names that have been historically truncated or shortened in oral or written use. These are often names that originally included a generic term (a word indicating the type of object), which over time partially or completely disappeared. The table below shows several examples of such “shortened” Scandinavian and Baltic toponyms:

Historical Full Form	Truncated Form	Explanation
Sed-ezeris	Sedzeris	The hydronym “Lake Seda” lost the generic term ezeris (lake).
Spanggroben	Spanget	A neighborhood near a stream; the second element -groben (ditch/trench) was dropped.
Stampedam	Stampen	A farmstead near a pond; the second element -dam (pond) was dropped, leaving only the specific element.
Sankt Peters Kirche	Sankt Peter	St. Peter’s Church; the second element Kirche (church) was dropped.

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Те, як серйозно в OpenStreetMap ставляться до обговорень, — справді сильна сторона проєкту. Протягом років таких обговорень спільнота сформувала дуже цілісну систему теґування назв. Ці настанови прості для тих, хто тільки починає, але при цьому дозволяють точно класифікувати та наносити на мапу реальні назви. Саме назва, мабуть, є найважливішим елементом даних для більшості користувачів — адже саме її вони хочуть бачити на екрані й на папері, чути та навіть торкатися.

Але цей допис не про те, який теґ обрати для назви, а про те, у якому вигляді цю назву заповнювати. Я хотів би розповісти про явище еліпсису або, якщо перефразувати, — усічення назв, і про те, на що ми, картографи, повинні звертати увагу під час збору та нанесення на мапу топонімів.

Що таке еліпсовані топоніми?

Еліпсовані топоніми — це власні географічні назви, які історично під час усного чи письмового вжитку були усічені або скорочені. Наприклад, ті, у яких спочатку було родове поняття, що позначало тип обʼєкта, але з часом воно частково або повністю зникло. Нижче у таблиці наведено кілька прикладів таких «усічених» скандинавських топонімів:

Повна форма	Усічена форма	Пояснення
Sed-ezeris	Sedzeris	Гідронім «озеро Седа» втратив родове поняття ezeris (‘озеро’).
Spanggroben	Spanget	Назва кутка поряд зі струмком, другий елемент -groben (канавка, рів) опущено.
Stampedam	Stampen	Назва хутора поруч зі ставком, другий елемент -dam (ставок) опущено, залишився лише специфічний елемент.
Sankt Peters Kirche	Sankt Peter	Церква святого Петра; другий елемент Kirche (церква) опущено.

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Following a suggestion by @andygol, I decided to refresh the Highway Tag Usage Scheme used by the Ukrainian OSM community. The original work on this scheme began back in 2013 — see the discussion in the Highways of Ukraine topic. I’d like to share the progress made so far and invite the community to contribute further improvements.

Previous version:

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I’ve suggested an updated version of the diagrams explaining the tagging of railway stations. The goal is to make them simpler to understand, especially for newcomers, without losing the core meaning. There have already been some feedback and interesting ideas for further improvements.

I invite you to join the discussion — your input would be highly appreciated!

As an OpenStreetMap contributor, I always pay attention to how maps are used in media and various software applications. It is fascinating to see OSM data appear in unexpected places. Previously, I noticed that OpenStreetMap was used in the movie Mission: Impossible.

Recently, I came across an example of OSM’s osmCarto style being used in the software of the Skyranger 35, a highly mobile air defense system.

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I became interested in the issue of localizing the map of Ukraine into English and decided to raise it in several forum discussions (first, second, third) to delve into the nuances and find optimal approaches to filling out the name:en tag for objects in Ukraine.

My goal was to understand how to correctly fill in the name:en tag and determine whether it should contain a translation or transliteration. While this may seem like a technical issue, it actually has deep cultural and historical roots, and the answer is not immediately obvious. However, through the discussion, I believe I found a solution and would like to share it in this diary.

Endonyms and exonyms: what are they?

First and foremost, it is important to understand the difference between endonyms and exonyms.

Endonym refers to the name of a geographical object in the language of the people who live in that area. For instance, for the residents of Ukraine, the name of the capital Kyiv is an endonym. Endonyms always reflect the authentic name used by the local population.

Exonym refers to the name for the same geographical object used by people or countries outside that area. Examples of Ukrainian exonyms include Viden for Wien, Niu-York for New York, and Florentsia for Firenze. The Spanish name for the city Lviv is Leópolis, and the German name is Lemberg. Historically, such names were formed quite chaotically, influenced by various linguistic traditions or political processes.

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Цей важливий етап став можливим завдяки нашій команді перекладачів: мені, darkonus, а також andygol і Gontsa. Два роки тому ми мріяли, щоб новини світу OpenStreetMap були доступні українською мовою, і тепер можемо бачити, як ця мрія реалізувалася.

Ми вважаємо, що наш внесок допомагає зблизити українську та світову спільноти, роблячи інформацію про OpenStreetMap доступнішою для українських користувачів.

Крім того, якщо у вас є цікаві новини чи події з OpenStreetMap, ви також можете їх додати до тижневика! Більше інформації про те як це зробити та просту інструкцію можна знайти тут.

Хоча випуски регулярно виходять, нам завжди буде корисна підтримка від зацікавлених читачів, які могли б допомогти з перекладом та редагуванням. Це дозволило б покращити якість тексту. Якщо ви хочете долучитися до нашої команди та допомогти, ми будемо раді вашій участі.

🎉

Hello! Today, I want to share a handy script that can enhance your experience with JOSM on MacOS by enabling a dark mode theme. Dark mode not only looks sleek but can also reduce eye strain, especially during late-night mapping sessions.

Note: This script is specifically for MacOS users.

Step 1: Download JOSM

If you haven’t already, download the latest version of josm-tested.jar here. Save it to a location on your Mac.

Step 2: Install the FlatLaf Plugin

FlatLaf is a fantastic plugin that allows you to apply dark themes to Java applications. After installing the plugin and restarting, go to the menu and select the dark theme: JOSM → Settings → Display → Look and Feel → FlatLaf Darcula

Step 3: Create and Run the Script

Now, let’s create a script that will launch JOSM with a dark theme. Open your favorite text editor and paste the following code:

shell #!/bin/zsh

java -Dapple.awt.application.appearance=NSAppearanceNameDarkAqua -Xmx7168m -jar /Users/YourUsername/Documents/josm-tested.jar

Make sure to replace YourUsername with your actual MacOS username. This script does the following:

• #!/bin/zsh: Informs your system to use the Zsh shell to execute the script.
• java -Dapple.awt.application.appearance=NSAppearanceNameDarkAqua -Xmx7168m -jar /Users/YourUsername/Documents/josm-tested.jar: Launches the Java runtime with dark mode enabled, allocates 7168MB (or 7GB) of RAM to JOSM (you can adjust this value), and specifies the path to your JOSM JAR file.

Step 4: Save and Make the Script Executable

Save this script with a .command extension, for example, josm-dark-mode.command. To make it executable, open your terminal, navigate to the directory where you saved the script, and run the following command:

shell chmod +x josm-dark-mode.command

Step 5: Execute the Script

Now, you can simply double-click josm-dark-mode.command, and JOSM will launch with a beautiful dark theme, thanks to the FlatLaf plugin and the MacOS appearance setting.

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I want to share my experience using the CAD Tools plugin for drawing ways with smooth bends in JOSM. I want to emphasize that I don’t claim that this mapping method is the right or useful one. Most mappers tend to show object contours with as few points as possible. I see the advantages of this approach as it makes data easier to edit, especially in mobile and browser-based OpenStreetMap editors.

On the other hand, smooth line bends work well for the shape of most objects we map. Roads, being one of the main features on maps, are always represented by smooth lines best described by Bézier curves. Coastal lines of various water bodies almost always have smooth bends.

My considerations are as follows: the closer the data represents the true shape of an object, the more accurate the data is. Ultimately, my main motivation is that smooth lines are very aesthetically pleasing.

… See full entry

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an invaluable resource for geospatial data, providing free and open access to information about our planet. One interesting aspect of OSM is its ability to track the history of changes made to objects in its database. As someone curious about geospatial data, I’ve been exploring ways to visualize this data in a more intuitive manner. Recently, I decided to experiment with GPT-4, a state-of-the-art language model by OpenAI, to see if we could come up with a fresh approach to visualizing OSM data history. In this blog post, I’ll share my initial attempts, examples of the traditional OSM Deep History table, and the new visualization I created with GPT-4’s assistance.

Traditional OSM Deep History Table

The standard OSM Deep History page presents data history in a tabular format. While it’s a helpful tool for understanding how objects in the database have evolved, the table format can make it difficult to quickly grasp changes and trends in the data. The table includes a row for each version of the object, with columns for different attributes. As a result, finding meaningful insights can be challenging.

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1. Install Java Development Kit for ARM 64 processors. JOSM developers now recommend Azul or Bellsoft Liberica JDK’s. At the moment, I’m using the Azul build: https://www.azul.com/downloads/?package=jdk#download-openjdk

2. Download josm-tested.jar https://josm.openstreetmap.de/josm-tested.jar

3. Drag and drop josm-tested.jar into the Dock

4. Run JOSM!

PS: Updated recommendations for JDK

UPD April 20, 2024: The instructions are effective; however, the JOSM development team now produces a build that supports both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. Currently, I download and install JOSM using Homebrew.

The Ukrainian community is concerned about the possible negative impact on the project as a whole, the emergence of lawsuits from users of data and the subsequent decline of the project, and therefore restores the borders of Ukraine to the internationally recognized status. The recent decision of DWG ( https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Working_Group_Minutes/DWG_2018-11-14_Crimea ) neglects the wide recognition of Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine expressed by numerous governments and international organizations (in particular, UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 http://www.un.org/en/ga/68/resolutions.shtml / https://undocs.org/en/A/RES/68/262 ). DWG actions directed to cut off Crimea from the borders of Ukraine are considered to be inadequate to the interests of the project and are not recognized by law. Any blockages (bans) aimed against members who restored the border of Ukraine to the widely internationally recognized status will be seen as unjustified pressure on the entire community and usurpation of power in the OSM.

P.S.

“changing names or country information would require consensus from both the Ukrainian and Russian communities. It is unlikely that any such edit proposals will be able to achieve this.” (с) DWG //

Moreover, according to clause 4, a consensus should be reached between the Ukrainian and Russian communities on changing information about countries. There is no consensus - there is no reason to separate the Crimea from Ukraine.

CrimeaІsUkraine #DWG #CrimeaMap #КримЦеУкраїна #ИхТамНет

osm.org/relation/60199

osm.org/user/velmyshanovnyi - osm.org/user_blocks/2360 ;

osm.org/user/velmyshanovnyi - osm.org/user_blocks/2359 ;

osm.org/user/andergrin - osm.org/user_blocks/2358 ;

osm.org/user/Дівчина_з_Коломиї - osm.org/user_blocks/2357 ;

osm.org/user/паляниця - osm.org/user_blocks/2356 ;

osm.org/user/frankoivan - osm.org/user_blocks/2355 ;

osm.org/user/pumpkinpie226 - osm.org/user_blocks/2354 ;

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