
Tasking Manager Mapper Guide If the user interface of the version you use looks different from the one described here then you should consult our version overview Tasking Manager Mapper Guide Quick Start Guide Mapping Process Settings Finding a Project Project Page Choice of Editors Splitting a task square Ending your mapping of a Task or Square Sending a message from the comment box Getting help E-Mail Live text based help Leaving a Project question / comment / contacting the Project creator Editing hints and tips Validation Your User Profile Getting Started Selecting Multiple Tasks for Validation Finalizing Validation The HOT Tasking Manager is a tool that coordinates many people mapping a specific geographic area in OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap is a collabarative, crowd sourced, free map of the world. Anyone can contribute to OpenStreetMap to map any part of the world that interests them. The Tasking Manager is just a way to coordinate large groups of people contributing to OpenStreetMap but most contributions to OpenStreetMap are done by people not using the Tasking Manager. The Tasking Manager is a totally separate tool from the main OpenStreetMap project. When you are contributing to OpenStreetMap using the Tasking Manager, you are actually using multiple software tools: OpenStreetMap - A database of geographic information The Tasking Manager - Helps coordinate large numbers of people editing OpenStreetMap data in the same area An OpenStreetMap Editor - A software program that can read and write data into the OpenStreetMap database The role of the Tasking Manager is to present a specific geographic region divided up into small, quick to map areas called “Tasks” and provide a way to “checkout” or “lock” one of those small areas while you map that area using one of the standard OpenStreetMap editors. By “checking out” or “locking” one of those small areas, you help ensure that no one else will be mapping in that same area while you are. This helps prevent “double mapping” or other errors when two people are working on exactly the same area in OpenStreetMap. Once you are done mapping that small area, you record in the Tasking Manager that you have finished mapping that small area and hopefully you select another “Task” to map. Quick Start Guide If you already have an OpenStreetMap account then switch to item nr. 4. Otherwise click on ‘Sign up’ in the upper right corner of the Tasking Manager. You will be asked to provide a name and an email address Next you can choose whether to sign up with OpenStreetMap or use an existing account Depending on your choice you are either redirected to the registration form or to a form where you agree to use your credentials Now you should be set up to work! Or you can return to setting up an account if something went wrong Visit the Tasking Manager and log in via the upper right corner Click on ‘Explore Projects’ and find a mapping project to work on Read the instructions for the project Either click on ‘Map a task’ in the lower right corner. This will select an available task for you and open it in your favourite editor. Or select one of the white task squares which are available for mapping. Click on ‘Map selected task’ and it opens in your favourite editor. In both cases the editor will either open in the tab or as an external application. Map all the features asked for in the instructions. When finished mapping, switch back to the Tasking Manager and select one of the edit status buttons. Optionally leave a comment and click on ‘Submit task’ to finish the editing process. Mapping Process A remote mapper creates an account in OpenStreetMap and logs into the Tasking Manager. The mapper finds a project to work on, usually based on priority and skill level set by a Tasking Manager project manager. A remote mapper selects a task square, completes the mapping, and marks the task as complete. A second remote mapper checks that the task is completed to a satisfactory level and marks the task as ‘validated’ Progress of the mapping of the project can be monitored from the Contributions Timeline graph at the bottom of the project information page. The project can be downgraded or archived as required by an administrator. Tasking Manager Login The Tasking Manager is a separate tool that coordinates mapping in OpenStreetMap. However, it makes use of the OpenStreetMap login system. This means that you do not need to create a separate user account to use the Tasking Manager, but you do need to create an OpenStreetMap account and login to OpenStreetMap before you can use the Tasking Manager for mapping. When you first visit the Tasking Manager you will see a “Sign up” button in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on that button and fill in your name and email address on the following screen. Next you have the choice to either set up a new account with OpenStreetMap or use an existing one. In the first case you will be taken to the OpenStreetMap website. Here you can register and grant the Tasking Manager access to your OpenStreetMap preferences. Create an account on the OpenStreetMap website if you do not already have one. If you choose to use an existing account you just have to grant access to your preferences. Once you are logged into OpenStreetMap you will be returned to the Tasking Manager where you should log in now. Clicking on your username in the upper right corner of the screen shows a context menu which allows you to access your personal settings. Here you can submit more information which will help you use the Tasking Manager. Settings The Task Manager initially displays in English - to change to another language click on English. From here you can also; Click to view messages and notifications sent to you, icon, top right. View your Tasking Manager profile, Update your email address and social media handles, select your preferred mapping editor, View your mapper experience level, select the types of projects you are mainly interested in, See a list of the projects you have contributed to choose which notifications are sent to you Logout Finding a Project on the home page will take you to the main list of projects in the Tasking Manager. This list can also be found from EXPLORE PROJECTS The Tasking Manager Project list screen is divided into three main areas: Search and Filter options along the top Scrollable Project List A Map View of the Project List can be toggled from the top right icon. Search and Filter Options By default all the projects available for mapping are displayed. You can use the Search filters section of the screen to further narrow down the projects that you would like to work on. Search Projects - If you know the number of the project you want to work on, you can enter it in ‘Search Projects’ and be taken directly to it. You can also search on text from within the project description. Difficulty level - Some projects are more difficult to map than others. This option allows you to find projects that are most appropriate for your experience level. You are encouraged to work on projects that best match your experience level, especially if you are a more experienced mapper. More filters - allows you to filter by; Campaign Organization Location You can also sort the resulting list Map View If you choose to show the map, you can view a map of the world showing where the projects are, or a disk indicating the number of projects in an area. Zoom in for more details, and you can select a project by clicking on its link from the map. Mapping via the Tasking Manager Once you have located a Project that interests you, clicking on the Project will take you to the more detailed entry for that Project. Scroll down for more information, such as the teams involved, any comments about the project, who has contributed and a graph of progress. Icons indicate the types of mapping, such as; Road networks: Used by people on the ground to load data into hand held navigation tools, and to work out how to access remote areas Mapping villages: Often used to identify places where people live and may be impacted Mapping buildings: Used for damage assessments or contact tracing with diseases. Also used for population estimates. Mapping rivers, walls and other features at the bottom right takes you to the screen where you can choose to start mapping, and where you will see even more detailed information. Project Page Everything you need to know about the project is here, including a full description of the project. Below the description the screen is divided into a left and right section. The left section is a tabbed panel with tabs for ; Tasks A list of tasks which can be filtered according to ‘All’, ‘Available for mapping’, or ‘Ready for validation’. Instructions see Task Instructions below for more information, but make sure you read & understand all of the information here before you start mapping. Contributions with a dropdown selection to filter the list of contributions according to the mappers status. The right side of the screen is a map with the squares (Tasks) coloured according to their status. Squares that are available to you can be selected by clicking on them. The uncolored tasks are ready and available for mapping Pale blue - ready for validation Yellow - more mapping needed Green - mapped and validated - no more work needed Grey squares are not available Pink squares represent priority areas, and are locked by another mapper Not all areas of the world are similar to your own, so specific tagging advice may be provided. For example, Africa’s road network is very different to typical American or European highway systems. There will be a section indicating the Changeset comment you should make sure appears in your editing programme when uploading/saving your changes, together with the source information you may (depending on your editing software) need to copy & paste to the source field on making changes. Sometimes, task specific imagery may be available - you may need to agree to a license in order to access it. Instructions usually will indicate the easiest way to load this into editors such as JOSM or iD. When checking a task marked as complete, validators will expect that the requirements from the instructions tab have all been completed. You may find completing an entire task is quite difficult - guidance below is available around unlocking tasks; as well as providing useful feedback for the next mapper. Although you may have set your preferred editor within your preferences page, you do have the option of changing editor just for the task you are about to select. Choice of Editors Different options for editing are presented to you as soon as you lock a task. Edit with JOSM Start JOSM before using this link and it will automatically load the existing OSM data into JOSM. ‘Enable remote control’ needs to be ticked - found under Edit / Preferences / Remote Control If you have previously installed the plug-in ‘continuosDownload’ it is best to disable it (untick ‘Download OSM Data continuously’ under the File menu in JOSM). If JOSM does not load the imagery automatically as well, it can normally be found under the Imagery menu. More info on imagery here iD editor Select this to automatically start the OpenStreetMap ID editor within the Task Manager of your web browser, with existing OSM data loaded. The Internet Explorer web browser does not currently support iD and it will load Potlatch 2 instead. Potlatch 2 The editor will load in a new window or tab. Potlatch will not automatically display the task bounding box at this stage. Field Papers For use only when you are involved in a project where a local mapper has carried out a ground survey and marked a printed map with information such as road names. This map can be rescanned and used as a background image for a remote or local mapper to read the information and update the OpenStreeetMap data Field papers section of LearnOSM. Selecting a task to map will lock a random task for you, and is the best option to choose when mapping at a Mapathon, or when a large number of people are working on a project at the same time. But there may also be situations where you prefer to make your final Task selection using the map, but in either case you will reach the stage where your Task is locked, and your 2 hour countdown timer has started. Tip - Make a note of your start time, so that the square does not become unlocked accidentally while you are still working on it. If it does, and another mapper selects it and starts mapping you are very likely to have problems later with conflicts (Two mappers have edited the same object, and the OpenStreetMap database prevents you uploading your work until you indicate which persons work is correct). For more information on conflicts or in our HOT Tips Section. If you are mapping using JOSM, see JOSM conflict resolution. Once you have locked your Task, and your square (Task) boundary shown. You can still click on the tabs for; COMPLETION where you will later indicate why you have left this task, such as you have completed the required mapping, or you were unable to finish it for some reason - make sure you leave a message indicating why, such as “ Run out of time, I’ve done all of the top half of the square, but there is a lot more to be done in the bottom half “ before you select Select another Task. INSTRUCTIONS where you can refer to the task instructions again, if you cannot remember some details, perhaps about tags to use for certain features, or what to do about imagery, before you continue with your mapping. HISTORY which is useful to check in case there is a comment from of previous mapper, such as that they have completed the top of the square only, and you need to concentrate on the lower half. Just to confirm - Clicking on the Start Mapping button, or locking your square from the map, locks the task so that no other mapper can select it until it is released again, and starts a 2 hour (120 minute) countdown timer, at the end of which time the task is automatically released. It is easy to become engrossed in your mapping and not realise your task has been released, and has now been selected by another mapper who has started mapping it too. This can lead to conflicts and problems. Tip When editing with the ID editor within the Tasking Manager, use ‘Full screen’ to make your editing area larger. Depending on your operating system and web browser, this may be obtained using the F11 key, another key combination, or be obtained from the menu of the web browser. Splitting a task square Having selected your task and inspected it with the imagery in place, you may realise that there is far too much detail required for mapping. An example of this may be tracing buildings in dense urban areas, or locating small villages in large areas. As guidance, where it isn’t possible for one person to complete within the 2 hour time limit you can often split the task into 4 smaller areas. Use with caution - if/when task squares are split too small it is difficult to judge what type of highway is involved, and to identify other features. Be aware that other useful comments about the work previously completed will no longer be available. Ending your mapping of a Task or Square Unlocking a Task before it is complete If you start working on a task, but cannot complete it for some reason, it is best practice to leave a comment against the task. Simply detail what remains and choose Select another task. Make sure your comments are relevant and aimed to help out the next mapper. For example: `Almost complete, small village top left in the task square to be traced though` Submit Task or Unlocking a Task that is completely mapped It is very difficult to be completely certain that you have completed a task - however it is acceptable to mark the task as complete if you are fairly sure - the contents will be checked by another mapper when validating, and any small additions can be made then. For the process to work most effectively, mappers need to click on “Submit task” rather than leaving them for several other ‘not sure’ mappers to spend time also checking them. When you have finished editing and think that the task is complete, save any remaining edits with your editing programme, then return to the Tasking Manager. Add comments to the box detailing what you achieved and more importantly, what you are not certain of. For example; “Complete as far as I can see, but there is cloud covering the top right corner of the task & I cannot see to trace this area”. Click on the “Submit task” button, and your work is ready for review. Marking a Task as Bad Imagery You will sometimes select a task that can not be mapped because the imagery is low resolution or has cloud cover. Just close that task in your editor and use the “Mark as Bad Imagery” button to record that the task can not be mapped due to poor imagery. Sending a message from the comment box When leaving a comment against a task, you can have the comment sent as a message to a named mapper. Much like Twitter, simply use an @ followed by the username. This will send a message to the user containing the comments from this box, plus a link to the task that the comments box relates to. For example: `@HOTMppr nice work tracing the building details here. You missed a small group of houses on the upper left of the task square, I added a few in, but some still remain.` This is particularly useful when validating or adding on another’s previous work - you can provide feedback, thanks or more. You may wish to provide a link to a site which may help the mapper, such as http://learnosm.org/en/coordination/remote-tracing/#buildings-walls-compounds-barriers Be aware that many people from around the world will be participating, so prefer simple, clear language. If you come across comments in other languages, tools such as Google Translate are reasonably effective. Getting help E-Mail For questions which might require a little research to answer or more detailed explanations, usually the best channel is to write to mapper-support@hotosm.org Live text based help Sign up at slack.hotosm.org. This will require filling in a form and might take a while to be accepted. Join the mapper-support channel Leaving a Project question / comment / contacting the Project creator Using the “Comments” tab for the project you can see other users’ questions and comments and leave one of your own. All comments are public and it is not live chat. Use the Slack option above if you need immediate attention. Editing hints and tips By now you have a good understanding of what the Tasking Manager is, and some of the various functions it supports. Unlike normal editing, this tool is often used for time critical projects with many participants - this may be a little bit different to what you are used to. Some general advice to heed when working in this tool: Avoid mapping far outside of your task square - other mappers may be working in that area, resulting in duplicated efforts. It’s OK to map objects such as buildings overlapping a boundary, but avoid going much further - upload immediately after mapping something at the border. Extend roads, streams, or other features slightly over the boundaries - this lets the next mapper pick up where you left off, but upload as soon as you finish editing it. If you are in doubt about what a particular feature is, use the comment section to ask questions or check the wiki. If you make a serious mistake - for example, deleting a major feature or relation - use IRC or the comment box to ask other mappers to help in reverting this for you. Try to include the changeset, or a description of what happened. Being a collaborative task, many other mappers are here to help - it’s important to remember everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback - mappers validating your work can be terse or to the point, but if they know it’s OK to engage in a dialog with you, the outcome is often a lot better for all involved. It can be difficult to communicate in another language, and it’s easy to appear abrupt when you have to translate as well as pass a message in a language you are not fluent in. You must not validate your own work - a second pair of eyes will always lead to better quality mapping. Don’t worry if other mappers are terse when validating your work - like you, they just want to ensure all of the data is mapped accurately. Feedback is invariably about the remaining work, not criticism of your efforts to date. Validation Validation is the process of an experienced mapper reviewing the mapping of the initial mapper of a project task. It is designed to confirm that the mapping is complete and the quality of the data is good. It is also there to give encouragement to mappers by thanking them for their time, confirming that their mapping is good or giving instructions on how to improve their mapping. The most effective practice is to find beginner mappers at the early stages of their mapping, putting their mind at ease and giving them confidence by confirming that they are doing the right thing, or helping them to correct any errors that they may have before they have mapped too many tasks. This reduces the amount of fixing required at a later stage to get their mapping up to standard and gives them the encouragement in knowing that they are supported in what they are doing. Your User Profile The Tasking Manager 4 has a number of changes that affect the data available for doing validation. Please make visiting your user profile your first activity in the new Tasking Manager, by selecting Settings from the popdown menu under your OpenStreetMap (OSM) user name in the upper right corner. • Under Personal Information make sure you have filled in your preferred email address. • Under Settings switch on Expert Mode and select your default editor and preferred language. • You can also choose what notifications you wish to receive. Getting Started To get started click on Explore Projects on the top bar of the page. On the Projects page you can click on any of the projects to go to that project or you can use the range of filters for selecting the project or projects you wish to see or select from. After filtering and/or selecting the project you want to work on, scroll down to the bottom of the next page to Questions and Comments to see any messages left by previous mappers/validators regarding the project. Then in the bottom right click on the red button Contribute to move to the next page. This page should open with the project instructions visible (1). If not then select Instructions. Read the instructions to understand what imagery is to be used and what the mappers have been asked to do. This will give you an understanding of why the mappers are mapping the way they do and if the instructions are misleading and the mappers are consistently getting it wrong because of that then you can contact the Project Manager to change the instructions to reduce the effects of that happening. Check that you have the correct Editor (2) Select a blue task to validate (3) Click on the red button Validate selected task at the bottom right (4) A new page will open in the Tasking Manager and the selected task will be loaded into your editor. On this page your task will have a red padlock, other tasks locked will have black padlocks. You are still able to access the Instructions on this page. You can see who has mapped or validated this task in the History and access their profile and statistics by clicking on their name. Selecting Multiple Tasks for Validation If the mapper has more than one task completed then they will be selected on the map if you press on one of the numbers. You can download all the tasks in one go to validate. They will automatically adjust your JOSM/iD window to accommodate all of them. Depending on which editor you are using, this feature will behave differently. In JOSM, a second OSM data layer will be created titled “Task Boundaries - Do Not Edit or Upload” and it will have uploading disabled in recent versions of JOSM. JOSM will not download the OSM data because it could be a very large amount of data. Instead you will have to use the task boundaries as a guide and download the data to the active editing layer manually. Finalizing Validation To validate/invalidate a task you need to select Yes/No under Is this task well mapped, then enter your comment, then click the red button Submit task to save before selecting another task. If you want to leave without changing the status of the task leave a comment then click on Stop validation. For those two choices you can and should leave a friendly, encouraging comment addressed to the mapper(s) involved and provide thanks for their contributions and feedback on their mapping. Please be considerate before marking a task as invalid. If just a few bits are missing add them yourself, explain what was missing in your comment but nevertheless mark the task as valid. New mappers will consider their completed task marked as invalid as a fairly harsh comment. You can access a mapper’s statistics on their profile page at https://tasks.hotosm.org/users/username. Return to top of page Was this chapter helpful? Let us know and help us improve the guides!

Tasking Manager Mapper Guide

If the user interface of the version you use looks different from the one described here then you should consult our version overview

Tasking Manager Mapper Guide

The HOT Tasking Manager is a tool that coordinates many people mapping a specific geographic area in OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMap is a collabarative, crowd sourced, free map of the world. Anyone can contribute to OpenStreetMap to map any part of the world that interests them. The Tasking Manager is just a way to coordinate large groups of people contributing to OpenStreetMap but most contributions to OpenStreetMap are done by people not using the Tasking Manager.

The Tasking Manager is a totally separate tool from the main OpenStreetMap project. When you are contributing to OpenStreetMap using the Tasking Manager, you are actually using multiple software tools:

OpenStreetMap - A database of geographic information
The Tasking Manager - Helps coordinate large numbers of people editing OpenStreetMap data in the same area
An OpenStreetMap Editor - A software program that can read and write data into the OpenStreetMap database

TM overview

The role of the Tasking Manager is to present a specific geographic region divided up into small, quick to map areas called “Tasks” and provide a way to “checkout” or “lock” one of those small areas while you map that area using one of the standard OpenStreetMap editors. By “checking out” or “locking” one of those small areas, you help ensure that no one else will be mapping in that same area while you are. This helps prevent “double mapping” or other errors when two people are working on exactly the same area in OpenStreetMap.

Once you are done mapping that small area, you record in the Tasking Manager that you have finished mapping that small area and hopefully you select another “Task” to map.

Quick Start Guide

If you already have an OpenStreetMap account then switch to item nr. 4. Otherwise click on ‘Sign up’ in the upper right corner of the Tasking Manager.
You will be asked to provide a name and an email address
Next you can choose whether to sign up with OpenStreetMap or use an existing account
Depending on your choice you are either redirected to the registration form or to a form where you agree to use your credentials
Now you should be set up to work! Or you can return to setting up an account if something went wrong
Visit the Tasking Manager and log in via the upper right corner
Click on ‘Explore Projects’ and find a mapping project to work on
Read the instructions for the project
Either click on ‘Map a task’ in the lower right corner. This will select an available task for you and open it in your favourite editor.
Or select one of the white task squares which are available for mapping. Click on ‘Map selected task’ and it opens in your favourite editor.
In both cases the editor will either open in the tab or as an external application. Map all the features asked for in the instructions.
When finished mapping, switch back to the Tasking Manager and select one of the edit status buttons. Optionally leave a comment and click on ‘Submit task’ to finish the editing process.

Mapping Process

A remote mapper creates an account in OpenStreetMap and logs into the Tasking Manager.
The mapper finds a project to work on, usually based on priority and skill level set by a Tasking Manager project manager.
A remote mapper selects a task square, completes the mapping, and marks the task as complete.
A second remote mapper checks that the task is completed to a satisfactory level and marks the task as ‘validated’
Progress of the mapping of the project can be monitored from the Contributions Timeline graph at the bottom of the project information page. The project can be downgraded or archived as required by an administrator.

The Tasking Manager is a separate tool that coordinates mapping in OpenStreetMap. However, it makes use of the OpenStreetMap login system. This means that you do not need to create a separate user account to use the Tasking Manager, but you do need to create an OpenStreetMap account and login to OpenStreetMap before you can use the Tasking Manager for mapping.

When you first visit the Tasking Manager you will see a “Sign up” button in the upper right corner of the screen. TM login 1

Click on that button and fill in your name and email address on the following screen.

TM Quick Start 1a

Next you have the choice to either set up a new account with OpenStreetMap or use an existing one.

TM Quick Start 1b

In the first case you will be taken to the OpenStreetMap website. Here you can register and grant the Tasking Manager access to your OpenStreetMap preferences. Create an account on the OpenStreetMap website if you do not already have one. If you choose to use an existing account you just have to grant access to your preferences.

TM login 2

TM login 3

Once you are logged into OpenStreetMap you will be returned to the Tasking Manager where you should log in now. Clicking on your username in the upper right corner of the screen shows a context menu which allows you to access your personal settings. Here you can submit more information which will help you use the Tasking Manager.

Settings

TM personal

TM language editor

The Task Manager initially displays in English - to change to another language click on English. From here you can also;

Click to view messages and notifications sent to you, icon, top right.
View your Tasking Manager profile,
Update your email address and social media handles,
select your preferred mapping editor,
View your mapper experience level,
select the types of projects you are mainly interested in,
See a list of the projects you have contributed to
choose which notifications are sent to you
Logout

Finding a Project

TM Start mapping on the home page will take you to the main list of projects in the Tasking Manager. This list can also be found from EXPLORE PROJECTS

TM Quick Start 3

The Tasking Manager Project list screen is divided into three main areas:

Search and Filter options along the top
Scrollable Project List
A Map View of the Project List can be toggled from the top right icon.

By default all the projects available for mapping are displayed. You can use the Search filters section of the screen to further narrow down the projects that you would like to work on.

TM filter projects

Search Projects - If you know the number of the project you want to work on, you can enter it in ‘Search Projects’ and be taken directly to it. You can also search on text from within the project description.
Difficulty level - Some projects are more difficult to map than others. This option allows you to find projects that are most appropriate for your experience level. You are encouraged to work on projects that best match your experience level, especially if you are a more experienced mapper.
More filters - allows you to filter by;
- Campaign
- Organization
- Location
You can also sort the resulting list

Map View If you choose to show the map, you can view a map of the world showing where the projects are, or a disk indicating the number of projects in an area. Zoom in for more details, and you can select a project by clicking on its link from the map.

TM map

Mapping via the Tasking Manager

TM4 project graph Once you have located a Project that interests you, clicking on the Project will take you to the more detailed entry for that Project. Scroll down for more information, such as the teams involved, any comments about the project, who has contributed and a graph of progress.

Icons indicate the types of mapping, such as;

Road networks: Used by people on the ground to load data into hand held navigation tools, and to work out how to access remote areas
Mapping villages: Often used to identify places where people live and may be impacted
Mapping buildings: Used for damage assessments or contact tracing with diseases. Also used for population estimates.
Mapping rivers, walls and other features

TM4 contribute at the bottom right takes you to the screen where you can choose to start mapping, and where you will see even more detailed information.

TM project description

Project Page

Everything you need to know about the project is here, including a full description of the project. Below the description the screen is divided into a left and right section. The left section is a tabbed panel with tabs for ;

Tasks A list of tasks which can be filtered according to ‘All’, ‘Available for mapping’, or ‘Ready for validation’.
Instructions see Task Instructions below for more information, but make sure you read & understand all of the information here before you start mapping.
Contributions with a dropdown selection to filter the list of contributions according to the mappers status.

The right side of the screen is a map with the squares (Tasks) coloured according to their status. Squares that are available to you can be selected by clicking on them.

TM map key

The uncolored tasks are ready and available for mapping
Pale blue - ready for validation
Yellow - more mapping needed
Green - mapped and validated - no more work needed
Grey squares are not available
Pink squares represent priority areas, and
are locked by another mapper

Not all areas of the world are similar to your own, so specific tagging advice may be provided. For example, Africa’s road network is very different to typical American or European highway systems.
There will be a section indicating the Changeset comment you should make sure appears in your editing programme when uploading/saving your changes, together with the source information you may (depending on your editing software) need to copy & paste to the source field on making changes.
Sometimes, task specific imagery may be available - you may need to agree to a license in order to access it. Instructions usually will indicate the easiest way to load this into editors such as JOSM or iD.
When checking a task marked as complete, validators will expect that the requirements from the instructions tab have all been completed. You may find completing an entire task is quite difficult - guidance below is available around unlocking tasks; as well as providing useful feedback for the next mapper.

Although you may have set your preferred editor within your preferences page, you do have the option of changing editor just for the task you are about to select.

Choice of Editors

Different options for editing are presented to you as soon as you lock a task.

Edit with JOSM

Start JOSM before using this link and it will automatically load the existing OSM data into JOSM.

‘Enable remote control’ needs to be ticked - found under Edit / Preferences / Remote Control

If you have previously installed the plug-in ‘continuosDownload’ it is best to disable it (untick ‘Download OSM Data continuously’ under the File menu in JOSM).

If JOSM does not load the imagery automatically as well, it can normally be found under the Imagery menu. More info on imagery here

iD editor

Select this to automatically start the OpenStreetMap ID editor within the Task Manager of your web browser, with existing OSM data loaded. The Internet Explorer web browser does not currently support iD and it will load Potlatch 2 instead.

Potlatch 2

The editor will load in a new window or tab. Potlatch will not automatically display the task bounding box at this stage.

Field Papers

For use only when you are involved in a project where a local mapper has carried out a ground survey and marked a printed map with information such as road names. This map can be rescanned and used as a background image for a remote or local mapper to read the information and update the OpenStreeetMap data Field papers section of LearnOSM.

Selecting a task to map

TM Map a Task will lock a random task for you, and is the best option to choose when mapping at a Mapathon, or when a large number of people are working on a project at the same time. But there may also be situations where you prefer to make your final Task selection using the map, but in either case you will reach the stage where your Task is locked, and your 2 hour countdown timer has started.

Tip - Make a note of your start time, so that the square does not become unlocked accidentally while you are still working on it. If it does, and another mapper selects it and starts mapping you are very likely to have problems later with conflicts (Two mappers have edited the same object, and the OpenStreetMap database prevents you uploading your work until you indicate which persons work is correct). For more information on conflicts or in our HOT Tips Section. If you are mapping using JOSM, see JOSM conflict resolution.

TM history instructions Once you have locked your Task, and your square (Task) boundary shown. You can still click on the tabs for;

COMPLETION where you will later indicate why you have left this task, such as you have completed the required mapping, or you were unable to finish it for some reason - make sure you leave a message indicating why, such as “ Run out of time, I’ve done all of the top half of the square, but there is a lot more to be done in the bottom half “ before you select Select another Task.
INSTRUCTIONS where you can refer to the task instructions again, if you cannot remember some details, perhaps about tags to use for certain features, or what to do about imagery, before you continue with your mapping.
HISTORY which is useful to check in case there is a comment from of previous mapper, such as that they have completed the top of the square only, and you need to concentrate on the lower half.

Just to confirm - Clicking on the Start Mapping button, or locking your square from the map, locks the task so that no other mapper can select it until it is released again, and starts a 2 hour (120 minute) countdown timer, at the end of which time the task is automatically released. It is easy to become engrossed in your mapping and not realise your task has been released, and has now been selected by another mapper who has started mapping it too. This can lead to conflicts and problems.

Tip When editing with the ID editor within the Tasking Manager, use ‘Full screen’ to make your editing area larger. Depending on your operating system and web browser, this may be obtained using the F11 key, another key combination, or be obtained from the menu of the web browser.

ID normal

ID full screen

Splitting a task square

Having selected your task and inspected it with the imagery in place, you may realise that there is far too much detail required for mapping. An example of this may be tracing buildings in dense urban areas, or locating small villages in large areas. As guidance, where it isn’t possible for one person to complete within the 2 hour time limit you can often split the task into 4 smaller areas. Use with caution - if/when task squares are split too small it is difficult to judge what type of highway is involved, and to identify other features.

Be aware that other useful comments about the work previously completed will no longer be available.

Ending your mapping of a Task or Square

TM end mapping

Unlocking a Task before it is complete

If you start working on a task, but cannot complete it for some reason, it is best practice to leave a comment against the task. Simply detail what remains and choose Select another task. Make sure your comments are relevant and aimed to help out the next mapper.

For example:

Almost complete, small village top left 
in the task square to be traced though

Submit Task or Unlocking a Task that is completely mapped

It is very difficult to be completely certain that you have completed a task - however it is acceptable to mark the task as complete if you are fairly sure - the contents will be checked by another mapper when validating, and any small additions can be made then.

For the process to work most effectively, mappers need to click on “Submit task” rather than leaving them for several other ‘not sure’ mappers to spend time also checking them.

When you have finished editing and think that the task is complete, save any remaining edits with your editing programme, then return to the Tasking Manager.

Add comments to the box detailing what you achieved and more importantly, what you are not certain of. For example; “Complete as far as I can see, but there is cloud covering the top right corner of the task & I cannot see to trace this area”.
Click on the “Submit task” button, and your work is ready for review.

Marking a Task as Bad Imagery

You will sometimes select a task that can not be mapped because the imagery is low resolution or has cloud cover. Just close that task in your editor and use the “Mark as Bad Imagery” button to record that the task can not be mapped due to poor imagery.

Sending a message from the comment box

When leaving a comment against a task, you can have the comment sent as a message to a named mapper. Much like Twitter, simply use an @ followed by the username. This will send a message to the user containing the comments from this box, plus a link to the task that the comments box relates to.

For example:

@HOTMppr nice work tracing the building  
details here. You missed a small group  
of houses on the upper left of the task square,  
I added a few in, but some still remain.  

This is particularly useful when validating or adding on another’s previous work - you can provide feedback, thanks or more.

You may wish to provide a link to a site which may help the mapper, such as http://learnosm.org/en/coordination/remote-tracing/#buildings-walls-compounds-barriers
Be aware that many people from around the world will be participating, so prefer simple, clear language. If you come across comments in other languages, tools such as Google Translate are reasonably effective.

Getting help

E-Mail

For questions which might require a little research to answer or more detailed explanations, usually the best channel is to write to mapper-support@hotosm.org

Live text based help

Sign up at slack.hotosm.org. This will require filling in a form and might take a while to be accepted.
Join the mapper-support channel

Leaving a Project question / comment / contacting the Project creator

Using the “Comments” tab for the project you can see other users’ questions and comments and leave one of your own.

All comments are public and it is not live chat. Use the Slack option above if you need immediate attention.

TM comments

Editing hints and tips

By now you have a good understanding of what the Tasking Manager is, and some of the various functions it supports. Unlike normal editing, this tool is often used for time critical projects with many participants - this may be a little bit different to what you are used to.

Some general advice to heed when working in this tool:

Avoid mapping far outside of your task square - other mappers may be working in that area, resulting in duplicated efforts. It’s OK to map objects such as buildings overlapping a boundary, but avoid going much further - upload immediately after mapping something at the border.
Extend roads, streams, or other features slightly over the boundaries - this lets the next mapper pick up where you left off, but upload as soon as you finish editing it.
If you are in doubt about what a particular feature is, use the comment section to ask questions or check the wiki.
If you make a serious mistake - for example, deleting a major feature or relation - use IRC or the comment box to ask other mappers to help in reverting this for you. Try to include the changeset, or a description of what happened. Being a collaborative task, many other mappers are here to help - it’s important to remember everyone makes mistakes sometimes.
Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback - mappers validating your work can be terse or to the point, but if they know it’s OK to engage in a dialog with you, the outcome is often a lot better for all involved. It can be difficult to communicate in another language, and it’s easy to appear abrupt when you have to translate as well as pass a message in a language you are not fluent in.
You must not validate your own work - a second pair of eyes will always lead to better quality mapping.
Don’t worry if other mappers are terse when validating your work - like you, they just want to ensure all of the data is mapped accurately. Feedback is invariably about the remaining work, not criticism of your efforts to date.

Validation

Validation is the process of an experienced mapper reviewing the mapping of the initial mapper of a project task. It is designed to confirm that the mapping is complete and the quality of the data is good. It is also there to give encouragement to mappers by thanking them for their time, confirming that their mapping is good or giving instructions on how to improve their mapping.

The most effective practice is to find beginner mappers at the early stages of their mapping, putting their mind at ease and giving them confidence by confirming that they are doing the right thing, or helping them to correct any errors that they may have before they have mapped too many tasks. This reduces the amount of fixing required at a later stage to get their mapping up to standard and gives them the encouragement in knowing that they are supported in what they are doing.

Your User Profile

The Tasking Manager 4 has a number of changes that affect the data available for doing validation. Please make visiting your user profile your first activity in the new Tasking Manager, by selecting Settings from the popdown menu under your OpenStreetMap (OSM) user name in the upper right corner. • Under Personal Information make sure you have filled in your preferred email address. • Under Settings switch on Expert Mode and select your default editor and preferred language. • You can also choose what notifications you wish to receive.

Getting Started

To get started click on Explore Projects on the top bar of the page. On the Projects page you can click on any of the projects to go to that project or you can use the range of filters for selecting the project or projects you wish to see or select from.

TM choose project for validation

TM filter project for validation

After filtering and/or selecting the project you want to work on, scroll down to the bottom of the next page to Questions and Comments to see any messages left by previous mappers/validators regarding the project. Then in the bottom right click on the red button Contribute to move to the next page.

This page should open with the project instructions visible (1). If not then select Instructions. Read the instructions to understand what imagery is to be used and what the mappers have been asked to do. This will give you an understanding of why the mappers are mapping the way they do and if the instructions are misleading and the mappers are consistently getting it wrong because of that then you can contact the Project Manager to change the instructions to reduce the effects of that happening.

TM select for validation

Check that you have the correct Editor (2) Select a blue task to validate (3) Click on the red button Validate selected task at the bottom right (4)

A new page will open in the Tasking Manager and the selected task will be loaded into your editor. On this page your task will have a red padlock, other tasks locked will have black padlocks. You are still able to access the Instructions on this page. You can see who has mapped or validated this task in the History and access their profile and statistics by clicking on their name.

Selecting Multiple Tasks for Validation

If the mapper has more than one task completed then they will be selected on the map if you press on one of the numbers. You can download all the tasks in one go to validate. They will automatically adjust your JOSM/iD window to accommodate all of them.

TM select for validation by contributor

Depending on which editor you are using, this feature will behave differently.

In JOSM, a second OSM data layer will be created titled “Task Boundaries - Do Not Edit or Upload” and it will have uploading disabled in recent versions of JOSM. JOSM will not download the OSM data because it could be a very large amount of data. Instead you will have to use the task boundaries as a guide and download the data to the active editing layer manually.

Finalizing Validation

To validate/invalidate a task you need to select Yes/No under Is this task well mapped, then enter your comment, then click the red button Submit task to save before selecting another task. If you want to leave without changing the status of the task leave a comment then click on Stop validation.

TM finalize validation

For those two choices you can and should leave a friendly, encouraging comment addressed to the mapper(s) involved and provide thanks for their contributions and feedback on their mapping. Please be considerate before marking a task as invalid. If just a few bits are missing add them yourself, explain what was missing in your comment but nevertheless mark the task as valid. New mappers will consider their completed task marked as invalid as a fairly harsh comment.

You can access a mapper’s statistics on their profile page at https://tasks.hotosm.org/users/username.

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