Construction Ahead - SotM 2026 Paris

layout: true
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.presentation-title[
# Construction Ahead
## Recent and planned changes to the OSM website
]

.authors[
An AI-free presentation by
### Minh Nguyễn & Pablo Brasero Moreno
]

.url[
https://sotm2026.pablobm.com
]

???

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---
name: personal-intros
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.avatar.avatar-1[
## Minh
![Minh's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-1ec5.jpg)

Core Software<br>Development Facilitator
]
.avatar.avatar-2[
## Pablo
![Pablo's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-pablobm.jpg)

Core Software<br>Engineer
]
.avatar.avatar-3[
## Rubén
![Rubén's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-Rub21.jpg)

Core Software<br>Infrastructure Engineer
]

???

# Minh

Hello everyone! I am Minh, Core Software Development Facilitator for the OpenStreetMap Foundation.

# Pablo

And I am Pablo, Core Software Engineer for the OpenStreetMap Foundation.

# Minh

And our colleague Rubén is here with us too. You may have seen me and him present yesterday about OpenHistoricalMap, and he'll be joining us on stage later in this talk.

Now, you may be thinking that those are long titles, and wondering what they even mean.

What this means is that I work for the OSMF, learning the needs of the OSM community, compiling a Roadmap of features to build and issues to address, nurturing a welcoming environment for new contributors, and generally carrying out many other important tasks for the health of the software platform that typically go unseen.

# Pablo

And I work with Minh triaging issues, prioritising work, reviewing code contributions, improving the onboarding experience for new contributors, and sometimes (sometimes!) even fixing bugs and building new features.

Meanwhile, Rubén is working specifically on one project that we'll get to about 50 slides from now. Strap up!

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name: sta
background-image: url(assets/images/sta-splash.png)

???

Importantly, we must credit the Sovereign Tech Agency for funding our work. The OSMF is able to pay us thanks to a grant from this organization.

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<blockquote>
  [The STA] program aims to promote and secure open-source foundational technologies. It intends to make the open-source ecosystem more resilient against external attacks, thereby enhancing cybersecurity and resilience across the German economy.
  <footer>
    <cite>From Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Tech_Agency">Sovereign Tech Agency</a></cite>
  </footer>
</blockquote>

???

This is an agency within the German government that funds Open Source projects that are critical for the country's infrastructure, which invariably are also important for global infrastructure.

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background-image: url(assets/images/Giants_Causeway_d%C3%A9tail_de_la_chauss%C3%A9e.JPG)
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## Core Software

.image-credit[
Photo: Patrice78500 @ Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
]

???

# Minh

So! OSM is a big project. Are we working on all of it? What is "Core Software" anyway?

"Core Software", or the "OSM Platform", is basically the OSM website at `www.openstreetmap.org`.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm.png)

???

But, of the functionality that the website provides, what does _actually_ come from the website itself?

Perhaps it'll be easier if we start with the services it does NOT provide:

--
name: highlight-query
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-hl-query.png)

???

So for example, the website does not provide the backend for the functionality to query for map features.

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background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query.png)

???

OK, so let's remove that. Next...

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name: highlight-routing
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query.png)

???

The routing is also external, provided by three different tools that are selectable. We just had three talks before us covering several aspects of these.
- https://2026.stateofthemap.org/sessions/LT3DRY/
- https://2026.stateofthemap.org/sessions/3WLKJ9/
- https://2026.stateofthemap.org/sessions/ZR8RTX/

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing.png)

???

For the purposes of this presentation, they don't exist. Next...

---
name: highlight-search
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing.png)

???

The search is powered by Nominatim. By the way, if you want to know more about how it works, check out Sarah Hoffman's presentation in the _La Réunion_ room at the end of the day. https://2026.stateofthemap.org/sessions/NHDJM3/

But for now, Nominatim handles the search. We just query it and show you the results.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search.png)

???

Removed.

---
name: highlight-editor
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search.png)

???

The default editor, iD, is also a separate OSM project. The website integrates it so that it's easy for anyone to get started and contributing.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search-no-editor.png)

???

Begone!

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name: highlight-controls
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search-no-editor.png)

???

The software that we use to render the tiles and allow moving around, zooming, etc, is not ours. Stay for the next talk after this one, where Frank Elsinga will give more detail on that front. https://2026.stateofthemap.org/sessions/EFTDVX/

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search-no-editor-no-controls.png)

???

Controls out.

And finally...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-no-query-no-routing-no-search-no-editor-no-controls-no-map.png)

???

No map either. We don't render it! The tiles (the actual map!) are generated and made available by other projects, developed independently. The website puts them where you can see them easily and allows you to select among several available sets, but doesn't generate them.

# Pablo

So...

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## What's in scope then?

.image-credit[
Photo: John K Thorne @ Flickr - CC-BY
]

???

What's in scope then? Is there anything else to the website?

Yes, there's a lot that is less glamorous, but important for anything to actually work.

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## The Database

.image-credit[
Photo: Blude @ Flickr - CC-BY
]

???

First, the database that holds all the data. Every node, way, and relation is stored in this database, which is part of the "Core Platform", the OSM website. We don't render the map, but we do hold the data that the map renderers use to draw it.

Speaking of the database, if you want to know more the operations side of the website, and generally the OSM infrastructure, stay in this room for Grant Slater's presentation, coming up after Frank's presentation.

So, after the database, what else does the website own...

image credit https://flickr.com/photos/blude/2665906010/

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## The API

.image-credit[
Image: Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
]

???

The API. This is the main point of entry, the bridge, to read and edit the data, and powers most other OSM-related software.

Even the iD editor has to use the API. The website just happens to integrate iD.

So the API is the point of access to the data...

credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meyers_b3_s0491c.jpg

--
name: cgimap

### cgimap

.image-credit.image-credit--2[
Official CGI logo - Public Domain
]

???

...except for the parts served by cgimap.

Some particularly tricky endpoints are served by a separate component called cgimap.

The website is built in the Ruby language, which allows us to develop features quickly, but can be slow to run in some cases. Cgimap is written in C++, which can build faster programs, and we use it for endpoints where performance is critical.

----

Those two aspects of the website, database and API, are quite technical but form the foundation of the platform. Technically, OSM could work only by providing those two. But the website also offers additional functionality to help mappers get on with their day. For example...

credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Gateway_Interface_logo.svg

---
name: data-view
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-data-view.png)
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## Tools to browse and inspect the data

???

Tools to browse and inspect the data;

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## Communication tools

.image-credit[
Photo: David @ Flickr - CC-BY
]

???

Tools to facilitate communication (at diverse levels of civility) between mappers:

credit https://flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/3412891059/

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-changeset-comments.png)
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???

- Changeset comments

--
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-notes.png)

???

- Notes and their comments

--
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-profile.png)

???

- User profiles

- Direct messages, diaries, etc

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-traces.png)

???

Management of GPS traces;

---
class: splash-screen
background-image: url("assets/images/Akron_Fire_Department_Summit_County_Hazmat_(48722841013).jpg")

## Moderation tools

.image-credit[
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans @ Wikimedia Commons - CC-BY
]

???

Moderation tools to help the Data Working Group fight vandalism, and generally keep bad data out of OSM;

credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akron_Fire_Department_Summit_County_Hazmat_(48722841013).jpg

---
class: splash-screen
background-image: url(assets/images/Close_up_of_Hand_Cut_Jigsaw_Puzzle.jpg)

## ...and generally making it all make sense together!

.image-credit[
Photo: Charles Hamm @ Wikimedia Commons - CC-BY
]

???

And generally, the glue that integrates all those external projects, together in a single place, to offer a seamless experience where mappers can get on mapping, while at the same time we can present a showcase of everything that is possible with OSM.

credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Close_up_of_Hand_Cut_Jigsaw_Puzzle.JPG

---
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background-image: url(assets/images/42048320325_f802bd8cbc_o.jpg)

## The team

.image-credit[
Ryan Adams @ Flick - CC-BY
]

???

# Minh

To be clear, we are not "The Developers" of the OSM Platform. This is a complex and long-running project with a long list of contributors. We just happen to be some guys that someone (the OSMF with funding from the STA) hired to help with this, for a limited time.

credit https://flickr.com/photos/159630537@N08/42048320325/

---
name: maintainers
layout: false
class: inverse

.row[
.avatar[
## Tom
![tomhughes's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-tomhughes.jpg)
]
.avatar[
## Andy
![gravitystorm's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-gravitystorm.jpg)
]
]
.row[
.avatar.avatar-whitebg[
## Marwin
![hlfan's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-hlfan.png)
]
.avatar[
## Anton
![AntonKhorev's GitHub avatar](assets/images/github-AntonKhorev.png)
]
]

???

Currently the project has 4 permanent maintainers: Tom, Andy, Marwin, and Anton (currently in hiatus). They are unpaid volunteers who, quite honestly, do a lot of work, not only writing code, but also reviewing every contribution.

---
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---
name: contributors-code

## 50 code contributors

tomhughes hlfan pablobm gravitystorm CommanderStorm tyrasd AntonKhorev mmd-osm rkoeze aNsHuL5217 jeafreezy 1ec5 Arpan200502 deevroman SykoDaedalus nomoregrapes Rub21 lonvia pnorman Adi-gitX Danysan1 wangi mvanhorn angoca k-yle amire80 simonpoole Firefishy el-Quokka GA-Kevin-Codes snehaljadhav7317 Diyaaa-12 immHarshitt Oivo35 SinghSwayam Robot8A stillhart gergelypap pReya r4f spixi waldyrious dschweisguth amandasaurus gy-mate Dimitar5555 danieldegroot2 matkoniecz ENT8R HolgerJeromin

???

In the last **12 months**, all these people have had contributions accepted in the codebase.

----

To update the list:

```js
# From https://github.com/openstreetmap/openstreetmap-website/graphs/contributors
# The list on the page loads on demand (sigh) so make sure to scroll down the whole length
# of the page, not too quickly, to get all names.
const IRRELEVANT_NAMES = ["dependabot[bot]", "translatewiki"];
const nameEls = document.querySelectorAll(".Index-module__chartListItem__LMiDd [data-hovercard-type=user] .sr-only");
const allNames = Array.from(nameEls).map(el => el.textContent);
const relevantNames = allNames.filter(n => !IRRELEVANT_NAMES.includes(n))
console.log(relevantNames.length);
console.log(relevantNames.join(" "));
```

---
name: contributors-discussions

## 168 participants in discussions

1ec5 501Ghost aawiseman Aayush6015 Aayushdev18 abdulwahabmangal777-lgtm aceman444 adithyaa-s alx-xlx amandasaurus amire80 anant2526 andrewharvey aNsHuL5217 Arpan200502 b-jazz bhatganeshdarshan bhousel bhushan4work Bibi56 brazilsingh bxl-forever Chetan-KH511 Cj-Malone cliffordsnow CommanderStorm Copilot Crashillo CurlingMan13 daganzdaanda daishu0000 danieldegroot2 dankarran Danysan1 deevroman designbymichael Dharaneeshsl dheeraj12347 dieterdreist Dimitar5555 Discostu36 Diyaaa-12 dschweisguth el-Quokka Elaws ell1e emvee-osm ENT8R erictheise etienneJr Firefishy GA-Kevin-Codes gergelypap ghost gmahak971-png gravitystorm gy-mate habi HarelM Hedaja hiSandog Hiteshpy07 hlfan HolgerJeromin Hufkratzer iandees imagico jacobwhall jakovjonjic JamesLMilner jarek jeafreezy jidanni jmaspons joto jpv-1 jwheare k-yle kathleenlu09 kcne Kovoschiz laasyapriya-code Laitei40 LaoshuBaby larouxn leijurv lonvia Ltrlg lumikeiju m13v maishivamhoo123 manik3160 mapmeld marcoroth maro-21 marsfan matkoniecz Maxbrick mjourdan MLNW mmahmoudian mmd-osm mnalis mvanhorn Nekzuris nickawyse-spec Nikerabbit nilsnolde nomoregrapes notlevi911 ocomsoft Oivo35 Okklania omkarsureshs onehalf3570 OpenGreenStreet Openstreetmapler pablobm pekka-28 phanq003 pnorman pranitaurlam pReya prvshkmr pwbriggs queelius qugebert quinncnl rkoeze Robot8A Rub21 russss Rustix69 saksham242007 Seb0927 seuros SharmaTushar1 siebrand-bauer simonpoole SinghSwayam Sinty026 Sleywill snehaljadhav7317 SomeoneElseOSM SomSamantray spixi stillhart stragu SykoDaedalus systemed talllguy thany theAnuragMishra TheThomanski tomhughes tordans tyrasd vadimkantorov Vectorial1024 verhovsky waldyrious wangi westnordost Woazboat wolfgang-8 woodpeck Yatharths11 zbycz

???

But contributions don't just happen. They are based on actual needs, often from the issue tracker. They also need reviewing. This many people participated on issues or code contributions (PRs) in the last 12 months.

----

To update the list:

## 149 new translators

Maro21
Kopmil
Mo.Hajeer
Cevioch
Kunokuno
Marwin
ShiminUfesoj
Ucukor
Cevioch
Ucukor
ArcaneIE
R1F4T
Maro21
It's
Jordi
Leptictidium
Cevioch
Comfyquiettree
Matus
Oivo35
Penguin
Peterleth
Steenth
Anon
Habi
LeoGe25
Mike
TheRabbit22
Flynn
Maro21
Nintendofan885
Hugoren
Maro21
Raos10
Seb0927
Spixi
Tecbs
Alexgabi
Laquin
LProfo
OwIultra
Lankapuhelin
Sikmir
Wikipeedikko
Aquasen
Asteralee
Chpol
Crowwhailord
Easmit
Escargot
Grandasse
Jérémy-Günther-Heinz
Marphy
MimoletteMeow
NClara
Network
Ontsed
Serieminou
Spixi
Marwin
Aindriu80
Marwin
Neriah
Marwin
Almagyar
Boro
Koko1998
Bayahiu
Frezvent
HyperAnd
Maro21
Penyuwangi
Asteralee
FL2226
Giorgx12
Gurio318
RhAnish
Spixi
Tensama0415
Tom
Madi
Moonborn
MeahNunh
Rmurthy
Aaei924
Changwoo
Hangukhistory
타르타르산
Flynn
Minh
Tuwewanzi
Maro21
Maro21
Rusjanis
Taqi1109
JiodoJ
Marwin
Thomasje
Tiptracks
Wouterko
Maro21
Nicolas
Cevioch
Dżamper
G3raltJJ
PanWor
Spixi
Sunnyo59
Usagi.02808
Wawrzec
Maro21
McDutchie
O.sediqi93
RogueScholar
Bartomelow
Dheff022
Iohanen
Marwin
Rkieferbaum
Blaséd
SZ475
Kausar
Shabe
Sikmir
Wodsfort
Maro21
Saimawnkham
Saosukham
Cevioch
KormiSK
Username1233219128
JanezPavelZebovec
ZigaD
INNERLMNT
MaliMrav
Maro21
Larkang
Maro21
Michael
Yeager
Kaartic
Maro21
MonX94
NguoiDungKhongDinhDanh
Maro21
0x48fe75df30
Avehah
Clover
ExoHyper2026
Peterxy
SmallCat10000
Addonian1123
Entropy
Key0121

???

Plus remember that the website is available in more than 100 (~112) languages. This is only possible thanks all the contributors who provide translations. On screen, these are just the people who provided their first translation in the last 12 months.

(As it's not possible for us to tell who provided translations after their first one).

----

To update the list:

```sh
git diff 63aaf568b4bdbe7bd26188c4846c8437cc357dc0..HEAD config/locales/ | awk '/^---/ { path_line = $0 } /\\+\\# Author:/ { print $3 }'
```

---
layout: false
class: splash-screen
background-image: url(assets/images/49945958558_787266b5b3_o.jpg)

## So what exactly have we been doing?

.image-credit[
Photo: Oregon Department of Transportation @ Flick - CC-BY
]

???

# Pablo

At this point you might be thinking: that's great but what exactly have y'all been doing? There haven't been many changes to the website, have there?

We are going to cover a number of changes that have happened in the last year. We'll avoid covering anything that was already mentioned by Andy Allan in SotM EU, in Dundee last November. Check his talk online for more!

Also, for avoidance of doubt: this is not **our** work specifically. This is a list of changes by a variety of contributors over the last year.

credit https://flickr.com/photos/oregondot/49945958558/

---
class: splash-screen
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-contextual-menu.png)

## Contextual menu

???

So for instance, last October we introduced a new context menu, replacing a previous one. Since then, this menu has had time to evolve a little bit, for example harmonising the icons with the rest of the website.

You see, even when we introduce a feature, it's not just "done" and we move on to the next thing. We continue polishing it, often in ways that are not evident to end users.

---
class: splash-screen
background-image: url(assets/images/versatiles-before-after.png)

## From Colorful to SVWD03

???

The Shortbread layer also changed styles recently, from Colorful to SVWD03,
which is a better showcase of what the Shortbread scheme has to offer.

# Minh

On this topic, there has been more progress towards better integration of
vector layers. The website currently uses Leaflet.js to render the map,
but we have been for some time slowly migrating to use MapLibre. All the
secondary maps in the website use MapLibre now: the layer selector, the profile
page, the diaries, etc. Now the team is working on the main map.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-cjk-italics.png)

???

For a while now there has been a integration of MapLibre running alongside
Leaflet, which has allowed us to run vector layers without having to complete
the migration. These libraries continue to evolve behind the scenes, allowing
things like rendering Chinese text in italics (in vector layers), which
wasn't possible before.

---
class: left, middle, inverse, quote

## Autolinking to features, notes, wiki

### You write:

<blockquote>
  According to the info in note/12345, this should be a highway=primary, which would be consistent with the changes at cs/54321.
</blockquote>

### The website renders it as:

<blockquote>
  According to the info in <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/note/12345">note/12345</a>, this should be a <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dprimary">highway=primary</a>, which would be consistent with the changes at <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/54321#map=17/50.196229/8.596194">cs/54321</a>.
</blockquote>

???

# Pablo
You may have noticed a number of text forms where references to map features, notes, tags, etc, are automatically turned into links, without you having to provide it.

Work on this is not complete! It may seem an obvious feature, but there are many ways it can go wrong, and we continue to polish it and extend it to new parts of the site.

---
class: splash-screen
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-data-browser.png)

???

Similarly, we have made improvements in linking from the data view to the wiki and other sources, to allow browing the data more easily.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-heatmap-on.png)

???

On the topic of the user's own personal area, you may remember that
last year we added a "Contributions Heatmap" to the user profile.

This year, we renamed it "Contribution Calendar", as the word "map"
is sorta... overloaded in our context, and we also made it so that
users can...

--
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-heatmap-off.png)

???

...hide it if they so choose. After all, it can be a bit personal,
so we should give that option.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-user-notifications.png)

???

# Minh

We recently added a notifications page. An alternative to receiving
notifications in your email, which many of you happily ignore. Now
you just can ignore this page. Simpler!

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-user-notifications-prefs.png)

???

And you may also have seen a notification preferences page, where you
can choose to stop receiving emails, by type of email.

---
background-position: top
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-user-notifications-badge-wip.png)

???

We are still working on notifications. Next is showing some sort of notifications
counter badge thing, probably next to your display name, and a way to mark the
notifications as "seen", "read",
"discarded", "deleted"... one of those things. It's being studied, because
this is not an easy decision. The considerations are different here to what
they are in other websites, like the community forum.

---
name: gps-intro
background-image: url(assets/images/gps-traces-paris.jpg)
class: splash-screen

## Optimizing GPS traces

### More than 32 Billion points in the database

???

And now, we have a guest star, Rubén, who will tell us all about his
current work.

# Rubén
This is the project we are working on: the modernization of GPS traces.

GPS traces are recordings from GPS devices. Mappers upload them to help others map. They have been part of OSM since the beginning.

The numbers are big. The `gps_points` table has around 32 billion points now.

---
name: gps-optimizations
class: middle, inverse

## Work to optimize GPS traces on the OSM website

### 🎯 Simpler visibility options: _trackable_ and _identifiable_

### WIP: ♻️ Functionality to update old traces in bulk

### WIP: 📦 Gzip compression for GPX files

### Proposal: 🧵 Storing traces as linestrings, in the same database

.center[![Diagram: the same GPS track shown twice, first as separate points in gps_points, then as a single linestring in gpx_tracks](assets/images/gps-linestrings.svg)]

???

---
name: gps-visibility
class: center, middle, inverse

## Simpler trace visibility is done!

![The visibility selector on the upload form, now with two options](assets/images/gps-visibility-options.png)

???

A first visible change is already in production since August, simpler visibility levels trackable an identifible.

Simplification here means a better understanding of the visibility of traces. Before, we had four visibility levels. Now, new uploads accept two: trackable and identifiable.

Existing traces keep their current level, and their owners can change them at any time.
And one important point is that in the future optimizations are based on these two visibility levels!

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-01-index.png)

???

# Pablo

Thank you Rubén for that!

GPS traces is an aspect of the site that might be less obvious to many mappers. An even less obvious aspect is moderation. We introduced a new feature to help with it. It's called Moderation Zones, and it works like this. There's this special section that only moderators have access to...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-02-new.png)

???

where they can click to create a new Moderation Zone.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-03-name-reason.png)

???

Usual stuff: you give a name, a reason...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-04-map.png)

???

scroll down to see a map...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-05-zoom.png)

???

zoom in on a problematic section of the map...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-06a-polygon.png)

???

and start drawing a polygon

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-06b-polygon.png)

???

click, click, click...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-06c-polygon.png)

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-06d-polygon.png)

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-06e-polygon.png)

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-07-duration.png)

???

Then at the bottom we can select for how long the moderation zone will be active.

Let's say a week here.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-08-created.png)

???

Click to save, and we are done.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-09-unauthenticated.png)

???

And now we log out and take the role of an evil commenter.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-10-gulf-of-mexico.png)

???

We have an objective in mind... we look for it, zoom in...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-11-dropdown.png)

???

Click to create a note... which will be an anonymous note...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-12-anonymous-note.png)

???

Enter some text that nobody really needs on the platform...

---
background-image: url(assets/images/osm-modzones-13-error.png)

???

But they click to publish the note, and they are foiled! Anonymous
notes are not accepted within the moderation zone, for as long as it lasts.

To be clear, this is a very limited feature, sort of experimental, to
start seeing what kind of facility we can build to help with moderation.
At the moment this only and exclusively affects anomnymous notes. Remains
to be seen if in the future it could be extended to other activities.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/forum-chris66-broken-anonymous-notes.png)
background-size: 100%

???

As an anecdote, when we first deployed the foundation for moderation zones, we accidentally broke anonymous notes completely. You might be aware that there's a debate going on about whether anonymous notes should be allowed in the first place.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/forum-SomeoneElse-boo.png)
background-size: 100%

???

So some people would have preferred if we had left anonymous notes broken forever.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/forum-recap.png)

???

# Minh

Speaking of the forum, we are also the people who publish these
summaries of changes to the website, sort of monthly.

This month's will be a bit late because we had to go to a conference
and do a presentation... oh my, a lot of work.

---
layout: true
class: center, middle, inverse
---

# And more!

## AI policy

## Security

## Dev Container, Docker, documentation

## Improvements to CI, stability of test suite

## Dependency upgrades

## Triaging and fixing bugs

## Reviewing contributions

???

Helping with reviews and providing feedback from our own experiences with the community and the technologies involved.

---

## So you want to contribute...

### (Yes, please!)

???

Some of you with knowledge of software development, or wanting to learn, may want to contribute to the website. Yes! We want you helping!

So what do you need?

---

## A history lesson

### From Java to "the Rails port"

???

The very first version of the website, back in 2004, was built in Java. In Summer 2006 a project started that, at the time, was known as "the Rails port". This was a new version of the site built with the Ruby on Rails framework. Eventually this replaced the Java application and became the website that we all know now. You may still see references to "the Rails port" in places, despite it now being of voting age in most countries.

`[EDITORIAL]`

Potential tidbits to include:
- "Hopefully the site will move to php soon." -- [Steve Coast, 2004-12-11](https://web.archive.org/web/20050129052917/http://www.openstreetmap.org/)
- Earlier version of the Slippy Map that I can find is from [2005-12-04](https://web.archive.org/web/20051204025519/http://www.openstreetmap.org/)

`[/EDITORIAL]`

### The current website is now 20 years old! 🎊

???

The current website is 20 since about a month ago.

---

## The codebase

???

# Pablo

So the website is built with Ruby on Rails. This is a mature web framework, written in the Ruby programming language, which not only follows current best practices in the web development industry, but also has inspired many of accepted best practices that other frameworks take for granted these days.

### Convention over configuration

???

In a project like this one, it's very important to reduce surprises. New contributors need to be able to learn the ropes quickly. Regular contributors might take a break from contributing and, when they return, they should not need to re-learn new ways of doing things, different from how they might be done elsewhere.

For this, we rely on the principle of "Convention over configuration". We do things, as much as possible, the way that the framework intended. It's perfectly possible to deviate from the conventions of the framework, and it might make sense from a technical aspect in many contexts, but it makes contributions more difficult. This is not the maintainers' full-time job. We can't assume that maintainers and contributors will hold a model of how everything is put together in their heads. We try to make things so that, if you know the framework, you will know where you need to go in order to contribute.

### Delegate to other people's code

???

Similarly, the less code there is, the less code we have to worry about. We rely on many third-party libraries to build the site. For every third-party library we add, we make some part of the codebase someone else's problem! Less work for us.

### Use well-known tools

???

In general, the fewer surprises the better, even with tools outside of the website proper. The database? It's just standard Postgres! Even the little PostGIS there is is only recent and used for secondary features.

---

## How to help. Realistic expectations

???

So we come to the part where we say: we want help. We need help. However, we must be realistic here and manage expectations.

.repo-counts[
![GitHub repo, showing 541 open issues and 112 open PRs](assets/images/github-issue-pr-count.png)
]

???

At the time taking this screenshot earlier this week, there were 541 open issues and 112 open PRs in the repository. That's a lot. And most of them are not trivial.

Many discussions have been going on for years.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/github-oldest-issue.png)
background-size: contain

???

The oldest open issue has been there since 2012, and it's not an easy one to solve. That's the unfortunate reality of this sort of project, everywhere in the Open Source world.

It's very common for Open Source projects to ask for contributors, but then failing to support these contributors. In the end, projects are left with the usual 2-3 regulars and a revolving roster of people who arrive with the best intentions and leave disappointed. We are wrestling with the question of: what can we do to do better? We don't have an easy answer. Please come to us these days if you have any suggestions or experience.

---

## Who can help?

???

With that out of the way... who can help?

### Experienced Ruby on Rails developer?

???

Are you experienced with Ruby on Rails? We can use your help. Some specific topics include:

- Getting rid of Sprockets in favour of Propshaft.
- Replacing our custom JavaScript with Rails's preferred Hotwire facilities.
- Introduce some sort of machine-readable API documentation, like Swagger (or whatever it's called these days).

### New to Ruby on Rails?

???

If you know web development, Rails should not be a huge surprise. We have made an effort to make onboarding as smooth as possible, with thorough documentation, a Docker setup, etc. Give it a go!

### New to web development?

???

If you are new to web development, have you considered Ruby? At the end of the day, web development is web development, software engineering is software engineering. Languages and frameworks come and go, but the foundations remain. Give it a go.

---
background-image: url(assets/images/github-new-contributor-opportunity.png)

???

We do have some issues labeled as "new contributor opportunity". Have a look at those. Or have a look at any others. Ask questions before you jump in to write code. You can contact Pablo directly if you have questions (email in the Git commits).

What I would say though: if you are tackling one of those "new contributor opportunities", please don't use AI tools. These issues are there are learning opportunities. I have my own personal feelings about AI, and one thing I'll say is: if you use AI for those, nobody will learn anything.

We'll be around in the conference and happy to talk to anyone who is interested. We... (insert details of our Office Hours).

---

## OpenStreetMap

### Many people, many projects

???

# Minh

OpenStreetMap is many people and many projects. All of them can use your help.

### Including ours 😉

???

So, have you considered helping us? ;-)

---
name: thanks

## Thank you!

----

This has been

.presentation-title[
## Construction Ahead
### Recent and planned changes to the OSM website
]

.authors[
An AI-free presentation by
### Minh Nguyễn & Pablo Brasero Moreno
]

.url[
https://sotm2026.pablobm.com
]