As the title states. I really want to like and use open source maps, but it seems that whatever database they are pulling from is pretty bad and incomplete overall. You also have to put the exact name, as it is in the system, otherwise it will not come up.
Just to use a really simple and well known example, after downloading the appropriate maps for this search, if I search for “the liberty bell”, the first four results are either roads or businesses near me, then the liberty bell museum in Allentown (which btw is permanently closed), and then the liberty bell center, then the liberty bell center again for some reason, and then finally the actual liberty bell itself. There are also suggestions down the list that no longer exist, such as the liberty bell pavilion. So this is clearly outdated data that is being used.
The suggested searches are also nonsense, only taking the last word into account, i.e suggesting “belles ave”, “bellgrove rd”, etc, rather than “liberty bell center”, which would be the most logical suggestion for that search.
Why is this so bad, and what needs to happen to make it better?
Any time I go to a business/organization of some sort, I check to see if it’s on OSM (thru CoMaps), and if it isn’t, then I add it. If the business is there but doesn’t have any info attached to it (web page, phone #, hours, etc) I try to add that too. I’ve also found that for hiking OSM is frequently superior to Google maps. But yes, there are definitely some gaps which can make it frustrating to use sometimes.
Almost every single time, in my decade of experience across Europe and outside.
Also, cheers! (For always adding a business to OSM whenever visiting one)
I’ve almost never found my destination in the OSM, but I don’t always have time to add them. It’s a pain.
If you are interested in adding them, you can leave a note saying that the business is there, or leave a note for yourself with something like GeoNotes, and add it later. For GeoNotes, it could be something as simple as a pin saying ‘Starbucks is here’ so that the location is saved for you to add later :)
Good idea!
The addresses are in OSM. They just don’t come up in the search.