This section is designed for experienced OpenStreetMap contributors to start mapping in Public Domain Map.
All Public Domain Map projects are hosted on the OpenStreetMap US Tasking Manager alongside projects that contribute directly to OpenStreetMap. If you are not familiar with it, the Tasking Manager is a mapping tool designed for the collaborative mapping process. The purpose of the tool is to divide up a mapping project into smaller tasks that can be completed rapidly with many people working on the same overall area. It shows which areas need to be mapped and which areas need the mapping reviewed. Originally built by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, many instances of the Tasking Manager have been created to serve different audiences and purposes in the OpenStreetMap community.
What do we mean by OpenStreetMap projects & Public Domain Map projects?
The Tasking Manager was originally developed to organize contributions directly to OpenStreetMap. Any edits made to these projects go directly to the global OpenStreetMap database. The majority of projects you will find on the OpenStreetMap US Tasking Manager are these types of projects, labeled as contributing to the “OpenStreetMap database”. Because of the Public Domain Map project, OpenStreetMap US Tasking Manager also now hosts “Public Domain Map” projects. Any contributions to these projects will not yet go to the OpenStreetMap database. Instead, these go to a separate “Public Domain Map database”. In the future, this database will be made available to the public and any data contributed to the Public Domain Map database will be available to be conflated or added to OpenStreetMap.
Join the Public Domain Map - Pilot Mapping Team
To make contributions to Public Domain Map projects on the OSM US Tasking Manager, you will need to join the “Public Domain Map - Pilot Mappers” team. By joining the team via link below, you are agreeing to participate in the Public Domain Map Pilot facilitated by OpenStreetMap US and the terms as follows:
- You will be participating as a volunteer and will not be compensated in any form.
- Any personal information collected through feedback forms or otherwise will not be shared, nor will you be identified as a participant by name without your prior written consent.
- Data contributed to the project will be publicly associated with your OpenStreetMap username.
- If you provide feedback, your anonymized feedback provided may be distributed to the Public Domain Map steering committee and project partners as needed.
- At this time, it cannot be guaranteed that any data contributed here will be later available in either OpenStreetMap or Federal datasets. Your contributions at this time are designed to help us refine and improve the overall workflow.
Once you have joined the team, you will be able to select from available mapping tasks open to team members.
Join the Team ➔Have feedback? Please submit that here ➔
