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I see the street I live on has been labeled with the wrong name. How do I change it? Google Maps had the same problem for a while, and the process for correcting the error was straightforward.

asked 07 Feb '11, 15:34

donkensler's gravatar image

donkensler
90116
accept rate: 0%

edited 06 Aug '14, 14:16

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554

Don't forget to accept an answer (the round checkmark button).

(10 Mar '11, 16:58) Baloo Uriza

  1. Zoom in to the area of the map showing the street.
  2. Click the 'Edit' button.
  3. Once the editor has loaded, click the road and type the correct name in the panel on the left, and press Return.
  4. Click 'Save' at the top. Enter a helpful comment explaining what you did. That's it!

Unlike Google Maps, the change will take effect instantly for anyone downloading the data, or within a few minutes for people looking at the maps.

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answered 07 Feb '11, 16:05

Richard's gravatar image

Richard ♦
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accept rate: 18%

edited 12 Feb '15, 16:38

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554

Note three years later: this quite works similar with other editors (like the new default iD), too.

(06 Aug '14, 14:21) aseerel4c26 ♦

The earlier answers are both correct. What they omit is that if you don't already have an account you will need to sign up to edit the name, and there is a possibility that a single road consists of a number of separate sections in the database in which case you may need to update the name on each of them. You can tell whether that is the case after clicking on the road so see how long a section has been selected.

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answered 07 Feb '11, 17:05

EdLoach's gravatar image

EdLoach ♦
19.5k16156280
accept rate: 22%

"If you don't already have an account": http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/donkensler was created before the original question was posted. That's one of the nice things about the primary login method for this site being the standard OSM login. :)

(07 Feb '11, 18:19) Richard ♦

Are you using the OSM web page at http://www.openstreetmap.org/ ?

If so then you can edit the map directly on that page. Just position yourself at the area showing your street, hover over the "Edit" tab till you get the drop-down menu and select "Edit with Potlatch 2 (in-browser editor)"

This will start the Potlatch editor, where you will be able to click the street and change its name then save your change. That's it.

For more information see Beginners' guide (OSM Wiki).

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answered 07 Feb '11, 16:09

GrahamS's gravatar image

GrahamS
3.6k214554
accept rate: 28%

Thanks, folks. Your answers enabled me to make the change (I even figured out how to split the street, since only part was mislabeled). And I like that the change takes effect right away. With Google it was a matter of flagging the required change, sending in the request, then waiting a couple of weeks for the change to take effect.

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answered 07 Feb '11, 17:43

donkensler's gravatar image

donkensler
90116
accept rate: 0%

Glad it worked for you. Welcome to OpenStreetMap!

(07 Feb '11, 18:20) Richard ♦

Welcome and please do stick around. We're always looking for new contributors and I'm sure there are other things near you that you could correct or add now that you know how easy it is.

(07 Feb '11, 22:21) GrahamS

If you're a hands-on person, any of the highest rated answers here will work amicably; please read the OSM Wiki page about names first. If you're a map consumer more interested in the end result and don't mind waiting, you can try submitting a bug via a Note to get the attention of someone with a deeper interest in cartography.

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answered 08 Feb '11, 01:14

Baloo%20Uriza's gravatar image

Baloo Uriza
3.2k143061
accept rate: 9%

edited 12 Feb '15, 16:57

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554

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question asked: 07 Feb '11, 15:34

question was seen: 23,508 times

last updated: 12 Feb '15, 16:57

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum