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I've noticed that for the most part in the US, even if houses aren't visible on the map, you can search their address and it points to the correct location. So why don't the address numbers automatically show up on the map? And since they don't, how can we quickly/efficiently map visible houses with their addresses?

asked 11 Aug '18, 23:42

belmemes's gravatar image

belmemes
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accept rate: 0%


The addresses that can be searched but not seen are TIGER addresses. Their positional accuracy is not good enough for us to add them, so they're just a backstop and will be used only when a proper house number is not found.

There are many ways of mapping addresses. The mobile Android editor "Vespucci" has very good address support, you can practically walk along a street and map every address with just a key press. Working with printed paper is also an efficient option for many. If you are thinking of skipping the original survey and using someone else's data - this is possible, but you need to be sure the data is actually suitably licensed which is not a given, even in the US. If it is, you can e.g. download a shape file and display it as a background layer in the JOSM editor, together with aerial imagery, and add addresses without leaving your house.

Automatic imports are technically possible but more demanding, see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Import for details.

permanent link

answered 12 Aug '18, 00:13

Frederik%20Ramm's gravatar image

Frederik Ramm ♦
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accept rate: 23%

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question asked: 11 Aug '18, 23:42

question was seen: 1,769 times

last updated: 12 Aug '18, 00:13

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