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Some of the place names in Navajo are wrong and the maps are therefore unusable. Finally found where to change them, but now there's a padlock-symbol next to it. Now what?

asked 04 Jun '19, 22:27

seb_az86556's gravatar image

seb_az86556
41114
accept rate: 0%


If you are using the "Id" editor then it is possible it won't let you change the name of something that has a Wikidata link. Possible workarounds include deleting the Wikidata link and then making your edit, or using a different editor e.g. the standalone "JOSM" or the mobile "Vespucci" which do not have this limitation.

Note however that naming can be a politically sensitive topic. If the names are wrong as in really wrong, with typos in them, then by all means fix them. If, however, your "wrong" might be another person's "right", then it might be worth having a closer look at the issue; for example, if places have different names in different languages, we can record all the names, instead of having three different groups of people alternating in "correcting" the name to what they believe is right.

The padlock doesn't mean you cannot edit, it is just there to keep you from making rash decisions!

permanent link

answered 04 Jun '19, 22:48

Frederik%20Ramm's gravatar image

Frederik Ramm ♦
82.5k927201273
accept rate: 23%

Thanks for the answer. I made changes to the wikidata-entries. Will those be propagated any time soon or are they now "set in stone" unless changed here as well? If your site automatically transfers them, that would actually be all that's needed.

(04 Jun '19, 23:15) seb_az86556
1

I don't remember any automatic update scripts being mentioned in the Wikidata discussions. The iD editor is open source so if it doesn't seem to pick up the change, opening a bug on GitHub might be the best way forward.

(05 Jun '19, 08:26) InsertUser
5

Please, absolutely no automatic updates of OSM from Wikidata. Firstly, wikidata does not have a similar view to copyright to OSM, so it is often very difficult to determine the original source of a wikidata item, and whether it might be permissible in OSM. Second, many (most) wikidata items have been sourced from Wikipedia and are not to be regarded as infallible. Thirdly, OSM is based on what Wikipedia calls "original research", wikidata is probably based on secondary sources which because regarded as authoritative propagate errors (SomeoneElse had a good list of national map errors around where he lives). I quite frequently come across wikidata items which do not treat the same concept as the OSM object to which they are attached, or items with erroneous information (woods as human settlements) in wikidata. In such cases I delete the wikidata tag. It can always be re-added when wikidata accuracy improves.

(05 Jun '19, 11:32) SK53 ♦
1

If I see it correctly (I did not have a case to test) you can still change the name value in iD in the table at the bottom (all tags section).

(05 Jun '19, 15:15) TZorn

Tzorn: yes, I figured that out by now, and it does indeed work. The interface is somewhat confusing when you're not used to it. Thanks for the help.

(05 Jun '19, 17:10) seb_az86556

For the record: updates made here are propagated to wikipedia's maps automatically but take a month or more to come into effect.

(14 Jul '19, 01:17) seb_az86556
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question asked: 04 Jun '19, 22:27

question was seen: 1,087 times

last updated: 14 Jul '19, 01:17

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