How can I move a whole area? Like a building, without having to move each node individually and potentially messing up the shape. As long as it's only possible to move one node at a time, moving an area seems like a no-go. I tried selecting all individual nodes that comprise the area, grabbing one node and try moving it, but then it sometimes pans the map and sometimes moves only the node under the mouse pointer while leaving the other (still selected!) ones in place. I don't know which one does it when, but neither is what I need. I tried selecting the area as a single entity but there seems no way to move it. Also tried holding ctrl, shift, alt, and none of them do what I need. It seems like the editor needs at least one of these features:
Or I could be missing some well hidden feature. asked 02 Apr '23, 12:45  Thanatica |
One Answer:
I assume you are using the iD editor, i.e. a simple editing software that pops up when you click the Edit button on the main OSM website. Moving areas is very straightforward: right-click an edge of the shape you want to move, you will see a small menu → select "Move". Then you can easily drag it. (That being said, moving buildings is not always a good idea, especially in countries where building outlines can be drawn accurately from government data; too often we see new users engaging in a crusade to "fix the map" by redrawing them according to aerial imagery.) answered 02 Apr '23, 18:11  bxl-forever |
Thanks, but in this case, a lot of buildings and other areas where missing and things had been rebuilt. In other areas, the imagery seems to line up more accurately, so something must have gone amiss.
That being said, official imagery oftenly doesn't line up either, and it's possible of course, that government-provided data is offset as well.
Anyway, thanks for the tip. Also found the rotate option, also very helpful to line up a building more accurately to the road/street passing it.