Module 3: Working with JOSM¶

3.1. Adding Bing imagery¶

In order to use satellite imagery while making our maps, we must make sure that it is enabled in the JOSM settings.

8. On the left side of the Preferences window there are different icons for different settings. Click the icon that says WMS TMS. You may need to click on the down arrow to find it:

9. Click on Bing Sat. Then click Activate.

10. Bing Sat should now be in the list below the Activate button.

3.2. Adding presets¶

We will be using presets so that we can add special data to OSM. Don’t worry if this is unclear right now - we will learn more about presets as we go along.

11. You should still have the Preferences window open. If not, go to Edit ‣ Preferences to open the window.
12. On the left side, click the icon that looks like a grid.

13. Click the tab at the top that reads Tagging Presets.
14. Under Available Presets find and select the entry labelled Buildings Indonesia. Click the blue arrow to the right of this box.

15. Click OK.

3.3. Adding plugins¶

Plugins provide extra functionality for specific purposes. JOSM has many plugins that can be downloaded. To install a plugin follow these steps:

16. Make sure the Preferences window is open.
17. Click the Plugin icon on the left:

18. On the plugin tab, first download the plugin list by clicking Download list. It may take a few minutes.
19. After the plugin list appears, type the name of the plugin you want to download in the Search box.

20. When the plugin is found, check the box to the left of the plugin name.
21. Click OK to download and install the selected plugins.

3.4. Changing the language¶

JOSM has been translated into many languages. If it has been translated into your language, you can change it in the Preferences.

22. Make sure the Preferences window is open.
23. On the left side, click the icon that looks like a paint can and paintbrush.
24. At the top of the window, click the tab that says Look and Feel.
25. Choose your language in the drop-down box next to the word Language.
26. Click OK.

27. JOSM must be restarted to save the language settings. Go to File ‣ Exit.
28. Start JOSM again by going to the Windows Start Menu. Find JOSM and click on it to start.

4.1. Basic operations¶

33. To move the map left or right, up or down, hold the right mouse button down, and move the mouse.
34. There are several ways to zoom in and out of the map. With a mouse, the scroll wheel is used to zoom in and out. If you are using a laptop and don’t have a mouse, zoom in and out using the scale bar in the upper-left of the map window. Drag the bar left and right by holding your left mouse down and moving the bar left or right with your mouse.

35. Look at the sample map. There are a few different types of objects here. There is a river, a forest, some buildings, several roads, and a couple of shops. To select an object, click on it with your left mouse button.

4.2. Points, lines, and shapes (polygons)¶

As you click different objects on the sample map, notice that there are three different types of objects on the map. There are points, lines, and shapes. In mapping, shapes are usually called polygons.

Points are a single location, represented by symbols. On this sample map, there are two points, a clothing shop and a market. The clothing shop is represented by a shirt symbol, and the market is represented by a shopping cart.

There are several lines on the map as well, which represent roads. If you look closely you will see that within the lines, there are points as well. These points don’t have any symbols or other information associated with them, but they help to define where the line is located.

Lastly, there are numerous shapes on the sample map, representing different places - a forest, a river, and buildings. A shape generally represents an area, like a field or a building. A shape is exactly like a line - the only difference is that the line begins at the same point where it ends.

Notice that when you select an object, a list appears to the right of the map in a window called Properties. These are known as tags. Tags are information that is tied to a point, line or shape that describes what it is. For now all you need to know is that this information helps describe whether our object is a forest, a river, a building or something else.

36. Think about drawing a map by hand, and how you are also drawing points, lines and shapes. What other places are best represented by points? Lines? Shapes?

Now, let’s practise drawing an object (point, line and shape).

On the left side of JOSM is a column of buttons. Many of these buttons open new panels on the right side that provide more information about the map. The most important buttons are at the top of the column. These buttons change what you can do with your mouse. The top four buttons in this column are the most important. They allow you to: Select, Draw, Zoom in and Delete

Until now, you have been using the Select tool, which looks like this:

37. Before drawing, we need to make sure that nothing is selected. Click in the black space on the map, where it is empty, to make sure nothing is selected.
38. Click the second button, the Draw tool.

39. Find an empty area on the map, and double-click with your mouse. This will create a single point.
40. To draw a line, single-click with the mouse. Move the mouse and click again. Continue until you are happy with the line. To end the line, double-click.
41. Draw a shape the same way that you draw a line, but finish the shape by double-clicking on the point where you started the line.

4.3. Changing objects¶

42. Select the forest on the left side of the map. Be sure to click on the line around the forest, not one of the points on the line. Now hold your left mouse button down and drag your mouse. You should be able to move the forest to a new location on the map.
43. Click on one of the points on the line around the forest. Hold your left mouse button down and drag your mouse. You should be able to move the point. This is how you can change the shape of an object, or move a point.

4.4. Adding presets¶

Now we know how to draw points, lines and shapes, but we still haven’t defined what they represent. We want to be able to say that our points are shops, schools or something else, and whether our shapes are fields, buildings or something else.

44. Click the Select tool, in the column of buttons on the left.

45. Select one of the objects that you drew with the Draw tool. On the top menu, click Presets. Move your mouse through the sub-menu to the type of location you would like to define.
46. When you click on a preset, a form pops up asking you for more information. You do not have to fill in every field, but you may wish to add some important fields, such as the name of the object.
47. When you are finished entering the information, click Apply Preset. If everything went well, your point, line or shape should change colours or show a symbol. This is because it has now been defined.

Exercise:¶

Now let’s draw a map in order to practise the techniques we’ve learned. You may wish to redraw the map that you drew on paper in Module 1.

48. Drag the window away from the sample map by holding the right mouse button and dragging your mouse, until you have a nice empty area to draw on.
49. Use the Draw tool to create points, lines and shapes. Describe what your objects are by selecting from the Presets menu.
50. When you are finished, you should have your own map, similar to the sample map that we opened in sample.osm.

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