OpenStreetMap
I’m new to editing OpenStreetMap, so this is my first change! I noticed that most neighbourhood areas in Lethbridge, my local city, don’t have a name shown in OSM. However, they’re all neatly shown on an official 2024 map from the government of Lethbridge, so I used it as a source. I did notice that some areas are already named in other ways, but I couldn’t find the item that holds the name. This induced visual clutter by doubling some names (those of the industrial parks, Copperwood, and seemingly Paradise Canyon), but I still added the names to the neighbourhood areas for consistency anyways. If anyone around knows how to get rid of this without removing the naming consistency, it would be great if this slight issue could be resolved. I haven’t actually tested the map yet, since I just uploaded the edit, but if what I’m describing is actually a problem, please help? Anyway, I intend on updating and adding a lot of things to Lethbridge (like adding addresses and new buildings) in the near-ish future, so it’d be fun to get to know the local OSM community.
Discussion
Comment from chris_debian on 23 February 2026 at 22:21
Hi, Marcie.
Well done for taking your first foray into editing the best map in the world! You’re bound to make some mistakes as you go along, we all do.
Something to watch out for, is importing information from sources that don’t have a compatible licence. The government map you refer to, may have some sort of proprietary licence; it’s best, if possible, to survey in person, and update OSM with what you can see. The other downside of relying on other maps, is you may introduce errors to OSM, from poorly verified local maps. Just something to watch out for.
Not sure whether you’ve heard of it, but an app called StreetComplete is good for adding information.
Good luck,
Chris (UK)
Comment from marcie39 on 24 February 2026 at 02:21
Hi, Chris!
Thanks for getting me up to speed on this – I’ll make sure to keep this in mind from now on.
In the mean time, I do recall the names shown on the map being common local names when referring to destinations (for parties, gatherings etc.). There is only one name that I’ve only heard once. The name “Clearview” which is already on the OSM map is separate from the name shown on the map I sourced (Discovery), so I made sure to leave it be. I’ve also seen the sign outside this neighbourhood as “Clearview,” so I left “Discovery” out.
Some of the borders between the neighbourhoods as shown on OSM have slight differences than the ones on the source, but I didn’t alter any borders.
I think the next item on my list for now will be adding addresses to previously missed or new buildings. Any tips on how I could do this?
Thanks,
Marcie
Comment from chris_debian on 24 February 2026 at 09:40
You’re doing a really good job, Marcie. Re the addresses, if you’ve got an Android smartphone, I think having a look at StreetComplete https://streetcomplete.app/?lang=en-gb would help.
Take care,
Chris