The hobby? Contributing to OpenStreetMap. I found an app called Street Complete that makes it exceptionally easy, basically it just asks you questions about features along your walking route. Thanks to doing this, I’ve discovered several hidden features of the neighborhood like small public gardens full of herbs, public library boxes, and more.
Doing it also feels constructive, because I know I’m helping build up a resource to challenge Google’s near-monopoly. It’s very satisfying to clear all the dots from the map, and I find myself looking forward to my walks and planning out which streets I’ll walk next.
Happy helping!
Go! Map is a mobile OSM editor I use frequently. It’s not super user-friendly, so might take a little getting used to, but it is reliable and fast.
Yeah, that’s a bit different than what this is. Street Complete is meant to be accessible to anyone, even if they’ve never used OSM. It specifically asks you for missing information. I’ve used OSM editors before and really didn’t know what I should be adding. This has way less skill required.