What's new in my area? Track OpenStreetMap edits with your watch list!

As it is known, in MediaWiki, the Wikipedia engine has a built- in Watchlist function. Registered members add articles to the list and then all edits to these articles are displayed in real time on a special page . It is a very effective tool for tracking real-time vandalism that threatens all open wiki projects, but not only. Watchlist can also be used as a very interesting (!) Personalized news feed, since sometimes changes are made to Wikipedia faster than articles appear in the media. Want to keep abreast of Aztec research? Just subscribe to the Aztec article. But I got distracted.

The advantages of OpenStreetMap are the same - the information is updated very quickly. In OpenStreetMap itself, unfortunately, there is no good watch list as there are no “fresh edits” (in History, for some reason, not all edits are displayed) - another vandalism tracking tool. What to do? How to deal with vandalism? Vandals will completely spoil the card and no one will even notice!

Fortunately, a third-party solution to the problem was found by the developer Matt . I present to you S.O.V. OWL - OpenStreetMap Watch List . With this service, you can not only track vandalism, but also find out what's new (new shops, built roads and buildings, etc., you can even find out about changes in work hours or the phone number (!) Of a cafe) appeared in your area or any another section of the map.
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So, go to this page , zoom in on a part of the map, but not too much, click "Click here to generate an RSS feed", select the area on the map (it can be very long - this is an advantage over "History") and follow the appeared link and subscribe to RSS - now you will be aware of all changes on the map (links with RSS lead to a map with small edits marked with small rectangles - this is also not in the History, there only a large rectangle is shown). Or you can bring the map closer and just click on the proposed rectangle.

Here, for example, edits of the center of Moscow or Manezh Square .

Well, do not forget that you can also take part in updating the map, adding shops, pharmacies, cafes. Here are some articles that will help you with this . But if you are a little lazy or do not have time , then inform the editors of the site about the existence of a cafe, store or pharmacy using OpenStreetBugs and they will do everything right.

And further. Developers-Developers-Developers-Developers ! OpenStreetMap is open for you to do something based on it!

UPD . Of course, there is also an official list of edits on the “History” tab, but there it is impossible to choose a very elongated area for observation and it is not noted directly on the map exactly which places of the region have been corrected . But in the “History” it turns out there is also RSS, which I did not notice something. =)) In general, the "History" can also be used.
UPD2 : And another difference. The “history” is littered with edits of bots that do this over a large area, and there is nothing superfluous in OWL. So OWL is still better.


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