How to improve your campus on OpenStreetMap
Is your dorm missing or unnamed, or is the library the wrong height? You can fix it at the source in about ten minutes. It improves the map for everyone, not only this game.
Before you start
- Map what's really there. OpenStreetMap records the real world. Never add jokes, fake buildings or anything just to change how a game looks. Volunteers check edits, and vandalism gets reverted and can get accounts blocked.
- Use your own knowledge. Walking past a building counts, and so do its signs and your school's public pages for facts like a name. Don't copy from Google Maps or other copyrighted maps, which isn't allowed.
- Start small. Adding a few names is an excellent first edit.
Step by step
- Create a free account at openstreetmap.org.
- Find your campus, zoom in as far as you can and click Edit. This opens the iD editor in your browser, and its short walkthrough is worth doing.
- Click a building to select it. The panel on the left shows its details.
- Add what you know, using the fields or the tags below.
- To add a missing building, choose Area, trace its outline on the aerial imagery and set it as a building.
- Click Save, write a short description such as "Added names and floor counts to dorms at Example University", and upload.
The tags that matter most
| Tag | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
name | name=Smith Hall | The building's real name, shown on its label in the game. |
building | building=dormitory | The type. Other useful values are university, stadium, sports_hall, chapel and parking. |
building:levels | building:levels=6 | Floors above ground. The easiest way to get the height right, because you can just count them. |
height | height=38 | Height in meters, if you know it. It takes priority over the floor count. |
roof:shape | roof:shape=dome | Shape of the roof, such as flat, gabled, hipped or dome. |
The OpenStreetMap wiki documents all of these in detail.
What to fix first
- Names on the buildings people actually know.
- Floor counts on tall buildings, since a tower without them gets a generic 14 m height.
- Types on buildings tagged only
building=yes, especially dorms and sports venues. - Demolished or newly built buildings, which often lag behind reality.
When will it show up?
Your edit appears on OpenStreetMap almost immediately, but the games use a saved copy of each campus, so changes arrive when that campus's data is refreshed. To speed this up, let us know which campus you improved.
To understand how the tags turn into a 3D campus, read how it's made.