Thanks for reaching out about OSM-related hackathon ideas, @ansh . Here are some initial thoughts for your review, to see if I’ve understood correctly.
Code-related ideas
Here are some code-related ideas, off the top of my head. These are features that could be added to existing OSM-based applications.
CoMaps tasks
CoMaps is an offline-first libre map app for Android and iOS, written in C++.
Participants could pick one or more tasks that interest them.
- Add a satellite imagery layer.
- CoMaps uses OSM route data to provide offline Metro navigation. But OSM also has route data for buses, trains, share autos, and e-rickshaws. Implement a public transit mode which has support for all those route types.
- When a user taps a public transport platform (bus stop, railway or Metro platform, ferry pier, etc), list the public transport routes that serve that stop. Selecting one of those routes should display the public transport route.
- OSM provides indoor data (rooms, corridors, etc). CoMaps renders 3D buildings. Add 3D rendering for indoor data, and a UI for switching between multi-level data.
- Add support for indoor routing (navigation).
- Mangrove Reviews is a libre database of ratings and reviews. Add Mangrove Reviews support to CoMaps, by integrating ratings and reviews with offline map downloads, and showing ratings and reviews of places wherever available.
- Bonus task - allow users to submit their own ratings and reviews to Mangrove Reviews.
- Wikimedia Commons is a libre database of photos, videos, and other media. OSM data links to Wikimedia Commons to allow associating photos with places. Add Wikimedia Commons support to CoMaps, by integrating photos with offline map downloads.
- Bonus task - allow users to upload their own photos to Wikimedia Commons.
(I have tasks for other projects in mind as well, such as OsmAPP (React+NextJS) and OsmAnd (90% Java, 10% Kotlin).)
Data-related ideas
Map the addresses of a neighborhood
Addresses are some of the most important data we can add to OpenStreetMap. They are useful to many people and services (delivery, ambulance, fire brigade, power, water, police, etc).
Dense urban colonies in particular are the most challenging areas for adding addresses, but - because of their unplanned and chaotic nature - also the place where this data is most needed.
Indian addresses are also highly variable, so I’ll be guiding mappers with the best tools and techniques to capture the complex realities as best as we can.
Map the transport routes of your neighborhood, village, or city
Many transport corporations do not have route data for their bus services.
Additionally, many places (like Lucknow, Indirapuram, etc) are highly dependent on informal public transport like share autorickshaws and share e-rickshaws. They usually follow more-or-less static routes, but there is no support for them in proprietary maps like Google Maps.
Fortunately, projects like OpenStreetMap and Transitous allow us to document bus and share auto/share e-rickshaw routes ourselves, and apps like OsmAnd and GNOME Maps, KDE Itinerary, etc allow us to use this data to plan trips.
More!
There can be way more themes of this sort. Some that come to mind are mapping healthcare, surveillance, mapping for wheelchair users, for blind users, for cyclists, for women, and so on.