What's new in my area? Track edits of OpenStreetMap with a watchlist!

As you know, in MediaWiki, the Wikipedia engine has a built-in “Watchlist” function . Registered participants add articles to the list and then all edits in these articles are displayed in real time on a special page . This is a very effective tool for tracking vandalism in real time, which threatens all open wiki projects, but not only. The watchlist can also be used as a very interesting, personally (!) Customizable news feed, since Wikipedia makes edits at times faster than articles appear in the media. Want to keep up to date with Aztec research? Just subscribe to the Aztecs article. But I was distracted.

Benefits of OpenStreetMapsame - information is updated very quickly. In OpenStreetMap itself, unfortunately, there is no good watchlist, nor are there any “fresh edits” (for some reason, not all edits are displayed in History ) - another tool for tracking vandalism. What to do? How to deal with vandalism? Vandals will completely ruin the map and no one will even notice it!

Fortunately, a third-party solution to the problem was found by Matt . I present to you S.O.V. OWL - OpenStreetMap Watch List . Using this service you can not only track vandalism, but also find out what's new(new shops, roads and buildings built, etc., you can even find out about changes in the opening hours or phone number (!) of a cafe) appeared in your area or any other part of the map.

So, go to this page , zoom in on the map, but not too much, click "Click here to generate an RSS feed", select the area on the map (it can be very elongated - this is an advantage over the "History") and go through the appeared link and subscribe to RSS - now you will be aware of all changes on the map (links from RSS lead to the map with small edit boxes marked with small rectangles - this also does not appear in the "History", it only shows a large rectangle there). Or you can zoom in on the map more easily and just click on the proposed rectangle.

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

Well, do not forget that you can also take part in updating the map by adding shops, pharmacies, cafes. Here are a few articles to help you with this . But if you are a little too lazy or have no time , then report the existence of a cafe, shop or pharmacy to the editors of the site 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 you cannot select a strongly elongated area for observation and it is not directly marked on the map which places of the area were fixed. But in the "History" also appears to be RSS, which I did not notice something. =)) In general, "History" can also be used.
UPD2 : And another such difference. History is clogged with edits from bots that do this over a large area, and there is nothing superfluous in OWL. So OWL is still better. ^{This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License . You can copy, edit and use for commercial purposes this text with the obligatory indication of authorship.}