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Additional Translations in Daylight

Aug 27th, 2022

Starting in v1.17, the Daylight Map Distribution will include translation coverage of ~3,700 prominent map features in 39 languages, adding an additional ~78,000 new translated names on the map.

Many products that display OSM data to a global audience translate the map’s place names into the viewer’s native language. OSM’s name:code=* tagging system supports multilingual features by allowing mappers to add translated names for different languages. Esri and Meta recently looked at the translation coverage of prominent OSM features and found that over half of the translated names are missing from OSM in Esri’s supported languages for basemaps.

To help fill this gap, Esri works with professional Language Service Providers (LSPs) to provide translations of English words and phrases, including place names into 39 languages. These translations are then reviewed in-country by Esri’s local Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) around the world before they are integrated into user-facing products and services. Any translation issues reported by end users are directed to the Esri Translation Services Team to revisit with our LSPs and, if appropriate, corrected in the Translation Management System (TMS). These translations are provided by Esri under a CC BY 4.0 License with Explicit Permission for OpenStreetMap, as with other datasets that Esri has shared for use in OpenStreetMap.

While our goal is to add this data directly to OSM, we realize a bulk import of this magnitude would be a significant undertaking that could take a long time. To accelerate the OSM community’s use of this data, we are taking 3 approaches:

• Starting with v1.17 we will add these missing names directly into the Daylight planet PBF and admin OSC files. Anyone using Daylight products will get the new names without needing to do any additional work.
• We will create MapRoulette challenges to make direct OSM submissions easier.
• With each Daylight release we’ll include a file containing exactly which tags and values are added on which features. Local OSM experts can use it to add these names to OSM using any tools they choose. Here’s the set of new names for v1.17.

Daylight users already benefit from our integrity checks that help reduce harmful edits in OSM data. Now they’ll also gain improved translation coverage without any additional effort. The Daylight planet file is released in OSM’s standard PBF format and is compatible with existing OSM workflows.

Over time, the set of translated features and languages will continue to grow.

We’d love to hear any feedback or comments.

How To Reach The Team

If you have any questions about this data distribution, we have created a #daylightdistro_feedback Slack channel in OSM US. Members of the team will be there periodically to answer questions. You can also email the team at osm@fb.com.