Potlatch (software)

For other uses, see Potlatch (disambiguation).

Potlatch

Potlatch 2 with OpenStreetMap data
Developer(s)	Richard Fairhurst
Stable release	3.0 / December 30, 2020 (2020-12-30)
Repository	github.com/systemed/potlatch3
Written in	ActionScript
Platform	Adobe AIR
Available in	94 languages
Type	GIS software
License	WTFPL
Website	www.systemed.net/potlatch/

Potlatch is a free software editing tool for OpenStreetMap geodata^[1] using Adobe AIR. For many years embedded directly within the OpenStreetMap website using Adobe Flash,^[2] it was rebuilt as a desktop application following the end-of-lifing of Flash.

History

Potlatch 1 was released mid 2006 and was the default editor on the main OpenStreetMap site until it was replaced by Potlatch 2 in April 2011. The name Potlatch came from the name of newsletter of the Lettrist International art collective.^[3]

Tim Berners-Lee demonstrated editing OpenStreetMap using Potlatch during his TED The next web talk in 2009.^[4]

An alpha version of Potlatch 2, a complete reimplementation of the software, was published in summer 2010.^[5] In April 2011, Potlatch 2 was released for general use.^[6][7] After Microsoft had granted OpenStreetMap permission to use aerial imagery from their Bing Maps service for tracing, Potlatch 2 was extended to display these images in the background.

iD began as a reimplementation of Potlatch 2 architecture in JavaScript.^[3][8][9] It replaced Potlatch 2 as the default editor on the OpenStreetMap-Website in 2013.^[10]

In 2020, the OpenStreetMap Foundation provided €2,500 funding for Potlatch to be ported to Adobe AIR, so that it could continue to run as a desktop application for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh after Flash was disabled in web browsers. The desktop version was subsequently released as Potlatch 3.^[11]

References

1. Günther, Karsten. "Potlatch 2: OpenStreetMap Editor » Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
2. Yang, Anran; Fan, Hongchao; Jing, Ning (2016-02-22). "Amateur or Professional: Assessing the Expertise of Major Contributors in OpenStreetMap Based on Contributing Behaviors". ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 5 (2): 21. Bibcode:2016IJGI....5...21Y. doi:10.3390/ijgi5020021. ISSN 2220-9964.
3. Fairhurst, Richard (14 October 2012). "It all starts with an editor". Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
4. Berners-Lee, Tim (13 March 2009). "The next web". www.ted.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
5. "OpenStreetMap editor Potlatch 2 launched | OpenStreetMap Blog". 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
6. "Golem.de: IT-News für Profis". www.golem.de. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
7. HarryWood (2011-04-05). "Potlatch 2 is here | OpenStreetMap Blog". Retrieved 2024-08-20.
8. MacWright, Tom. "iD Updates". MapBox. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
9. Dubowy, Liane M. (6 February 2013). "Neuer Editor für OpenStreetMap" [New editor for OpenStreetMap]. heise online (in German). Heise Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
10. "iD In-Browser Editor Now Default on OpenStreetMap". 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
11. "Potlatch - the OpenStreetMap editor". www.systemed.net. Retrieved 2024-08-20.

Further reading

• Ramm, Frederik; Topf, Jochen; Chilton, Steve (2010). OpenStreetMap: Using and Enhancing the Free Map of the World. UIT Cambridge. p. 386. ISBN 978-1-906860-11-0.