2021-02-07

I’ve occasionally wanted to look back at past versions of OpenStreetMap, but the project’s architecture makes that resource intensive so there aren’t any public services offering the ability.

It’s possible to do it locally, though, and it’s made particularly easy thanks to Geofabrik’s regional data extracts and Alexander Overvoorde’s tile server Docker image:

osmium time-filter --output 'snapshot.osm.pbf' 'region.osh.pbf' '2012-01-01T00:00:00Z'
docker-compose run --volume "$PWD/snapshot.osm.pbf:/data.osm.pbf" map import
docker-compose up

With a little automation and Eric Fischer’s tile stitching utility, I generated before-and-after images of some of my past edits:

• Building outlines in Fircrest on 2019-10-26:

• Building outlines in Buckley on 2019-12-10:

• Building outlines in Princeton on 2019-12-16:

• Detail of Gemenskap Park on 2020-10-15:

• Corrections to the bike route from 8th Ave NW to the Burke-Gilman Trail on 2020-10-30:

• Detail around the Fauntleroy ferry terminal and Captain’s Park on 2020-11-07:

• Building outlines in Gold Bar on 2021-01-06:

• Detail of the Youth Leadership & Skills Training Institute (Afienya, Ghana) 2021-01-10:

• Detail of Takoradi Technical Institute on 2021-01-10:

• Detail of Lowman Beach Park and the Murray Wet Weather Facility on 2021-01-16: