Geospatial infrastructure / Collaborative map change metadata
OpenStreetMap changeset metadata for Tbilisi
The OpenStreetMap API exposes recent changesets intersecting a Tbilisi bounding box. The tested two-day query returned 17 changesets with creation/closure times, edit counts split into created/modified/deleted objects, change bounds, discussion count, mapper identity and free-form tags such as comment, editor, hashtags and imagery/source. This is a precise audit trail of mapping activity, not a direct list of the changed roads or amenities; individual object diffs require additional changeset-download or replication processing.
Provenance and access
How the data is reached
Unauthenticated OSM API XML query for changesets by bbox/time. Read-only API usage must follow OSM API/usage policies; large-scale history ingestion should use replication diffs or extracts rather than repeatedly polling the main API.
OpenStreetMap database under ODbL 1.0; attribution to OpenStreetMap contributors required. Usernames and changeset comments are public contributor metadata and require responsible handling.
Read license or terms ↗Validated Tbilisi changeset query
https://api.openstreetmap.org/api/0.6/changesets?bbox=44.70,41.67,44.88,41.80&time=2026-07-21T00:00:00Z,2026-07-22T23:59:59Z ↗- Method
- GET
- Format
- OSM XML
- Authentication
- None
Minute replication state
https://planet.openstreetmap.org/replication/minute/state.txt ↗- Method
- GET
- Format
- Text
- Authentication
- None
Changeset API documentation
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/API_v0.6#Changesets ↗- Method
- GET
- Format
- HTML documentation
- Authentication
- None
Field-level detail
What is actually returned
OSM root
Document metadata attached to the XML response.
| Field / path | Type | Null? | Example | Meaning | Freshness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
osm@version / generator | strings | No | 0.6 / OpenStreetMap server | API format version and producer | reference |
osm@copyright / attribution / license | strings/URLs | No | OpenStreetMap and contributors / copyright URL / ODbL URL | Rights and attribution metadata | reference |
Changeset
One editing transaction intersecting the bbox.
| Field / path | Type | Null? | Example | Meaning | Freshness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
id | integer | No | 186157074 | Changeset identifier | reference |
created_at / closed_at | ISO datetimes | No | 2026-07-22T05:46:04Z / 05:46:05Z | Editing transaction lifetime | live |
open | boolean string | No | false | Whether changeset can still receive edits | live |
comments_count | integer | No | 0 | Discussion-comment count | live |
changes_count | integer | No | 1 | Total object changes | derived |
created_count / modified_count / deleted_count | integers | No | 0 / 1 / 0 | Changed objects by operation | derived |
min_lat / min_lon / max_lat / max_lon | decimal degrees | Yes | 41.7197367 / 44.7091904 / 41.7199274 / 44.7096334 | Bounding box of changed objects | reference |
uid / user | integer / string | No | 20577594 / birimkulova | Public contributor ID and display name | reference |
tag[]@k / @v | string pairs | Yes | comment=roads were added #wbgeo | Free-form changeset metadataObserved keys include comment, created_by, hashtags, source, host and revert fields | reference |
Replication state
Global minute-diff checkpoint used for scalable incremental processing.
| Field / path | Type | Null? | Example | Meaning | Freshness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
sequenceNumber | integer | No | global sequence | Latest replication-diff sequence | live |
timestamp | escaped ISO datetime | No | YYYY-MM-DDTHH\:MM\:SSZ | State timestamp | live |
txnMaxQueried | integer | Unknown | database transaction ID | Maximum database transaction queried | live |
Representative evidence
Sample records
Recent Tbilisi changeset
Retrieved 2026-07-22 14:00 Asia/Tbilisi
<changeset id="186157074" created_at="2026-07-22T05:46:04Z" open="false" comments_count="0" changes_count="1" created_count="0" modified_count="1" deleted_count="0" closed_at="2026-07-22T05:46:05Z" min_lat="41.7197367" min_lon="44.7091904" max_lat="41.7199274" max_lon="44.7096334" uid="20577594" user="birimkulova"><tag k="comment" v="roads were added #wbgeo"/><tag k="created_by" v="JOSM/1.5 (19555 ru)"/><tag k="source" v="NAPR"/></changeset>Boundaries
Reliability, caveats, and privacy
What held up
- Live API returned 17 recent changesets
- Edit-operation counts and bounds are explicit
- Global minute replication provides a scalable incremental path
What can go wrong
- Changeset bbox can intersect Tbilisi even if only some edits are inside
- Metadata does not identify exact changed objects; fetch changeset diff separately
- Comments and source tags are user-entered and not guaranteed accurate
- Public contributor usernames are personal data
- Use replication for scale and honor OSM API policy
Privacy boundary
- Do not rank, profile or harass individual mappers from uid/user fields
- Preserve legitimate attribution while minimizing unnecessary personal-data retention
Cross-source possibilities
Ideas using this source
Protection Exists on Paper
Which protected place deserves a closer human inspection?
Joined with 3 other sources →Civic accountabilityPromise to Pavement
What public evidence appeared after a civic proposal?
Joined with 3 other sources →Environment & memoryLast Photograph Before Change
Which protected places lack recent visual documentation after a public change signal?
Joined with 3 other sources →Source trail
Primary pages and documentation
- DocumentationOSM API changesets ↗
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/API_v0.6#Changesets - PrimaryOSM minute replication ↗
https://planet.openstreetmap.org/replication/minute/ - DocumentationOpenStreetMap copyright and license ↗
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright