Before you begin, be sure your computer is connected to the internet. (If you are reading this online, then you must be connected!) Open your web browser. Common browsers are Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Internet Explorer. If it is already open then you can create a new tab.
In the address bar at the top of the window, enter the following and press Enter: www.openstreetmap.org When the page has finished loading, you should see something like this.

If you have a mouse with a scroll-wheel, zoom in and out on the map by turning the wheel. If you don’t have a scroll-wheel, use the + and – buttons on the upper right corner of the map.

OpenStreetMap contains geographic data from all over the world. Although it is a single database, the data can be interpreted and styled in different ways. To see this in action, let’s look at various map “styles” available on the OSM website. Click on the Layers button on the right side of the map window.

Now that you have seen what the main website looks like, you can register for a username and password and make your first additions to the map. On the OpenStreetMap website, click “sign up” in the top right corner of the page. You should see a new page that looks like this:

Now that you are logged in with your username on the OpenStreetMap website, you can use the iD editor to add your first point to the map. Move the map to a place that you know very well, such as your town or neighborhood. A good idea is to ensure your home (or your neighbour’s home) and workplace are drawn and given the correct address. Zoom in to a place where you would like to add a point to the map (perhaps a restaurant or grocery store near you isn’t yet mapped). Just above the map on the left, there is a tab named “Edit” with a small triangle besides it. Click the small triangle. You should see a menu drop down. Click “Edit with iD (in-browser editor)”.

Select from the menu on the left what type of location it is that you are adding to the map. You can then fill in the appropriate form with the location’s name and other information. To save your changes, click the “Save” button at the top. Since this is your first edit, you may prefer to play around with the editor. Don’t save your changes unless you are sure they are correct.
If you do click Save, you will be asked to provide a description of your changes. Then you can click “Save” once more, and your additions will be saved to the OSM database!
The iD editor is a fantastic way to easily edit OpenStreetMap. However, in the next chapter we will be looking at JOSM, a standalone application that offers many more features. Feel free to continue playing with iD. Once you have more experience contributing to OSM, you can choose which editor you like using the best.