[Openstreetmap-dev] Re: Streets in GPX

[nick at hogweed.org]

On Thursday 22 September 2005 19:53, Petter Reinholdtsen wrote:

> I might be slow, but I thought the plan was to represent raw GPS data
> using GPX, and represent streets and other map data using some map
> format.

As far as I'm aware the plan is to keep using GPX.

> Is GPX really sensible to use as the map exchange format?  I suspect
> other formats are better.  For example Shapefile, GML or any of the
> other formats designed to contain maps.

Please correct me if I'm wrong (it may just be the way the manual is written 
and the lack of good tutorials on the web), but from what I've seen so far, 
GML does seem *very* complicated; unduly so for representing simple maps. You 
appear to have to set up all manner of things before you can even represent a 
line. I'm sure I could get my head round it given enough careful study but 
should one have to do that.... surely a good data format is one which is 
simple if you want to do simple things, and complex only if you want to do 
very advanced things. The most widely-used markup language, HTML, followed 
precisely those guidelines.

GPX on the other hand is simple and clean. I don't think there's anything 
wrong with using GPX for exchanging data to and from OpenStreetMap; with the 
exception of keys and values, every feature can be accounted for.

Of course OSM could make up its own XML format for representing maps....

Nick