[OSM-dev] Server-side node 'merging'?

[Nick Whitelegg]

Not sure if this topic has come up before, but are there any plans to
'merge' nodes server-side? That is, if the user uploads a node to OSM via
the API, if it's within (say) 10 metres of an existing node and it is the
same type (e.g. segment node, pub, hill etc) it gets merged?

Think this would be better done server side as it allows much more
flexibility for client-side editors. To avoid every client-side editor
having to check for existing nodes, the checking could be done server-side.
In particular, I have a new AJAX-based Freemap editor in development (hope
to announce an initial version this week) which literally allows the user
to literally draw on the slippy map. If server-side node checking were
done, the user could literally just draw new nodes on the map, send them
off to OSM and then if they are duplicate, the server could do the work.

Such server-side duplicate checking would save the client having to
download any nodes and segments from the server at all; all the client
would have to do is download the static map image.

If there are no plans to do this, I could offer to do it (when time
permits)...

Nick