[OSM-dev] Software development - most pressing issues

Richard Fairhurst richard at systemeD.net
Thu Nov 29 15:55:24 GMT 2007


Martijn van Exel wrote:

> * The focus shifts - away from acquiring new data to improving the
> quality of existing data.

Number 2 on my personal list would tally with this:

2. Reducing the barrier to entry by implementing an anonymous  
"Post-it" interface

We already have two good mainstream editors which are becoming easier  
to use with time (and Merkaartor coming up on the wing as a very  
promising alternative). We don't need yet another editor of the same  
type, nor do we urgently need more developers on either.

But some people will want to contribute to the map without having to  
understand a vector graphics editor, and we should harness their  
knowledge.

Best way to do this is by permitting users to click on the map and add  
a comment, like "This road is oneway", or "This is the B5404 now, not  
the A5", or "There's a new housing estate here that needs surveying",  
or "This footpath is now part of National Cycle Route 81". This might  
typically appear as a little yellow Post-It note. It would need to be  
really, really tightly integrated into the main site for maximum  
ease-of-use.

Such annotations would perhaps require verification for copyright  
reasons. That's not a problem - we'll probably have enough mappers to  
do that, especially those of you twiddling your thumbs in the  
Netherlands. :)



I don't have a number 3, but someone on IRC made a great suggestion:  
make it easier for developers to get hacking by providing "apt-get  
install osm"?

cheers
Richard





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