[OSM-dev] Software development - most pressing issues

[Lambertus]

Gervase Markham wrote:
> Martijn van Exel wrote:
>> * The focus shifts - away from acquiring new data to improving the  
>> quality of existing data. This creates the need for a kind of 'mobile  
>> lightweight JOSM'.
> 
> What do you mean by this? The current JOSM, together with a laptop, a 
> GPS puck, livegps and surveyor (both of which could indeed do with some 
> work) is a reasonable basis for a mobile surveying station to improve 
> data quality.
> 
If I may give my personal interpretation of Martijn's writing: 
Especially in The Netherlands mapping shifts from primarily adding raw 
adding streets and filling white gaps in the map to correcting existing 
data and adding more meta data (like speed/weight/height limits, turn 
restrictions, etc.).

I envision walking/cycling around with e.g. a Nokia N800/N810 stopping 
now and then to edit the map. Much better than carrying a laptop around 
or making notes on paper.

Thus we're looking for map editing software that can run on mobile 
devices (PDA's, smartphone's, etc.). In general: devices that have 
reduced processing power and memory.

Now there are lots of ways that lead to Rome, but it seems smart (!) to 
me to use an already existing map editing application and forward 
development to a point where it can (also) be used on a mobile device. 
Candidates (among others, surely) are GPSDrive (Maemo Mapper), JOSM, 
BSGPSPDA. Each of those applications has it's appealings: JOSM being a 
map editor but resource hungry, the others being map viewers that should 
learn editing skills.

Although I personally don't like Java there is lots of room to enhance 
JOSM' resource handling. It already has the surveyor, mappaint, 
nearclick and livegps plugins which makes it usable for mobile duties. 
Java being portable also helps to widen the platforms which it supports.