[OSM-dev] openstreetmap could start at user's approximate location using geo-ip

[Hugh Barnes]

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:43:46 +0000
Shaun McDonald <shaun at shaunmcdonald.me.uk> wrote:

> 
> On 18 Jan 2009, at 08:53, Tom Hughes wrote:
> 
> > Sam Watkins wrote:
> >
> >> I had an idea just a small thing, that when you first go to the
> >> openstreetmap.org site it would be nice if it would check your IP
> >> address using some geo-ip system and go to that location (zoomed  
> >> out at
> >> world height) for a start, instead of always starting near
> >> england / europe.  Has this been proposed before?  I'd be happy to
> >> help implement
> >> that I guess it would be an easy thing to do.
> >
> > Like it's been doing for the last few years you mean...
> 
> I'll just add that it does it on a country level, rather than city
> or state level.
> 
> I have tested it when abroad in Europe, and it does place me in the  
> appropriate country.
> 

FWIW it doesn't seem to ever work for me in at least a couple of
environments I've tried. Either it drops me at my last viewport or I'm
back in good ol' Blighty needing to claw my way back. I actually
assumed that it was determined by my login status rather than cookie.

In either case, whatever geolocation service is being used doesn't seem
to cover a lot of providers here in Australia. I know they're not
perfect. However, I've played with Maxmind in the past and it gets the
country right. I think it's a pay service, though.

Just hoping that helps. Its a good feature when it works.

Cheers