[HOT] Thoughts on OSM in Africa - ICRC GIS officers

[Shoaib Burq]

Thanks Frédéric

I have been in phone and skype contact with local staff in WFO and OCHA
offices in Pakistan too. They have articulated a number of high priority
tasks to me which are similar in their scope. I have been told their
transport layers are also a mashup of different datasets. But they feel they
need more up-to-date road info. Especially info on damaged roads and more
remote roads. What do you recommend we do for dirt roads that are not primary
or secondary?

Thanks

Shoaib

2010/8/25 Frédéric Bonifas <fredericbonifas at gmail.com>

> Hi,
>
> I have just presented OSM to the ICRC (Red Cross) GIS officers today,
> so 25 people from all over the world, mainly Africa.
> There was a big interest, but also some concerns.
>
> * when they want to evaluate the data, the method they currently use
> is to go to osm.org and check what there is currently. At low scale, a
> lot of data is therefore missed : villages, small roads tagged as
> highway=unclassified or highway=road, etc.
> We already have data sources for that, PD maps for example :
> http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/
> In Somalia for example, we have data but it isn't emphasized. A lot of
> roads are tagged with highway=road while they are primary roads.
>
> Tagging a road as primary or secondary when it is displayed like this
> on CIA maps is a really little effort for us, but it allows everyone
> to see clearly that the main roads are already mapped out.
>
> * they already have vector data for their countries, but this is a
> "mashup" of a lot of data sources, often copyrighted. It is therefore
> not possible to import this data in OSM. Still possible : GPS traces,
> points collected on the field
>
> I will try to keep working with them and post back here if I have something
> new.
>
>
> Best
>
> --
> Frédéric Bonifas
> +33672652807 skype:fredericbonifas
>
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