[Imports] Import Guidance

[Sam Vekemans]

Hi Andy,

I'd also add that "importing" is a general term.
The 'techie part' is the conversion, and the 'community part' is
making the decisions of WHAT to import and HOW to import after
conversion.

We would rather not make it 'too easy' where people just start
converting & uploading WITHOUT checking with the community 1st.

Bulk_upload.pl & shp2osm.py & shp-to-osm.jar are POWERFULL tools,
where it can DESTROY work done VERY easily. ... and make a BIG mess,
:-)

Just because data is available, doesnt mean it MUST be imported.

So my recommendation is to leave the wiki editing to the 'data
converter people', once Ian's script gets out of beta, then we will be
in a better position to make the instructions clear.  (initially
instructions & bugs are intended to be kept & maintained on the
redbrick site

There are KNOWN bugs in the scripts, which can cause destruction if
you dont know what your doing.   (which is why i transferred the
'maintainer role' to Frank (as he has experience in python and
PostGIS) and knows how to handle these details.  (having me convert &
upload the stuff, just because it's there... does NOT help make the
map any better)

We DO NOT want people to be converting the data (just because they
know how to use shp-to-osm and make a rules.txt file.  'cause the tags
that are used  MUST be approved by the community.  (it's ALOT of work
to undo) after importing it. ... and it's TOO easy to

Hope that makes sence,

Kind of like how we dont actively encourage people to learn how to
make BOTS :-) ... getting people to map correctly based on
international standards are hard enough as it is. :)

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Import/Guidelines

*****
  Create a community

OpenStreetMap is all about building a great map by attracting a large
community of mappers. While data imports can help with improving
coverage rapidly, recent simulations suggest that imported data can
cause problems with the growth of a community. It's actually far more
important to go out and run lots of mapping parties, get lots of
publicity out there, and get local people on the ground.

*****
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Automated_Edits/Code_of_Conduct#Respect_the_work_of_others

Ie.   many many mappers in Canada for the past year have been
"scratching their heads" and wondering what todo.   Should they map
their local area? Or should they just map trails?
... we know that the latter is better BUT that means that the local
map would look funny in the intern.   This causes MANY mappers to just
be turned off as they feel that the work they did was 'for nothing'.
Therefore, the solution was to 'make the data available' and let local
mappers copy in what they want.
... so basically, we dont need more people to be converting the data
(that's why i put under usage of canvec-to-osm as NONE. :-)
... instead, we need people to just .... map

The data that is (will be) available, is available as 'helper data',
and should really be treated as such. (which was also why one of the
ideas as that a new user be created 'canvec:username'.  Then that
users edits could (possably) be removed (if unedited by other mappers)


Cheers,
Sam

P.S. I just had a look at the revisions... starting to look better and
more clearer :)

On 11/16/09, Frederik Ramm <frederik at remote.org> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Andy Allan wrote:
>> Whilst my views on imports are probably well known by now, I'm trying
>> to do my bit to help improve things!
>
> Heh heh. German has a figure of speech, "den Bock zum Gärtner machen"
> (make the goat a gardener) which seems to apply here ;-)
>
>> You can find the .pdf file here:
>> http://www.thunderflames.org/gis/Import%20Guidance.pdf
>
> When you talk about topology I'd add that *if* someone should import
> boundaries (nonwithstanding that you said they shouldn't), the same is
> true here - don't import lots of touching areas, instead import boundary
> lines and make them into proper multipolygons.
>
> Also, you talk a lot about "OpenStreetMap ha a strict so-and-so rule"
> which I think gives a slightly wrong picture; I'd pepper this with a lot
> of "normally", "generally", "usually", etc. (because it is well possible
> that someone does something good that violates on or two of those strict
> rules).
>
> Bye
> Frederik
>
> _______________________________________________
> Imports mailing list
> Imports at openstreetmap.org
> http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/imports
>


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