[Imports] Import of forests, farmland and other types of land cover for Sweden generated from Naturvårdsverkets Nationella Marktäckedata 2018

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

On 30.04.19 02:02, Jarek Piórkowski wrote:
> Are we to conclude that
> since a part has been mapped, all parts would have been eventually
> mapped? 

All places of interest to enough people would eventually be mapped.

> I'll give an example: Toronto, a metro region of about 5 million
> people, did not have the vast majority of its buildings mapped until
> an import started in late 2018.

I think buildings are overrated. If the local mappers prefer to
concentrate on other things, that's not a problem.

And yes, not all areas on the planet currently have enough mappers to
map the place well. But we're not a business project where we need to
deliver results by Q3 or else our shareholders will complain. We can
give the community time to grow, and decide what they want to do with
their time, and how important it is to them to have a map, and what they
want to have on the map.

And yes, there might be regions that will never have a good OSM map
because the locals don't care or can't afford the time to make it. Does
that mean someone else should step in and do it for them? I think not.

> every hour sketching buildings
> from imagery where they could be imported is an hour editors aren't
> out in the real world surveying or recruiting new mappers.

For me, sketching buildings doesn't usually collide with surveying
because I do the former when it's dark outside ;)

If you say there are local mappers in a place and they are willing to
take ownership of an imported building data set, removing buildings that
get torn down and adding buildings that get built, and so on, then I'm
much more inclined to welcome a building import than if someone says
"there's nobody mapping this here anyway so might as well import".

> But okay, so we just don't map every single-family building in OSM.

This is not a decision that needs to be the same across OSM. In some
cities mappers might run out of stuff to map and start to map lamp posts
and trees because they're done with buildings; in others, they might not
even start the buildings.

> Then another example: I have just now sketched in the first forest
> polygons in a part of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Somehow no
> craft mapper had done it yet, but maybe they would have in another
> decade?

Sure, it takes time to do it well, and if it's not in OSM then you can
mix in a shape file from the UNESCO or whatnot if you need it on your map.

> For that matter, there are parts of London Zone 2 which are missing
> shops and multi-unit buildings.

Maybe none of the locals was interested enough to add them. We shouldn't
judge them on that.

> But I suppose we have a process to
> cooperatively assemble local knowledge of human mappers that will
> allow them to be mapped, someday, maybe. 

Exactly. And if it takes another decade for the local community to take
ownership and do it, then that's what it takes. Sure I could fly there
and add all the shops quickly, but what then, am I going to fly there
every month from now on to update?

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00'09" E008°23'33"