[Legal-general] Who would start using an OSM PD repository?

[Sunburned Surveyor]

I'm curious about how much and how serious the interest is in a public
domain repository for data that would be pushed upstream to the
regular OSM database. I think we should wait to see how things pan out
with possible collaboration with the USGS, but in the meantime, we
might be able to get started on something.

I'm willing to set up a simple folder structure for a public domain
repository of data suitable for upload to OSM. (I won't call this OSM
PD, because I don't want to violate any trademarks.) The directory
would be set-up to mirror the 7 1/2 minute quadrangle map grid within
the US. I would let contributors from other countries decide on the
best way to set up a folder structure representing a grid of their own
country.

I'd ask for a volunteers to help me keep some loose oversight over the
data being uploaded into the repository. Perhaps we could start with
something as simple as an e-mail to a public mailing list to notify
the volunteers when data is uploaded to a folder, with a brief
description of what that data is.

I'd accept OSM files, GPX files, ESRI Shapefiles, and photos of mapped
features to start. I'd keep raster data out of the mix, since the size
of the data would cause problems and it sounds like there is another
volunteer effort to tackle that. (Existing USGS quad maps for each
folder might be an exception.)

If there was enough interest, I could set this up soon, probably this
weekend. Then we could work out a system to get the data in the
repository into OSM or over to the USGS.

I'm just putting an offer on the table. The system I describe won't be
perfect, and it won't be a fully duplicated OSM software stack, but it
is within my techinical abilities and within my resources.

Landon