[OSM-newbies] Text adventure game-like interface to openstreetmap?

[Andy Robinson]

On 24/12/2007, Kelly Jones <kelly.terry.jones at gmail.com> wrote:
> "Slippy map" provides a great graphical interface to openstreetmap.org's data.
>
> Is there a similar text interface? An example based on:
>
> http://tile.openstreetmap.org/16/36054/19270.png
>
> might be (assuming you're in the middle of the tile-- the values below
> are made up):
>
> "You are at latitude <whatever>, longitude <whatever>.
> The Hotel Berna is about 100 feet to the east.
> Enskilda Gymansium is about 200 feet to the east-northeast.
> Kammakargaten Street is about 50 feet to the south
> Tegnergatan Street is about 100 feet to the north
> [... and so on ...]"
>
> The idea would be you could "walk" through the world at a constant
> zoom factor of 16 (maybe 17), like you do in text adventure games. Of
> course, you could "teleport" anywhere, since typing "n" would only
> move you one tile to the north (maybe even less).
>
> Is there a URL similar to the above that returns text? Example (doesn't work):
>
> http://text.openstreetmap.org/16/36054/19270.txt
>
> would tell me what would be mapped in this tile, but return just a
> list of ways and named nodes (nodes w/o a name tag are probably not
> interesting except for creating ways?), instead of actaully generating
> the map?
>
> --
> We're just a Bunch Of Regular Guys, a collective group that's trying
> to understand and assimilate technology. We feel that resistance to
> new ideas and technology is unwise and ultimately futile.
>
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> newbies at openstreetmap.org
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>

All the data in OSM is available via the API calls (see the API page
on the wiki at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/OSM_Protocol_Version_0.5).

This has the capacity to deliver all the data you need and since its
in XML you can convert and use the contained text data in any way you
like. The example you use would not currently work well however unless
people spend the time and effort to gather the extra data needed to
make it richer. There are however areas of the map with sufficient
data to make a test case to prove you idea. Doing that would be the
greatest driver for people to put more data in.

Cheers

Andy
-- 
Andy Robinson (blackadder)