[OSM-newbies] Using existing maps

[Stephen Gower]

On Tue, Oct 09, 2007 at 09:12:54PM +0100, Gervase Markham wrote:
> 
> In other words, I want to use my AA road atlas to make sure I hit every 
> road, ticking off the roads as I go, noting down the names from the 
> signs (not the atlas) and using the GPS tracks I make as the route I 
> upload to OSM.

  The consensus seems to be that planning a route with a normal map
  is of course fine.  If you then take a GPS device with you and make
  notes on the streetnames/etc as you travel then this data is a
  valid new survey on which you have the copyright, which you can
  licence to Openstreetmap. Variations on this are probably also OK,
  as long as you survey the actual area in some appropriate
  copyright-licenseable manner.
  
  Just as a general note for the Newbies list: the project tends to
  err on the side of being safe from the legal point of view, as I
  see it because there just aren't the funds to fight a legal battle,
  or the infrastruture to isolate sections that have legal problems
  letting the rest of the project function in the meantime.  The
  project is about making maps, not about setting legal precident! 
  So sometimes a great idea of a source of data will just have to be
  put to one side, unless a solid agreement can be had from the
  copyright owner that use in OSM is OK.
  
  The use of the Yahoo imagary was the result of such a specific
  agreement, meaning it can be used for example in Potlatch, and
  often is the only option in a situation where there is better
  freely available (but legally more ambiguous) aerial photography.
  
  s