[OSM-newbies] Nearly Free Data

[Steve Coast]

On 22 Sep 2007, at 15:27, Charles Warcup wrote:

> Dear Steve,
>
> I was electrified to read about OSM in this week's "Die Zeit" (Die  
> neue
> Heimat: http://www.zeit.de/2007/39/geoinformatik) as it seemed to  
> be similar
> to an idea which I had a few years ago, but have so far failed to find
> backing for, which I called "Nearly Free Data", NFD. Looks as if I  
> don't
> need to bother any more.

Hi

What exactly is NFD?

>
> When I put my ideas to paper the Web 2.0 concept hadn't filtered  
> down to me,
> so I was somewhat at a loss as to how to set up an interactive mapping
> structure - I have been working with computers on and off for  
> decades, but
> don't have the state-of-the-art internet programming skills to do  
> it myself.
> Anyway, OSM is up and running and I'm sure it will soon become an  
> extremely
> powerful source of information and tool.
>
> I've had a brief look at it, of course wondering how much of NFD  
> has already
> been realised in it. Lots, apparently. But I found it difficult to get
> direct answers to some of my queries, because of course the  
> introductory
> pages for OSM are not designed to provide them. So rather than wade  
> through
> all the documentation, I thought I would ask you directly.
>
> In drafting NFD I worked from the bottom up, i.e. assumed that the  
> basic
> geographic information unit would consist of point objects. I guess  
> OSM
> started life as a collection of GPS tracks and is therefore based  
> primarily
> on line objects. First question: Have you considered enabling the  
> editing of
> polygon objects?

It might be good to get in our newbies@ and talk@ mailing lists to  
talk about these more in depth, I'm bouncing there.

> Q2: Is it possible or planned to perform GIS-analyses using  
> attribute data?
> Q3: What is the storage format of the data?
> Q4: Is it compatible e.g. with the shapefile format or do you have/ 
> plan
> import/export interfaces?
>
> Q5: Do you consider the contributed material to be subject to self- 
> cleansing
> tendencies (bad data being pushed out by good data in the course of  
> time, or
> are there already built-in plausibility checks? In fact, how do you  
> deal
> with duplicated data? I ask this because, as I started with point  
> objects,
> the question of their plausibility struck me as being rather important
> (whereas line objects, especially ones made from GPS tracks, are  
> perhaps
> intrinsically more likely to be reliable).
>
> Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'm attaching my draft idea in  
> the hopes
> that it may be of interest to you and could help you to see why I  
> am asking
> these questions. It would be great to hear from you.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Charles Warcup
>
> REALisation Projects
> Ludwigstrasse 21A
> D-86919 Utting
> +49 (0)8806 958790
> charles.warcup at t-online.de
> www.RealisationProjects.net
> <NearlyFreeData_Presentation_E.pdf>

have fun,

SteveC | steve at asklater.com | http://www.asklater.com/steve/