[OSM-newbies] editing TIGER data

[Shawn Rutledge]

On Jan 1, 2008 8:31 PM, John Wolter <jwolter0 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes, the TIGER upload is a one-time starting point for the map.  And yes,
> the TIGER data leaves lots to be desired. I have noticed that TIGER assigns
> primary to US Highways, secondary to state highways.  Personally, I don't

Well US highways are mostly motorways (freeways) right?

I like having the major/minor grid lines in a different color, which
is why I did it that way, but city streets do stretch the definition
of "highway" a bit.  :-)  But then again, so do the hiking trails
(highway=footway).  I also see it being done this way in Los Angeles.

I'm thinking "trunk" might be appropriate as the level above "primary"
in the case when a state highway is a divided one, but not a freeway
(it still has intersections).

BTW it's kinda late on Wednesday and I still don't see my changes in
the main map.  Guess it's taking longer than the claimed 12 hours, or
something went wrong.

> think there's that much difference, but I'm reluctant to change them.  TIGER
> has no knowledge of county highways, which I plan to make tertiary.
>
> The satellite imagery is good, but beware: 1. the satellite images may not
> be aligned correctly; you should check across the area with a GPS.

I wasn't sure about that.  Bummer.  So far in the areas I've worked
on, it seems close to the GPS tracks but not identical.  I assumed the
GPS had the worse margin of error (usually 5 meters or more with my
units).  But TIGER data is worse yet.  I bet the government made it by
doing very rough traces of satellite images too (guessing), but maybe
they were lower resolution than ours.

> 2. I don't think we're going to see an automated imagery "havester" anytime
> soon.  I don't know about the details of the deal with Yahoo, but I think
> the intent was as an aide to data collection, not a primary source.

Yeah maybe they would object.  copyrights again...  Maybe we have to
raise enough money to launch our own satellite then.  :-)