[OSM-newbies] Pennsylvania traffic-count data: is the license OK?

[Glenn Ammons]

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:42 PM, Richard Weait <richard at weait.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 1:27 PM, Glenn Ammons <glenn.ammons at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I discovered OpenStreetMap last week
>
> Welcome!

Thanks!

> I think one of the great strengths of the project is that when we see
> something missing, we can go and fix it.  Recently discussion was
> started around this blog post by a long-time OSM contributor.  Matt
> suggests that imports help the map in the short term but hurt the
> community.
>
> http://www.asklater.com/matt/wordpress/2009/09/imports-and-the-community/
>
> It makes for a good and thought provoking read.

Thanks for the link.  I admit that I'm not sure what to make of it but
do appreciate how imports of "experts' data" might discourage
contributions from the community.

>>    THE USER AGREES AND UNDERSTANDS THAT IT MAY NOT FURTHER DISTRIBUTE THE
>>    FILES TO A THIRD PARTY.
>
> That seems like a problem, right there.  Further distribution, by OSM
> is exactly the point.  Looks like they don't anticipate allowing that
> type of use.

Yes.  Too bad.  I might talk to my representatives about this.  It's a
shame that state-funded data isn't available for public use.

> On the other hand that license sounds suitable for you, Glenn, to
> mash it up and display it with OSM data on your site.  You might
> show OSM as the basemap and add a traffic count heatmap, and an
> electoral boundary map as selectable translucent layers.

And pigs might fly :-) Applications like that are not my strong suit.
Anyway, even if I did that, others still couldn't use the
traffic-count data as grist for their applications.

Pennsylvania has so much data on-line.  You can even find their
contracts with traffic counter vendors.  It looks like a simple tube
counter costs $500.  Hmm...ok, maybe not.

--glenn
West Chester, PA, USA