[OSM-newbies] Welcome to the "newbies" mailing list

[Richard Weait]

On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 2:31 PM, Guillaume Mauger <gmauger at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I've just learned about OpenStreetMap -- it was recommended to me as a
> resource for finding road data for the Pacific Northwest US. I am interested
> in downloading information on all of the roads in the states of Washington,
> Oregon, and Idaho, but the "Extract" tab doesn't give me GML files as an
> option.
>
> Any text-based listing of road locations will do for me. Can someone point
> me to the right strategy for getting this data?

Hi Guillaume, and welcome.

You are looking for a fair-sized collection of information.  The
"Extract" tab on the web site is unlikely to work for an area that
large.  Selecting .osm file format would deliver an XML document with
the information.  You might try that with a small area, just to get a
feel for it.

There are other options for getting large sub-sets of the
OpenStreetMap data.  You might start with a country or state osm
extract then trim or combine for your area of interest.

Please be aware of the license obligations with OpenStreetMap.  You'll
find some guidance here http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/License and
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/FAQ#Using_OSM_maps_and_data

And as Chris said, you are likely to be the local expert in your area.
 Your contributions to improving the map in your area are appreciated.
 And a whole lot of fun.