[OSM-newbies] Mapping a Technology Institute campus

[James Ewen]

On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 11:32 PM, Sajjad Anwar <sajjadkm at gmail.com> wrote:

> We are planning a micro mapping party to map the National Institute of
> Technology, Calicut, Kerala, India. The campus and the surroundings comes to
> an approximate 300-350 Acres. We are trying to arrange the GPS devices. We
> plan to use JOSM editor.
>
> What should be the steps to map the region, buildings, paths, roads etc?
> How do we collect the data?

Sajjad,

How is the planning for your micro mapping party coming? Have you
figured out yet that most of the steps that have been outlined
previously aren't applicable in your area?

Since you are concentrating on mapping such a small area, there are
very few places to go to find aerial photos, especially the online
suggestions that work for most people. You're in an area with little
coverage.

Also, most of the suggestions are for adding detail to an area that is
already mapped. Since you are starting with a blank slate, we really
need to get you started from scratch.

If you can get an aerial photograph from a local source, that can
legally be used without copyright issues, you could use that to create
a custom background image. Without that, then you truly are limited to
using a GPS device to gather your data.

GPSr devices are getting to the point where they are readily
available, and fairly economical... at least in this part of the world
(I just picked up a Garmin GPS18 for $5 an hour ago). I'm not sure the
status in your part of the world.

The GPS needs to be able to save a track of where you have been, so
that you can later download it out of the GPS, and then upload that to
OSM. I'm not sure if you have played with JOSM at all, but I find it
difficult to use. The online Potlatch editor is extremely easy to use,
with a very shallow learning curve. I upload my GPS traces with
Potlatch, and then can use them to help me trace out the roads I just
drove, or paths walked.

Use the GPS to trace out the major roads around the area, to basically
create a "skeleton" map of the area. I would make sure that
Thiruvampadi Augastianmuzhi Rd, Kettangal Mavoor Rd, and Kettangal
Koduvally Rd are done first. Adding in SBI Junction Chathamangalam Rd,
Dayapuram Gate Rd and Malayamma Rd next.

Once you get those roads into the database, you can get a better idea
of where you want to work. It's tough to look at a blank page and try
to work from that... Now that you have a basic "skeleton" of the major
roads, you can look at capturing the internal roads in the campus.
Track the roads inside the triangle formed by the main roads around
the campus. Get them added into the database. You can also add in more
road details for other roads outside the main triangle at this time as
well.

Now, you can think about printing out the walking papers, and using
them to help add in even more detail. You can use the GPS to capture
footpaths, building outlines, and other amenities. The paper copy of
the walking papers map gives you a good place to jot down notes, and
other details.

It's pretty hard to print out a blank piece of paper from walking
papers and use that for notes in the way that was described. You
really need at least a little bit of basic map first.

I hope you can get the GPSr devices that are a necessity to get this
project moving. Keep us informed of how you are doing. Just drop a
note with a permalink of the area onto the newbies reflector, and a
quick update. Any questions that arise will happily be answered.

Watching a new area go from a blank screen to a mapped area is pretty exciting.

James
VE6SRV