[OSM-newbies] Locking tags is it possible?

[Richard Fairhurst]

john whelan wrote:
> Pity when you're at the pivot point, OpenStreetMap would seem to be  
> a hobby map not one to run GIS type applications.

"Hobby map" is not the opposite of "running GIS type applications".

Some of us do serious commercial stuff with maps that doesn't involve  
any "GIS type applications".

As a general rule, OSM is a low platform to build things on. It is not  
a complete system in itself: it is often not even a complete dataset  
in itself. It does not seek to compete with "GIS", it competes with  
raw data providers such as TeleAtlas and Navteq; and because of the  
nature of a crowd-sourced, enthusiast-driven community, OSM data will  
often require significant processing before it can be used in the same  
ways that you would use commercial providers' data.

(But this kind of stuff is better on talk at .)

cheers
Richard