[OSM-newbies] Adding filter on attributes to the openstreetmap.org interface ...

[James Ewen]

On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:28 PM, Daniel Tremblay <tremblad at gmail.com> wrote:

> My point is that OpenStreetMap is useless for "ordinary people" like me.

Hmm, there seem to be an awful lot of what I would consider ordinary
people using it.

> You need to be a savvy user, almost specialist, in order to use it.  Or,
> other specialists need other people developping a proper interface for us.

Nope, not really. All you need to do is surf to the site, and look at
the map. There are a number of different programs that I use that make
use of the slippy map tiles. RadioMobile, APRSISCE/32, and Xastir are
all using the slippy map tiles for map backgrounds.

> The OpenCycleMaps project is great and should fulfill some cyclist needs.  I
> understand however that we cannot ask thoses guys to integrate everything in
> their project.

They are creating some specialty maps for people interested in
cycling. If you want to create maps for kayaking, you'd need to
highlight different data obviously.

> I doubt that ordinary user will ever take the time to play with Merkaartor
> and start developping their own styles.  I won't.

I consider myself an ordinary user, and I play with Merkaartor. It's
unfortunate that you only consider yourself an end consumer of the
product, rather than becoming a part of the community, and
contributing to the database. The OSM project is not just a map
database to be consumed, it is a community based mapping initiative
that needs the input from people like both you and me. We add
information and detail to the map database, and create a better map
for everyone.

> This is where, I think, a filtering option on openstreetmap.org would be
> usefull for ordinary people like me.

That's not going to happen. I think you have the wrong idea of the
concept behind OpenStreetMap. OSM does not provide maps. OSM is a
database of mapping information. The slippy map seen on the OSM page
is just one single rendering or representation of some of the data
found in the OSM database. It is a static presentation only.

>  No Merkaartor knowledge needed.  No
> xml-type style required.  No programming what-so-ever.  "Show me the
> bicycle=designated on that map!  Show me the unpaved road."  Those simple
> needs.

Sounds like you haven't looked at Merkaartor. There's no XML style
sheets, no programming either.

I don't know how you would tell the computer to show you the
bicycle=designated routes without at least clicking on a selector
button. That's just about all you need to do in Merkaartor.

> I'm talking here about bringing the OpenStreetMap map to a larger public
> (end users).
>
> I am an end user.

What you are looking for won't be found at the OSM site, or in the
community. You are looking for a graphic representation engine that
will allow you to render maps on the fly (which is what Merkaartor
does) based on a set of rendering rules.

OSM is focused on the data in the database, and leaves the
presentation to the end user up to others.

I don't know of any site that will render on the fly based on user
input, but I'm just an ordinary user, and don't know everything.
Anyone know if there's a site that might Daniel's bill? I would be
interested in playing with a site that would allow you to select
different data layers on the fly.

James
VE6SRV