[OSM-newbies] OSM

[James Ewen]

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 8:05 PM, SteveC <steve at asklater.com> wrote:

>> sorry to bother you, but I am looking for someone, who is able
>> to change some drawing in OSM.

That's a pretty tall order, as OSM is a community project. No one
person is in charge of "drawing in OSM"

>> I mapped the jewish cemetery in our town and realized, that
>> it is drawn with crosses. I searched for a possibility to change
>>  that, but didn't find a way.

OSM really doesn't draw your cemetery with crosses. One of the map
rendering sites is representing the area designated as a cemetery by
filling it with a designated pattern. The one you are looking at is
probably filled with a green background, and darker green crosses.

>> Then I looked for other jewish cemeteries and found them
>> drawn in the same way - with crosses.
>> This is absolutely impossible, and I want to ask for your
>> help to change the tag for mapping jewish cemeteries.

Actually it is very possible, as you know because you have seen it
yourself. What you are observing is just a generic symbol chosen by a
specific renderer to symbolize a cemetery. A cross is probably one of
the most universally recognized symbols for a cemetery, even though it
does not represent every faith that can be found on the planet. If you
go to the OpenStreetMap.org website, and click on the blue plus sign
in the upper right corner of the screen, and select Osmarender you
will find the pattern fill changes, and I think the symbol become a
simple headstone. (The house of worship symbol is a house with a cross
on top, again probably not what you would choose for a synagogue, nor
a mosque, or any other religion outside of the Christian faiths)

Have you added a religion tag to define the cemetery as being Jewish?
What would need to happen, is that the cemetery would need to be
tagged landuse=cemetery, and religion=jewish, and then the rendering
engine would need to be configured to understand both tags, and have a
style associated with that which would fill the area with an
appropriate fill style. Each specific religion would need to define
their specific fill style.

Again, remember that the OSM project really isn't about rendering the
maps, but rather the information behind the maps. The best way to
ensure that the map looks perfect to you, is for you to render the
maps yourself.

There is no disrespect meant to anyone or religion in the icons and
symbols chosen and in use in any of the existing renderers. They are
chosen as generic icons and symbols that would be universally
recognized to represent the item depicted, and simply that.

James
VE6SRV