[OSM-newbies] no render one thing

[Steve Bennett]

On Sat, Nov 27, 2010 at 8:25 PM, Jonathan Bennett
<openstreetmap at jonno.cix.co.uk> wrote:
> Mostly because it's not geodata, and it doesn't belong in the main database,
> but also because accidents like this one do happen. A large object like an
> outline can have adverse effects on a renderer or editor, which is one of
> the reasons the coastline isn't rendered at the same time as the rest of the
> data.

Yeah it'd be good if there was a second database (or more) for "meta"
information like this. Well, to be honest it would be good if there
were lots of databases for all kinds of different purposes, like the
various traffic proposals that come along, subjective data like road
quality etc.

> There are also other annoyances like if you download a small area that the
> outline crosses in JOSM, do some editing then press "1" to zoom back to all
> the data you downloaded, it now zooms to a massive area instead of the small
> one you're interested in.

Sounds like a usability issue to take up with the JOSM developers.
Presumably the exact same thing happens if your dataset crosses a
large administrative boundary.

> Also, no-one has ever explained what use these outlines are. If you want to
> see if some set of imagery covers an area you're editing, you can just look
> at the imagery. What does having the outline achieve?

I've often used that Nearmap page. In that case, the coverage is not
static, so I check it from time to time to see what's been added. It
guides me to new places where I could trace from.

> So given that it does some harm, and appears to have no benefit, that's why

I accept that argument, except in my assessment, it has some benefit,
and appears to do no harm. (Well, maybe if I used JOSM I would agree).

> I'm against outlines appearing in the main DB. By all means save them as
> .osm files and save them on the wiki or in SVN, but not in the DB.

That would be good, if the server could overlay the .osm on the
rendered mapnik image - which I don't think it can. Being able to view
these kinds of objects directly online (rather than having to download
first) is extremely convenient.

Steve