[Osmf-talk] "The Future of Free and Open-Source Maps" Slashdot.org , Saturday February 17, 2018

[Manfred Brandl]

I also read the article and there are my thoughts on some topics:

Layers: Not having layer allows us to connect objects of all types, e.g. Roads to Entrances, having shared borders of areas, e.g. House and garden, woodland and grassland and road areas, etc.

New mappers, Vandalism and Reviews: We can't do mandatory reviews, but maybe we restrict the first few edits of new mappers to small objects and freeze some very big or sensible objects, e.g. ocean areas for editing by experienced mappers only.

Permanent IDs: ref=* is the correct way, but we should describe which attributes of objects are permanent to each permanent ID.

Geocoder quality: Using Nominatim is sometimes not easy.

Give the world a map and not only a Geo-Database: I think we should get enough funding to do this. The Infrastructure should become financed by the Foundation from funding.

I dont know how much answers the OMSF-Board already has, but I would like to hear from them on the questions and suggestions raised in the article.

Kind regards,
manfredbrandl

Sent mobile.

Am 17.02.2018 um 10:56 schrieb Oleksiy Muzalyev <oleksiy.muzalyev at bluewin.ch>:

This article is on the front page of the Slashdot today:

Fri 16 February 2018 "Why OpenStreetMap is in Serious Trouble"

https://blog.emacsen.net/blog/2018/02/16/osm-is-in-trouble/


"The Future of Free and Open-Source Maps"

https://news.slashdot.org/story/18/02/16/2216228/the-future-of-free-and-open-source-maps


I actually read the article, and though it has got insightful information and interesting ideas, I have doubts about some suggestions.

For instance, reviews. I hope it will not come to what there is at some commercial maps, when one adds say a building and then has to wait for a month that an almighty moderator approves it, so that it appears on the map.

I also skeptical of massive imports from governments' databases. These databases were created in the last century, with outdated tools, sometimes by disinterested underpaid clerks, probably in a climate of secrecy of that era. And such an import may replace the quality data from modern satellite imagery, GPS traces, surveys, etc.

Best regards,

O.