[Strategic] getting started

[Kate Chapman]

Richard,

Not to get caught in the example, but I think the icon thing leads
back to a community communication problem.  I can think of a couple
icon designers that would likely help with Potlatch2.  I think though
having clear design goals that can be given to a volunteer is
important.

I have another example where I'd like to get feedback on what others
think the approach should be:

There isn't really a good Android editor for OSM, at least compared to
some of the iPhone applications.  There are quiet a few citizen
journalism type projects in developing areas where Android is one of
the tools being utilized.  It is relatively easy to get Android phones
donated compared to iPhones I believe is one of the reasons.  It would
be fantastic to pair OSM training with these projects, but there isn't
a great easy to use application for it.  I am fairly confident I can
go find money to pay someone to build this needed application, but is
this something OSMF should assist in?  It could also potentially be a
H.O.T. project.  Once again though is it more a community
communication issue?  Have I just not found the right person to
assist?

-Kate

On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 6:53 AM, Richard Fairhurst <richard at systemed.net> wrote:
> Mikel Maron wrote:
>
>> I see a pattern emerging. The need isn't for OSMF to do the work itself,
>> but organize properly for volunteers to do the work.
>
> That's fair, I think.
>
> Ultimately it comes back to OSMF's core purpose: "supporting but not
> controlling the project".
>
> An example.
>
> The community has not yet formed a clear view as to what the front
> page should look like. I'm sure it will in time; perhaps influenced by
> occasional proofs-of-concept posted by motivated people to which the
> community might respond "wow!" or "ugh". So for OSMF to employ a
> design consultancy to redesign the front page would be premature: the
> community consensus isn't there yet.
>
> But right now, a bunch of us are working on Potlatch 2 which is both a
> useful project per se and has community buy-in. It has some great code
> and UI design, but the icons are a bit, um, uneven; and we don't
> appear to have a great icon designer anywhere. So a worthwhile use of
> OSMF funds, perhaps through a mooted small grant scheme, could be to
> pay a designer to work on some icons for P2.
>
> Again, the difference between the two is that OSMF cannot and should
> not do anything without community buy-in: the difference between
> supporting and controlling.
>
>
>
> So how does this help to scratch your particular itch, Mikel
> (providing services for non-profits), or perhaps Oliver's (getting a
> good addressing database)?
>
> Let's think of OSMF as a charity. I know that legally it isn't, but
> it's the closest analogue in UK society. It has to abide by its
> "charitable aims", which are well stated:
>
>    OSMF: "supporting but not controlling the project... encouraging the
>    growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data and to
>    providing geospatial data for anybody to use and share"
>
>    and OSM: "creates and provides free geographic data such as street
>    maps to anyone who wants them... most maps actually have legal or
>    technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using
>    them in creative, productive, or unexpected ways"
>
> So Oliver's itch could be considered for OSMF grant funding under
> "encouraging the development... of free geospatial data" and "creates
> and provides free geographic data". This might pay for development of
> an iPhone "OSM Address Collector" app or something.
>
> Your itch could be justified under "providing geospatial data" and
> "provides free geographic data". This might pay for some degree of
> tile hosting for non-profits.[1]
>
> In both cases, though, they have to be "supporting not controlling the
> project". So we would need answers to two questions:
>
>    1. Does the community believe this is worth doing?
>    2. If it's worth doing, does the community believe it's worth
>       doing through grant funding, or would it prefer to do it itself?
>
> It's implausible to ask the community every single time. So I suggest
> that, when the outline of a small grant scheme is put to the community
> for consideration, it comes with the principles which say how OSMF
> would answer these questions for each application. Drawing up those
> guidelines would be a good thing for this group to do.
>
> cheers
> Richard
>
> [1] it's not really germane to this discussion whether personally I
> think either of these are brilliant ideas or lousy ones, of course :)
>
>
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