[Strategic] focus

[Kate Chapman]

Steve,

So I guess this is as good a time as any to mention it.  I'm switching
over to working for HOT full-time over the course of the next month.
Between my work for HOT and working 60-70 hours of week at a start-up
I haven't had really a lot of time to work on OpenStreetMap in the US.
 I won't argue that I should do a better job in my elected role.  I
will have the time now.

Toronto does look good, have you looked at DC?  It looks pretty good
as well.  Could we have more mapping parties and make it better?
Sure!  We are organizing a WhereCampDC on June 10th and 11th and
OpenStreetMap will certainly be a big part of that.

I think the split over imports is a huge one.  I think the majority of
people in the U.S. want imports.  Well imports done carefully and
without erasing other users contributors.  I can't speak to the MQ
forked map, my understanding was they were collecting state data and
making it available to OSM.  Then the community could import it if
they want it.  Look at the work being done in Portland with interns to
create a purely open trip planner, that's pretty awesome.

I think the best way forward in the United States is through
education.  I think furthering some of the already started education
plans is the best way to work on moving OSMF-US forward.  Getting
together people from all over the U.S. is another. After all of last
years disaster mapping there is interest in people mapping their
communities for disaster preparedness even.

I've cc'd Ian and Thea who can work on getting the sign-up fixed.

Things I think OSMF-US should achieve this year:

* Have their own import sandbox (something Ian is working on)
* Distribution system for a "mapping party in a box"  (i.e. if you are
having a mapping party make sure you have buttons/stickers/GPS)
* Get a bunch of people to Denver for SotM (scholarship program)
* Have a mapping marathon weekend, basically declare a weekend where
everyone is going to go out an map.  Work on getting regional press
for it to have some attention drawn back to OSM in the U.S.

-Kate


On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 5:05 PM, Steve Coast <steve at asklater.com> wrote:
> Kate
>
> I can't find your email because I accidentally killed it on my iPad and
> Thunderbird refuses to find it on the IMAP server. So, I'm working from
> memory here.
>
> There's not doubt I'm an asshole a lot of the time, but it's extremely rare
> I mean it personally. It's incredibly frustrating watching the horrifically
> bad progress of OSM in the US. I see that as an extension of Richards points
> about manpower, that there's little of it. The extension is the focus is all
> wrong, which just makes it worse of course. I don't believe that you helping
> Jakarta (all very laudable) obviates your elected role at OSMFUS, we can
> agree to disagree on that.
>
> I looked at Toronto the other day because I put the other Richard in contact
> with someone there. It's incredible. Why doesn't the US look like that? What
> is RichardW smoking that makes Canada so awesome and us so lame? I have no
> idea.
>
> We have all sorts of problems. This whole EU/US split over imports. MapMaker
> is doing well. Hell, we're even competing with Google for mapping slums! I
> was talking to some State GIS people and thanks to all Theas good work
> they've given up on OSM and are just working with MQ on a forked map.
>
> We ideally need OSMF-US front and center helping fix all this. How can we
> help you guys do some work? We've had our own issues at OSMF. RichardW has
> helped with minutes and keeping people accountable. I'm sure there are lots
> of other ways.
>
> I've just joined OSMF-US. Your signup form doesn't work with Google Chrome.
> The profile on paypal is very broken "Customer Service Email:
> thea at cloudmade.com". I'd like to be able to send a donation too, but I know
> for a fact that that email address was shut down.
>
> If you had 5 or 10 things you wanted OSMF-US to achieve, what would they be?
> Maybe we can find people to help.
>
> Steve
>