[Tagging] Deprecation of associatedStreet-relations

[moltonel 3x Combo]

On 24/01/2015, Tobias Knerr <osm at tobias-knerr.de> wrote:
> On 23.01.2015 21:53, moltonel 3x Combo wrote:
>> The counter-argument is that a novice is less likely to break the data
>> when updating an area that is mapped using associatedStreet. I like
>> the fact the fact that people need not even be aware of addresses in
>> order to fix a street name.
>
> That's not really true, the name tag on the relation is "recommended".
> So the newbie would have to be aware of the relation to edit the name
> both on the relation and the ways.

Recomended isn't mandatory. The name tag of associatedStreet is only
of use to mappers (to find the relation in the editor), not consumers.
The actual street name is on the way, not the relation. I never fill
"name" on assosiatedStreet. If you want a relation whose "name" tag is
used as addressing data, see the street relation instead.

> Even ignoring that, operations hindered by relations (especially mapping
> new addresses, but also renaming only part of a street, changing the
> street of a house's address, ...) are *a lot* more common than your
> example. Even if we had mapped addresses to completion, addresses would
> still change a lot more often than street names.

"hindered" is a matter of perspective. With associatedStreet one can
change a house's street address using only the mouse. When a house is
already in a relation, changing its housenumber is just as easy as
with addr:street.

>> Given that relations in general are not going away, the proper
>> solution to the "novices have trouble with relations" problem is not
>> to use less relations but to make relations easyer to edit and better
>> documented.
>
> Few are going to read documentation when they just start out editing, so
> basic tasks really need to be relation-free to ensure a good experience.
> Streets, buildings and addresses are some of the most basic concepts
> there are, which makes associatedStreet so problematic.

Basic tasks are never going to be relation-free. Multipolygons, bus
routes, turn restrictions... The more complete osm will get, the more
impossible it'll be to avoid relations.

In my experience, newbies tend to start with very small changesets,
mainly tag updates, potentially a new POI. If a newbie were to add
housenumbers as one of his/her early changeset (slightly unlikely
activity for a newbie, housenumbers aren't the most exciting thing to
map), having the house already traced and in a relation will ensure
that the address data is complete (with street) from the begining.