[Tagging] Feature Proposal - RFC - (consulate)

[Allan Mustard]

Well, at the moment the question as articulated in the wiki is whether
to split the existing amenity=embassy (which encompasses both embassies
and consulates) into amenity=embassy and amenity=consulate.  If in the
view of the OSM community amenity=consulate is inappropriate, then
logically so is amenity=embassy, and we need a new proposal to change
it.  I have no idea why amenity=embassy first came into existence. 
There is another proposal to create amenity=diplomatic and then use the
diplomatic=* tag to define more precisely what type of facility an
object is.  I have added it to the proposal wiki, but assume you would
not like it, either.

Paul, are you proposing office=diplomatic and diplomatic=[embassy,
mission, nunciature, consulate, consulate_general, consular agency,
honorary_consul], or something else?  I'll be happy to add your proposal
to the list of counterproposals on the wiki and promote discussion of it.

As for objection to the service=* tag, would a new consular:*=* tag be a
better solution?  Just asking.  I'm not well versed in programing
editors. It would be something like consular:immigrant_visas=yes,
consular:nonimmigrant_visas=yes, consular:citizen_services=yes, etc.

As for whether embassies serve "any purpose other than housing spies,"
as a diplomat now for over 30 years, I can assure you that at least in
the case of U.S. embassies, we diplomats do a lot more than that. 
Please take a look at the integrated country strategy of my embassy,
here: https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/285262.pdf for a
taste of what a small U.S. embassy does.  The larger U.S. embassies do
much more.  I cannot speak for the embassies of other nations.

On 10/24/2018 8:52 PM, Paul Allen wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 4:19 PM Allan Mustard <allan at mustard.net
> <mailto:allan at mustard.net>> wrote:
>
>     Please do continue to comment and to offer suggestions, and to
>     pose questions.
>
>  This is pretty much based on gut feelings and may be partially or
> completely wrong...
>
> I don't think "amenity" is a suitable tag for a consulate.  Amenities
> are parks, or toilets, or similar.
> "Should we go to the park or the consulate for a picnic today?"   "I'm
> busting for a crap, where's the
> nearest consulate?"  And I'm damned sure an embassy isn't an amenity
> (I'm not even sure, in these
> days of telecommunications, if it serves any purpose other than
> housing spies, but if heads of state
> do still use embassies for formal communication between governments
> they're definitely not
> amenities).
>
> Embassies and consulates seem a slightly better fit in
> office=government, but still a square peg with
> the corners filed down a little trying to fit into a round hole.
>
> I'm not happy with service:*=* acting as distinctions as service is
> used elsewhere for other things.
> It complicates editors as they have to do selective matching to figure
> out which particular
> service:* tags to offer up with a particular main tag.  It is also
> less easy to comprehend at a
> glance.  I'd say diplomatic=* is a better way to go because it is more
> obvious and easier for
> editors.
>
> I don't know what the answer is, all I can say is I'm not overly happy
> with what has been
> suggested so far.
>
> -- 
> Paul
>

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