[Tagging] Reviving the path discussion - the increasing importance of trails in OSM

[Graeme Fitzpatrick]

On Mon, 25 May 2020 at 05:05, Kevin Kenny <kevin.b.kenny at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> At the higher levels of difficulty, the page focuses on mountain
> hazards. There's no consideration for slippery or unstable bog
> bridging, stream crossings (rock-hop or ford: and how deep or
> fast-moving is the water?); deep mud or quicksand, likelihood of
> encroaching vegetation, or beaver activity. All of these present
> objective hazards (falls, drowning, hypothermia) that come into
> assessing a trail's level of difficulty and danger.
>
> At the higher grades, there is a lot of assessment of snow and ice
> conditions.  Is there a way to tag seasonally-varying conditions?



> The Australians are similarly confused - even the so-called Australian
> Alps are subalpine.
>

Thanks for your very detailed breakdown, Kevin!

Totally agree that our "mountains" wouldn't even get a second glance in
most areas of the world, & even in them, in winter, there is only a very
limited amount of cross-country skiing or walking happening.

You mentioned that every year, you have people die of exposure.

We have exactly the same problem here but the cause is the exact opposite -
heat!

Every year, we have people die while walking / hiking due to being
unprepared for the conditions, then suffering heat exhaustion & eventually
dieing of thirst :-(

How do we map a trail tag to include

" Users require previous experience in the outdoors and a high level of
specialised skills such as navigation skills. Users will generally require
a map and navigation equipment to complete the track. Users need to be
self-reliant, particularly in regard to emergency first aid and possible
weather hazards."

or

 "Take enough water, food, equipment & first aid supplies

   - At least 2L of water per person
   - Waterproof and windproof clothing to keep you warm
   - Plenty of food and snacks
   - Hat and sunscreen
   - Topographic map and compass (know how to use them) plus download the NSW
   National Parks app <https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/app>.
   - Matches and a torch
   - First aid kit
   - Insect repellent
   - Your mobile phone or a satellite phone. Download the Emergency+
   <https://emergencyapp.triplezero.gov.au> app before you go.
   - A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to use as a last resort"

No, they're not really an OSM problem, but we should have some way of
marking that track / trail as potentially hazardous.

Thanks

Graeme
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