[Tagging] is the wiki descriptive or prescriptive?

[Andy Townsend]

On 17/11/2021 09:43, Colin Smale wrote:
>
> It's not about local knowledge, it's about *independent* verifiability. The memory, perception or opinion of a local mapper/resident may conflict with more definitive sources (e.g. Governments)

We need to be careful here, otherwise OSM will contain the equivalent of 
"we've always been at war with Eastasia" *

Governments of all political stripes (democracies included) regularly 
tell half-truths and outright lies, including lies that are incompatible 
with the lies that other governments are telling.  The largest countries 
in Asia claim they have borders that are incompatible with each other - 
OSM can try and reflect "X claims Y" (something that has been rejected 
** in OSM) or reflect the "on the ground" situation (which is what we 
mostly do).

In response to Christoph's earlier comment:

> The way you formulate your question: "Is the wiki descriptive or
> prescriptive?" is already part of the problem.  My answer to that
> question would be:  The wiki is neither because there is no consensus
> on what it*should*  be.
I'd ask "what should it be" and more importantly "what do we need to do 
to get from here to there"?

Best Regards,

Andy

(for the avoidance of any doubt, writing in an entirely personal capacity)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

** 
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/Mapping_disputed_boundaries#Voting