[talk-au] Suggested Aus guideline on gravel roads

[Sebastian S.]

Apologies, I only read the remaining thread that started it afterwards.

On 6 March 2021 3:27:18 pm AEDT, "Sebastian S." <mapping at consebt.de> wrote:
>Awesome write up.
>I've grown up in Europe and can't recall any roads that would match
>coarse, angular railway balast. I really wonder why this is even a
>definition that made in into the wiki.
>
>Are there any example photos we can add to the Aus wiki text?
>
>
>On 6 March 2021 12:40:32 pm AEDT, Little Maps <mapslittle at gmail.com>
>wrote:
>>Hi folks, everyone's thoughts on unpaved road surfaces have been very
>>valuable. I wholeheartedly support Tony's suggestion to add more
>photos
>>of
>>Australian examples to the international wiki, as the European
>examples
>>bear little semblance to most Australian roads.
>>
>>In addition to Tony's suggestion, can I suggest that we also add a
>>section
>>to the Australian tagging guidelines (and perhaps also to the
>>international
>>wiki) that explicitly describes the differences between how the tag
>>surface=gravel has been used in Australia compared to the
>international
>>wiki. I've drafted the following text and welcome all feedback. Thanks
>>again and best wishes, Ian
>>
>>Suggested text: Gravel roads
>>
>>Unpaved 'dirt' roads in Australia are widely called 'gravel roads' and
>>are
>>often signposted as such. Similarly, surface=gravel is currently
>(March
>>2021) the most widely used tag for unpaved road surfaces in Australia
>>(excluding the broader term, surface=unpaved, which is commonly used).
>>h
>>ttps://taginfo.geofabrik.de/australia-oceania/australia/keys/surface#values
>>
>>The interpretation of the tag surface=gravel by many mappers in
>>Australia
>>differs greatly from the idiosyncratic definition of surface=gravel on
>>the
>>international wiki, which defines 'gravel' as coarse, angular railway
>>ballast. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:surface This coarse
>>surface exists but is relatively rare on Australian roads.
>>
>>While mappers are generally advised to follow the accepted definitions
>>of
>>surface tags as described on the OSM wiki, map users should be aware
>>that
>>most roads, tracks and paths that are tagged with surface=gravel in
>>Australia will have surface materials far finer than railway ballast.
>>These
>>surfaces may accord with a wide range of accepted surface tags,
>>including
>>surface=compacted, fine_gravel, gravel (rarely), dirt and earth.
>>https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:surface
>>
>>Given the large number of highways that have been tagged with
>>surface=gravel in Australia (>26,000), the discrepancy between
>>Australian
>>and international usage of this tag is unlikely to be overcome in the
>>foreseeable future.
>>
>>All feedback is most welcome.
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