[OSM-talk-be] data for Brussels, Belgium from authorities for OSM

[Johan Huysmans]

Hi,

It is great to hear that some instance are interested in a corporation 
with openstreetmap.
The first and most important thing is that the license is the correct 
license and does not interfere with the OSM license.

The are already several imported data available. The netherlands has 
received data from AND, the USA has done a TIGER import and just 
recently the opengeodb has been imported. And I believe I miss several 
other imports.

In most cases the import is specific for that import and a set of 
specific script are written to convert to the OSM format. For the actual 
import of the data into the live database are several tools available 
(and enough experience available on the OSM-talk list).
Of course would it be easy that it is a know format. As it is identical 
to AND or TIGER data we can use those tools, I think that shape file 
(don't actually know it) can also be converted to OSM data.

Before each import the data is validated that it is converted correctly 
and usable.

Who is going to perform the import? I guess there will be lot's of 
volunteers to help with the script, the verification, ...

There will be lots of info available in the wiki about those mentioned 
imports.

Greetings Johan

Nicolas Pettiaux wrote:
> Dear Belgian OSMers
>
> This mail complements the one I have sent earlier today.
>
> Let's present myself first: I have been a long time supporter of free
> software and free access to knowledge, (about 10 years), I have
> lobbyed for the use of free softwares, open standards and open access,
> and organized conferences and talks about the subject.
>
> I have been a follower of OSM for a while, and I hab no time nor no
> idea on where to start from because I didn't see the use of a GPS
> either I did not want to invest. Now I see I have more ideas.
>
> I am know a physics teacher at university level as well as a
> university teaching assistant.
>
> I am writing this mail because I do just few contributions to OSM, but
> more importantly because I decided to get in touch with authorities in
> Brussels to manage to get more data and useful informations for OSM.
>
> I speak for the region of Brussels Capitals (RBC) in Belgium where I live.
>
> First, the very good and positive information: I contacted the cabinet
> of the minister Smet (SP-A), told my correspondents (there were 2)
> about OSM, the philosophy and aims, and asked for a first simple
> support. Minister Smet is in charge of "mobility" in RBC and as
> recently announced the future (time frame is about 1 year) creation of
> a mobility portal on internet to inform and get feedback from the
> citizens. I therefore asked if we (= the OSM project) could just, as
> some newspapers receive the weekly information that the administration
> gathers about all the road works that are being done. My correspondant
> found the project very very interesting, and agreed to ask the
> administration to send us the information.  He was so enthusiastic
> that he will speak in person about the project to the minister (who is
> known to cycle in the city when the weather permits). We have
> considered to meet and possibly discuss other support they could
> provide.
> I said I would manage for the OSM project to officially thank him for
> such a support (even if small). Politicians like such official thanks.
>
> Some first questions about this would be :
>
> to whom should I discuss that and is there a recommended format to
> easily incorporate such information nearly authomatically into OSM
> (that is with little manipulations) ?
>
> Is such an activity already performed somewhere ?
>
> Should all such information be personnally checked on the ground
> before including into OSM or would it be possible to "trust" such an
> official administration for its data (and possible mistakes ?)
>
> Secondly: the RBC is already well mapped in the urbis [2] system that
> belongs to the RBC and is managed by the brussels centrum for public
> computing (rough translation), called CIRB [1]. As I happened to be
> one of their former employee, I know some people there, and I got in
> touch with the former responsible of urbis [2]. For a long time, the
> Cirb was rather jealous about the Urbis data, but as the time goes by,
> I decided to get back in touch and suggest that they could release the
> data to OSM as the OSM licence was CC-SA, and that this would not
> create a competing proprietary market for the data (that they could
> not use) due to the SA clause, and that it would be fully possible to
> consider a double licensing CC-SA to and through OSM and a proprietary
> one to other users (the CIRB already offers Urbis data freely to
> schools in RBC and consider to offer the Urbis data for free - gratis
> - to everybody for personnal use). My contact was again very very
> positive (to my surprise !). And he is already asking questions about
> technical consideration: wich data would be most interesting, who
> would take the charge to convert these data and inject them into OSM
> ... ?
>
> Much thanks,
>
> Nicolas
>
> [1] http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/site/fr
> [2] http://www.cirb.irisnet.be/site/fr/produits_services/urbis
>
>