[OSM-talk-be] Firefighters and OSM + fire_hydrant

[Glenn Plas]

On 2013-07-25 21:29, Kurt Roeckx wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 10:16:14AM +0200, Teddy wrote:
>> 2013/7/24 Kurt Roeckx <kurt at roeckx.be>
>>
>>> fire_hydrant
>>
>>
>> Hello Kurt,
>> No, there are 3 numbers for the offset, in the tag "fire_hydrant:position"
> On the signs there are only ever 2 of those numbers.  Either you
> one to the left or one to the right.  Never both.
>
> Anyway, I see no point in mapping that a sign says the hydrant
> that much away from the sign.  Those numbers are their for people
> who are looking for the hydrant to find by saying about where they
> should look.  In my expieriences they're also not very accurate.
>

It would make sense with hidden ones and a smartphone application to 
find them using OSM data.  If you know what to look for _and_ where, you 
are all set.

But in the end it doesn't matter, I really didn't forsee that by copying 
a key from the severly micromapped Rossleben a discussion of this kind 
would erupt.  In the end, it's probably bad tagging, values like that 
deserve their own keys.  But the same thing can be said about a tree, 
why would you map a tree? only reason I know is to make it a landmark.  
I do this sometimes as this can help recognizing distinct areas.

Sometimes the application of those things is beyond our imagination.    
Things like this emerge nowadays : 
http://eprints.nuim.ie/2482/1/Ciepluch-et-al-ACM-GIS-CamerReady1.pdf
Using OSM data to determine location without GPS, just by using vector 
data.   I can imagine an application (google glasses ?) that could do 
wicked things using this.

But in the end, it's only a sign.  But it would be not against OSM 
spirit, e.g. To map what is there in the real world.   Mapping the 
hydrant is much more important.   Eventually the lat/lon on that, if 
precise enough is exactly the location, so in essence, we would be using 
a different positioning system in an existing one.

So , eventually it's not all that important to do, and I would not have 
a problem to drop those from the ones I made.

Glenn