[OSM-talk-be] Path deletions (was Re: mapping accessibility of the Brussels Foret de Soignes with official data)

[joost schouppe]

Hi Wouter, Benjamin,

Bit of a different subject, so I'm breaking the thread.

At OpenStreetMap Belgium, we've been dealing with A LOT of path deletions
(or delete requests) since the Corona happened. The particular case here
was resolved in the field, and the deletions were justified. It wasn't in
the general Zonienwoud, but in the Tervuren Arboretum. An active osm
contributor was helping them.

Most requests have come from farmers, private forest owners and people from
nature or leasure reserve management. It became frequent enough that we
developed some standard replies and we created a wiki with some info on the
topic:

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Why_we_won%27t_delete_roads_on_private_property

We also put this in the slow roads page:

*Since the start of the corona crisis, the Belgian OpenStreetMap chapter
<https://www.openstreetmap.be/> started recieving many complaints about
paths mapped in OpenStreetMap that according to the complainy are illegal
to use. We also often spot new contributors simply deleting these paths.
The core policy of OpenStreetMap is that what is verifiable on the ground
always comes first. If a path is visible on terrain, it can be mapped. The
fact that it is not allowed to use it, is an attribute of a path - not a
reason for deletion. Unfortunately, since we do not map for the render
<https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mapping_for_the_renderer>, that means
that some maps will show these paths without making it very clear to the
user that they should not use them. The Belgian chapter actively engages
data users to improve their practices*.

If you like to help out with this effort, join as one of the people behind
the community at osm.be address or set up a filter to help detect them and let
us know if you spot anything fishy.

All the best,
Joost Schouppe
OpenStreetMap Belgium

Op wo 15 sep. 2021 10:59 schreef Wouter Hamelinck <
wouter.hamelinck at gmail.com>:

> That also caught my attention. When I look at the map the paths created by
> mountainbikers mainly along the motorways are gone. That are trails created
> by people going off trail and they regularly try to block them with
> branches and such. I fully understand that they want to avoid attracting
> people there and don't think that as OSM we should get involved in a
> guerilla war between mountainbikers and forest management.
> I assume that a mountainbiker will regularly add them again.
>
> Wouter
>
> On Wed, 15 Sep 2021, 10:00 Benjamin Henrion, <zoobab at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 9:47 PM joost schouppe <joost.schouppe at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > A small group of OSMbe folks met with David Kuborn from the Fondation
>> Soignes/Stichting Zonien - thanks to Pieter Vander Vennet, who organized a
>> meeting with forest guard that had been deleting some paths.
>>
>> "deleting some paths"
>>
>> Looks like someone does not want people on some trails.
>>
>> Can you point at which one they were?
>>
>> If not, I will have to dig myself.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> --
>> Benjamin Henrion (zoobab)
>> Email: zoobab at gmail.com
>> Mobile: +32-484-566109
>> Web: http://www.zoobab.com
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>>
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