[Talk-ca] Improving the Ottawa map

[john whelan]

These are a couple of opportunities that I could see.

But there has to be some "reward" for this.  I was at a meeting with
the tree group about a year ago and one problem they had was
identifying trees at risk.  I think Ash trees were under discussion.
Some of them are better at identifying a tree than others. One thing
we spoke of was the ability to take a photo of the tree and use a GPS
device to define it's location.  The photograph could then be used for
the identification by an "expert". Problem was nowhere to put the
data.

OSM gives you an opportunity to store both together especially if you
get a time stamp on the photograph.

The other application that comes to mind is the planning / historical
side.  In both these you are going to be dealing with very motivated
people who probably have difficulty with computers.  It needs to be
packaged up very simply.  Little old ladies work well, some gentlemen
feel they know more about these things than you do then you get
disaster.  Go here switch on the camera press this button and this
button on the GPS unit.  With very clear instructions.  Then they need
positive feedback.  Look here you can see what you've done on this
map.  Make it simple for them and give them positive feedback and it
starts to grass root out.  Give them a couple of  bad experiences then
for the next ten years you get Oh I tried that once but it was too
complicated.

You're giving them a tool but you need them to commit to purchasing a
GPS unit so it has to work well and it has to be reliable.  Wait a
while for those two.

Currently for around $500 a year yellow pages will list your business
on the web and they have a web page with a little map.  If you look at
Google map ever noticed how only some businesses are on there?

You can tag a shop complete with website but I'm uncertain whether or
not the information in the tags can be displayed in Openstreetmap.  If
you could do a proximity search find me a florist close to a postcode
and display its web address you maybe in a position to sign up a new
member at $x or however you want to go forward.

Another target would probably be something like Alterna bank,
http://www.alterna.ca first tag their branches and possibly their ABMs
there probably aren't that many then send them a typed letter
introducing yourselves.  Alterna has a history of giving money and
encouraging staff to give time to community projects.

So a foot in the door letter something like:

Dear sirs, Openstreetmap is a community project to map the world.  We
are working with a number of partners and hoped you maybe able to
assist us in some way.  Whilst in Canada we aren't yet quite so well
developed in Germany we have a project to map routes suitable for
wheel chairs, in xyz we are helping to map whatever but emphasis on
the charity side.

An example of one of our maps showing the main branch on Albert street
can be found at:  www.tinyurl.com we have entered your other branches
and ABMs and they can be linked from you web site to sohw each with
its own small map.

We work mainly from GPS logs from units such as a Garmin xyz handheld
so if your staff could carry a GPS logger home with them to provide us
with GPS traces this would be of enormous benefit to us.

Then hopefully once their staff are hooked you may be able to get cash
for hand held GPS devices etc.


Another one would be on the Canada wiki web site

Newcomers start here:

Data is entered into the map in one of four ways.

Via GPS traces,  this method is preferred.
Bulk import from Geobase or other data sources, this method needs clean up
Satellite tracing
Local knowledge.

For the newcomer we would suggest the most value comes from carrying a
GPS unit and uploading the log file.

Local knowledge - Adding things such as post boxes, buildings,  cafes
to existing maps and tagging them with things such as names, hours of
opening etc.  More information on tags can be found here:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tags

Whilst practically any GPS unit can be configured to work for the
newcomer a Garmin etrex Legend HCx has a very sensitive chip set for
picking up satellites, has WAAS functionality for more accurate
positioning, a UPS port for transferring data to a computer simply.
There are a number of specialist programs available for the Garmin
line to allow you to use free maps etc.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Garmin/eTrex_series#eTrex_Legend_CX

To extract the log files to a .gpx file both tracks and waypoints use GPSBabel

gpsbabel -t -w -i garmin -f usb: -o gpx -F gps.gpx

This works whether or not you have a MicroSD card installed.

The idea is to have something simple they can follow.  The GARMIN also
need a link to the configuration how to save with the correct time
stamp etc.

These are simply ideas that need refining.

Cheerio John












2009/10/30 Richard Degelder <rtdegelder at gmail.com>:
> John,
>
> You said that the people that are going to be marking the Points of
> Interest, be it historical buildings or even trees, would be using a GPS or
> something equipped with a GPS device, possibly something like a smart phone
> (eg iPhone).  Can you get them to make GPS traces of where they are going?
> Even if it a short trace in the immediate vicinity of the items that they
> are interested in would be helpful.  The result would be an immediate
> increase in the number of GPS tracks, something that is almost impossible to
> have too much of.  For some people that would be enough to do as long as the
> traces can be uploaded by someone else.  The benefit of the additional
> traces is that the quality of the map can be very quickly checked and
> improved.
>
> Richard Degelder
>