[Talk-ca] Fwd: Yukon Mapping Protected areas

[Matt Wilkie]

Hi Richard,

Responding now in my capacity as Geomatics Analyst for Yukon Department 
of Environment and the person responsible for posting our data publicly 
for the last dozen years to places like 
http://environmentyukon.ca/geomatics/data.html.

Thank you for bringing clarity and quesion to the use and re-use of data 
in a project like OSM. Unfortunately I cannot respond in kind with clear 
legal license agreement or usage statement as we don't have one. The 
answer I've been giving usage questions for many years closey resembles:

///The data we publish is paid for with public funds and is public 
property; private and commercial entities can do with their property 
what they wish. It would be courteous to inform us what you are doing 
with it and to credit the "Yukon Department of Environment, Information 
Management & Technology Branch" or "Environment Yukon" where applicable.///

It is something of an embarrassment to me we have no official statement. 
The open source ecosystem and it's constant attention to and discussion 
of licensing has been integral to my work stream for years -- meaning I 
can't plead ignorance. I'll take this as a challenge and opportunity to 
rectify the lack of clear license terms. It would be helpful in raising 
the priority of this project if OSM were to ask for clarity and point 
out that lack of it hinders or even blocks use of the data we publish. 
(Yes this paraphrases what you just said, but we're having a discussion 
akin to meeting over coffee and it does not carry the same weight as an 
inquiry).

Best regards,

matt wilkie
--------------------------------------------
Geomatics Analyst
Information Management and Technology
Yukon Department of Environment
10 Burns Road * Whitehorse, Yukon * Y1A 4Y9
867-667-8133 Tel * 867-393-7003 Fax
http://environmentyukon.ca/geomatics/
--------------------------------------------

 >>> On 13/05/2010 8:56 AM, Matt Wilkie wrote:
>>> Yes, the parks and protected area data is free and libre, as is all
>>> the gis data from Environment Yukon found on the website. (Please note
>>> that the Wildlife Key Areas does have it's own license agreement.)
>>
>> "Free and libre" mean different things to different people, and OSM
>> uses a particularly strict interpretation in the interest of keeping
>> OSM "cleaner than clean" from a copyright point of view.
>>
>> Please, please, please.  Collect the information, link to the license,
>> summarize the license problem areas, and then start a discussion on
>> legal-talk.
>>
>> Just saying, "yeah, we're cool" without backup is risky.
>> The proliferation of homegrown licenses at municipalities is making it
>> very difficult to include that data in OSM.  The licenses interact
>> with each other like citrus and dairy in a single glass.  Fine in
>> isolation, but a complete mess when mixed.
>>
>> Even if the person in charge grants you an "okay for use in OSM",
>> without a written agreement to relicense as CCBYSA, and in future
>> ODbL, risks the need to remove that data later.
>