[Talk-GB] not_in_map_features

[Ed Loach]

Frederik:

> Just revising Map Features on a whim without also revising the
> data
> would, however, be counterproductive because, as I said, Map
> Features is
> there to document what we have (and not to say "I'd like you to
> do it
> this way in the future please").

My last comment was meant to be tongue in cheek, although if we were
starting from scratch it would perhaps make a bit more sense if the
tagging was a bit more object oriented, such as perhaps
Highway=residential
Highway:access:car=destination
Highway:access:psv=no
Highway:maxspeed=30
Highway:surface=asphalt

So, basically you'd have object:object property:property of object
property:etc=value

At present you might have a situation where you want to apply a
number of tags to a way and isn't always clear which tags apply in
combination. I'm tired though so can’t think of an example offhand.

But we aren't starting from scratch...

As a relative newbie, I read the wiki (or the bits I tracked down)
to learn how to map. I read the introduction to JOSM, which got me
uploading traces, downloading areas, adding nodes and ways and
tagging them. JOSM is fairly good at offering "valid" Map Features,
so once Maplint did start working for me, what it highlighted (apart
from parking aisles) were generally things I needed to look at. But
when people map things, surely, usually, they want to see the result
of their efforts. Presumably if they use things documented in Map
Features then what they map will show on at least one of the
different layers. And if they don't then it won't. I think there was
a recent discussion on one of these email lists about a graveyard
that wasn't rendering, and if I remember correctly what is
documented in Map Features isn’t what actually renders (something
about choosing between amenity and landuse). While I've read many
times that we aren't necessarily mapping for renderers, the more
consistent the tagging the more likely the renderers will render any
given feature and the more useful the data will similarly be in any
other utilisation.

What I would like to do if I get time ever (unlikely) is to try and
make a page as I think Germany have suggesting how various roadsigns
equate to tags. This would highlight any obvious current
limitations, and hopefully then any even more complicated
combinations of restrictions (such as taxis, buses and bicycles only
from 10am to 4pm) could also be added. We could get people
submitting signs they want help with and use people's experiences
with mapping to try and come to a majority decision on how they'd do
it. 

One sign I do wonder about is "No Through Road". I can't see this is
ever worth adding unless we are tagging the street signs; the map
itself, if complete for an area, should make it clear whether you
can get through or not. And again this particular sign sometimes
only applies to motor vehicles and not cyclists. 

Ed