[Talk-GB] How are we doing admin boundaries and what does "nnnnnn ba r j" stand for ?

[Peter Miller]

On 27 Jul 2009, at 17:25, Bogus Zaba wrote:

> Sorry if this contains some really stupid questions, but i have poked
> around the mailing list and the wiki and not been able to answer them
> for myself.
>
> 1. Given that we are not allowed to use official OS data (many threads
> on this topic), how is it that  "boundaries are progressing really  
> well"
> (title of recent thread)? If I want to contribute to my local  
> boundaries
> (Denbighshire -  there appears to be very little done at any level)

Great

> how
> do I go about it ?
>

We are using old OS maps (the 1950's OS version available in  
Potlatch). We are also using local knowledge and then quess-work where  
all else fails (ie using high-water mark) until we find otherwise. We  
are also quietly encouraging the government to release the official  
data. Don't use complete guesswork, but if there is a short section  
that is not clear I add it as best I can and add a note saying it  
isn't accurate. In some cases there is no way of legally getting the  
information other than looking at bin lids and other extreme measures  
(I am not joking about bin lids either). The lack of complete accuracy  
should help extract the official data from the OS.

> 2. On the wiki pages for English and Welsh boundaries there are
> (following the name of the county, UA etc) links to data for a  
> relevant
> relation followed by links marked "b" "a" "r" and "j" - how should I
> interpret these code letters. btw the "r" and "j" links seem to not  
> work
> for me anyway.

There seem to be problems with r and j at present for at least some  
boundaries.

Boundaries are created using ways and relations. You can read about  
them here:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Relation:boundary

When you have created a new relation you can add it to the England  
wiki page in the same format as the others.
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_England#Regions_of_England

Its not entirely simple so feel free to ask more questions if needed.


Regards,


Peter


>
> Thanks
>
> Bogus Zaba
>
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