[Talk-GB] Proposal: Import EV charging point data

[Steven Hirschorn]

So to address the main issues so far:
Could the data be "tainted" by being derived from a copyrighted map:
- Is it just Google that is the risk here? If SourceLondon used
Ordnance Survey maps to determine the node locations, would there not
be a similar issue? So the only circumstance where the data wouldn't
have been tainted is if it had been captured locally as a co-ordinate
from a GPS device?
- If it turns out the data is tainted in this way, I can't import the
nodes into the main OSM database (wouldn't even uploading a note at
the location break licensing terms?), but can I provide it as a
geojson file that local surveyors could load into a mapping app and
use to do a local survey, manually placing the nodes in the
appropriate place?

What is the quality of the data?
- I could upload a geojson file which a small number of volunteers
could download and sample the points. Is there any app/site that
facilitates collaborating on sample outcomes? This would give an
impression of the quality of the data. I see that user jnicho02 on the
wiki sampled one data point and found it to be on the wrong side of
the road, but clearly visible from where the map marker had been
placed. Could that be within the GPS margin of error of the capturing
device? Is a marker which is placed a few metres out of place worse
than no marker at all? Is data that is slightly inaccurate at the
point of import worse than the thousands of nodes and ways that
inaccurate by not being maintained by anyone?

In the previous thread about chargepoints from a couple of months ago,
someone questioned whether having this data in OSM would be more
useful than the dedicated apps by the infratructure providers which
would also be able to indicate whether the point is currently in
service and currently in use. I still like the idea of having this
data in OSM for a number of reasons:
- It would be nice if OSM became the most complete source for all
charging points, with open data on all providers
- It would allow users to compare the available infrastructure from
each provider in their area from an impartial source
- We can record the ID number from each provider which might later
allow someone to mash data from OSM with data from the provider API on
chargepoint status.

Thanks for the feedback so far. It feels like a lot of work for one
provider in one area, but I'm hopeful this will scale up quickly, and
this one provider alone will quadruple the number of charge points
listed on OSM in London.

Steven

On Tue, 18 Aug 2020 at 13:58, Mateusz Konieczny <matkoniecz at tutanota.com> wrote:
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>
>
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> Aug 18, 2020, 13:18 by steven.hirschorn at gmail.com:
>
> And what would the conflation exercise be? Are we allowed to put the
> points on a non-OSM map to ask local mappers to survey?
>
> It would be better to put location on OSM map and ask mappers to
> survey there.
>
> As long as they survey and enter data based on what they surveyed
> and external source will be used solely to plan trip - AFAIK it should be fine.
>
> With non-OSM map there is risk that some of them will start copying such map.
>
> (there is risk that some of mappers will start copying just marker
> positions, without survey, that is why it should be limited to more
> experienced mappers and done in way encouraging actual survey
> - so no putting such data into Maproulette and so on)
>
> Of course I won't begin an import without seeking consensus first -
> this was the start of such an attempt!
>
> +1
>