[Talk-us] Proposed automated motorway_link mass edit

[Dave Hansen]

On Fri, 2009-07-17 at 08:10 -0700, Russ Nelson wrote:
> On Jul 17, 2009, at 2:24 AM, Frederik Ramm wrote:
> >
> >> I'd also like to look into some gluing back together of the TIGER  
> >> counties
> >> and I wonder how suitable this would be.
> >
> > My gut feeling is that this calls for a semi-automated process in  
> > which
> > a script suggests certain changes but humans still have to confirm  
> > them
> > individually. This will be technically possible when third-party web
> > applications can make API changes in the name of others by using OAuth
> > (soon to be deployed on osm.org). Not something you'll write over a
> > weekend that's for sure!
> 
> 
> Some of it can definitely be automated.  If you have a way that stops  
> at a node, and there is another node at the same location attached to  
> a different way, the nodes should be merged.

Well, with appropriate checks of course.  We wouldn't want to do this
with interstates and regular roads, power lines or other "incompatible"
ways.  But I agree in general.

> Another fix I'd like to see is to look at all the Interstate Highways,  
> and if there is a road connected to it at any angle between 45 and  
> -45, disconnect it.  An even more aggressive fix would be to  
> disconnect everything that isn't a motorway_link.  That's probably  
> correct, but more aggressive than I would choose to implement.

Yep.  I've even got a JOSM validator plugin test to check motorway
intersections.  It doesn't do the angles, but just ensures motorways
only touch other way types at their endpoints.

-- Dave