[Talk-us] Starting OSM Trail Map Initiative In US

[Richard Weait]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 7:02 PM, Greg Troxel <gdt at ir.bbn.com> wrote:
>
> Fred Gifford <fred.gifford at gmail.com> writes:
[ ... ]
>> - Building trail mapping communities in the US.
>
> Indeed, that is the key point.

I think this is the best way to success.  You could even leave out the
"trail" and it will have a positive effect on your trails.  If you
inspire a new mapper to add parking lots and water fountains, some of
those may intersect with the interests of your trail users.

I can't think of a good substitute for a motivated local mapper.
Daniel Begin said this recently on talk-ca:

"You'll find that there is nothing better than an active community to
find odd features in authoritative data!"

Daniel knows of what he speaks, he works at the Canadian National
Mapping Agency and has been participating in OSM for several years.
He publishes authoritative data collected by paid professionals, with
what I presume is top notch equipment.  And the OSM community of
enthusiastic amateurs finds and fixes odd features and errors.

I don't think that you can get that nearly obsessive attention to
detail across a large area. It takes a _personal_ interest in the
data.  I think of that area of obsessive interest and perhaps
encyclopaedic knowledge as the natural range of a mapper.