[Talk-us] a reminder for armchair mappers

[Richard Weait]

On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 11:08 AM, Richard Welty <rwelty at averillpark.net> wrote:
> if you see a discrepancy between aerial imagery and OSM, before you
> go adding/changing stuff, check on the history of the stuff that's there
> and see if another mapper has worked on things recently (for some
> value of recently.)

[ ... ]

> imagery goes out of date. armchair mappers must never forget
> that. if the imagery doesn't match the map, contact a local mapper
> if you can identify one. you could be fixing something that wasn't
> actually broken.

Indeed.  New construction vs. old imagery isn't the only problem here.
 New, enthusiastic mappers are great; they are why the project keeps
growing.

Technology is not the complete answer.  We might implement something
new that coordinates with some sub-set of editor software, but we have
to educate the mappers as part of the solution.  We have to or we are
dead.  Untempered enthusiasm is a runaway train.  It's low grade heat
rather than directed energy.  It's inefficient and harmful to
surrounding systems.

Every One Of Our Resources Is Lying To Us.

We mappers have to learn which resources lie to us and in which ways.
Then we can map with all of the resources at our disposal and a heaped
serving of experience.

We have to get armchair mappers to do actual foot surveys as part of
their education.  The context gained by mapping and remapping your
neighbourhood cannot be overstated.  As a new, armchair mapper, you
cannot appreciate the whoppers that aerial imagery might lead you to
publish until you catch yourself making a bone-headed error at home.
And you can't catch yourself making that error thousands of miles from
home.