[Talk-us] [Imports] Proposing import of sidewalk data Seattle, WA, USA

Clifford Snow clifford at snowandsnow.us
Tue Aug 2 15:59:24 UTC 2016


On Tue, Aug 2, 2016 at 6:01 AM, Frederik Ramm <frederik at remote.org> wrote:

>    sidewalk tagging in OSM is a complex issue. The fact that sidewalks
> are not tagged as individual geometries is not purely a shortcoming,  it
> is a compromise that keeps OSM data editable. Having individual
> geometries for every single sidewalk on the planet will not only
> massively increase the data volume but also require new and better tools
> for editing, e.g. moving the geometry of a street without having to move
> three parallel lines manually and so on.
>

Frederik, I thought you were for only add objects that can be surveyed on
the ground? Isn't that what they are proposing?

We tell people not to map for the renderer. In the same spirit shouldn't we
tell people not to let the limitations of the editor stop them from mapping?


> There have been several local imports of sidewalk data that were removed
> again because lack of prior discussion and/or because they were
> single-purpose imports that did not care about integration with the rest
> of OSM (for example: what should rendering engines do with sidewalks;
> how do they integrate with normal footways; how is a sidewalk linked to
> the road along which it runs so that routing engines can say "follow
> sidewalk along XY road" instead of "follow unnamed footway"; how can
> routing and rendering use individual sidewalks and still gracefully fall
> back to another method where these are not defined, and so on).
>

I'm not following you. They did announce their plans and are discussing the
proposal with the community, including how to route.
Unlike existing routing systems, they are proposing to enable people with
limited mobility to find a route to their location.

>
> Several ideas have been proposed to get around mapping sidewalks as
> individual geometries, which is in many ways the most primitive way to
> tackle the problem and the one that puts the most work on the shoulders
> of our volunteers.
>

Yet their plan is the easiest for a new mapper to follow. I've followed
mapping of sidewalks. Where are these proposals you talk about?

Your wiki page states that you had "feedback from the global OSM
> community"; I'm surprised that these details seem to have escaped you
> until now. Which sidewalk mapping experiments in OSM have you studied,
> and what have you learned? Which global OSM community did you talk to
> and where?
>

Frederik - may I suggest you comment on their proposal in a more
constructive method. I was septical of their approach when I first learned
of their plans, yet as I learn more, I've come to accept that they have a
well thought out proposal. Certainly the community should help make sure
that their proposal doesn't have some unforeseen issue. As a walker, the
current OSM sidewalk tagging scheme is lacking and just a pain when with
complex intersections. And yes I have added the entire sidewalk, manually,
to my town.

Best,
Clifford

-- 
@osm_seattle
osm_seattle.snowandsnow.us
OpenStreetMap: Maps with a human touch
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