[Talk-us] State Open Data

[OSM Volunteer stevea]

Again, one of the most important things that might be said (in talk-us) about "State Open Data" is that there are at least fifty different sets of rules.  "Check your state laws and county practices" remains excellent advice.  Yes, it can be complex, but if in a state like California, we're in pretty good shape.  In New York, it's different.  Et cetera (48 different other ways).

Documenting state-by-state "rules" and legal state-data copyright practices-as-they-apply-to-our-ODbL could turn into a WikiProject.  (And then traffic in this mailing list might diminish yet more).  Yet, it's a rapidly moving topic and notice how everyone is so careful to say "I'm not a lawyer, but..." and gets the bright idea that OSM's seriously-busy Legal Working Group might spend time double-checking things, which simply is not practical.  So I don't see how a wiki could realistically keep up in real-time, even with a team of well-paid top lawyers, unless they fall from the sky like rain and I don't see that in tomorrow morning's forecast.

I don't know a good solution to this except to keep open good dialog, even if it means we repeat ourselves.  This isn't like a hard math problem that got solved a few centuries ago, like orbital mechanics.  It is a very up-to-the-minute legal edge that we walk here, out on the hairy precipice of "do I or don't I enter these data?"  "Is this a good idea or could it jeopardize the project?"

We can be both bold and careful, but it isn't easy.  Ask.  Dialog.  Read.  Discuss.  It is getting better.

SteveA
California