[Openstreetmap] web feature annotation prototype

[Jo Walsh]

hello,

i've been chipping away at a "spike solution" for the mapserver-based
feature annotation thing i've been talking about for some time.

http://uo.space.frot.org/freemap/map.cgi?mode=browse

the cgi mapserver GUI is a bit clunky, i'll rebuild that with python
mapscript in the future. 

the feature types are URIs of RDF classes in an imaginary schema. 
there isn't a real RDF backend, the types are just hardcoded in the
mapfile. i hope to add directionality and street number ranges to it.

there's a query to get intersecting line segments and optionally
annotate them with the same properties, which needs more hacking on.
i'll do a writeup-recipe on mappinghacks.com soon.

b-but the data??, you might be thinking. It was collected by our
friend Heath Bunting. It is not a complete map of Bristol, i've
noticed quite a few missing line segments in the small area that i am
familiar with. I have been collecting GPS traces in an effort to
augment it / compare it to satellite-divined reality. I need to work
on the mutual-goodwill side of being able to release this as
GML/shapes/rdfgeom2d/whatever...

This did prompt a reflection, "what will people think, when they see a
map that is incomplete, that their street is not on yet?"

- Will they be affronted by the lack of cartographic Truth?
- Will they be inspired to contribute? (and then need a breadcrumb
  trail into getting involved, or lack instant gratification?)

We may neither have nor want a choice in favour of broad-strokes, representing
what we can get, or fine-brush, "completeness" for a discrete area. 


-jo