[Openstreetmap] But what the hell can a GIS really DO?

[Jeremy Stocks]

I have been in the field of GIS nearly 14 years. I have seen every new craze come and go. But something exciting is slowly happening , thanks to the following factors. I shall list them:

  a.. The web for GIS is starting to come of age. Applications which are able to serve large quantities of data necessary for GIS are now here.
  b.. The rise of free web GIS such as Mapserver which allows people to publish their own maps on the internet as long as they have a connection. 
  c.. The removal of selective availability on GPS receivers is allowing ordinary users access to precision they other wsie would never have had.

These changes, particularly the web and GPS are giving ordinary users power to create maps they were previously never able to do. Now I am told the location-based industry according to the Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1453293,00.html is going to be worth a lot of money in the future. 

The apps I am seeing are impressive but are only the tip of the iceberg. Everyone is serving out datasets based on exisiting features such as roads, railways and contours.

But what would be very exciting would be what I call "conceptual" maps, where the GIS actually does what many of us in the industry have dreamed it can do, namely the ability to create new maps based upon amalgamations of the existing data layers into new products which we call GIS models. This I argue is the very deep heart of GIS and what enticed many of us into the profession long ago.´These can be used to answer questions such as:

1. Tonight there is a frost. Where are the likeliest danger spots for me on my local roads given the predicted temperature? Can I upload aGPS location back to the map server to confirm or deny the frost location, thus improving the model?
2. I am going paragliding. Where would the best thermic areas be for me to fly at this moment in time? Can my in-flight GPS tracks be uploaded to the server to truth the model it puts out?
3. I am going off piste skiing. Where is it most dangerous given the recent heavy snow falls and what conditions will I likely encounter? Can I feedback my skiing experience back into the map served?

I would appreciate a discussion on this topic. Any takers?

BTW it's Friday. Here in Munich a web map which showed me the location of one of its nearest famous beergardens would be useful!!!
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