[Openstreetmap] Soviet maps of the West

[Lars Aronsson]

Rev Simon Rumble wrote:

> I love the way they talk about "distorting the mapping market" 
> as opposed to "destroying our government-funded monopoly".  Why 
> can't they just make a clear statement without trying to justify 
> themselves?

That's part of human nature, and doesn't change with private or 
government ownership.  Parkinson's Law on large bureaucratic 
organization applies very well.

> If some philanthropist were to fund free mapping and release it, 
> it would also "distort the mapping market" but they wouldn't 
> have any valid complaint!

Oh yes, if it did appear as a threat (which OSM doesn't yet), they 
would find very strong arguments against it.

> I would love to see somebody challenge these guys and get them 
> to actually sue for copyright infringement.  After all, we only 
> have their word on it for now!

The threat against our national land surveys and monopoly mapping 
agencies comes not from national commercial (or non-commercial) 
competitors, but from globalization.  In the Internet age, you 
cannot have a national "grid" for map coordinates, for example.  
Railroad and telephone monopolies are turned into companies and 
merge across country borders, and the same is about to happen to 
mapping.  Sooner than we know it, the European Union will force 
member countries to invite bids for national mapping, and the land 
survey of Poland might win a tender to do the mapping for Belgium.  
That is when the O.S. will panic.  Today they are only playing 
innocent games with the Automobile Association.



-- 
  Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
  Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se