[Openstreetmap] JOSM Beta available to download

Immanuel Scholz immanuel.scholz at gmx.de
Wed Oct 5 17:50:10 BST 2005


Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. Dont hesitate to add feature requests of missing
stuff in http://bugzilla.eigenheimstrasse.de ;-). (But posting here will
surely get my attention too)


Before I answer I have to own up that I misunderstood until today a key
concept of OpenStreetMap. I thought the track points from gps coordinates
are directly imported into the server and then simplyfied. Instead you use
these points as hints and insert completly new nodes for your maps.

So the available JOSM Beta does not differentiate between gps-trackpoints
and OSM-Nodes. I'll implement the changes at highest priority ;-).


Currently I can only recommend using JOSM to either get you a good look on
your GPS track *exclusive or* modify downloaded data from OSM.


> 1. Creating "Map" line segments from gps track data: When I load a gps gpx
> track file I see that the editor joins every other pair of points. Not
> sure this is of much benefit. Using the online editor there is a real
> benefit when there are several differently timed GPS trails from different
> sources in that it is much easier to visually place the proposed nodes and
> line segments for the eventual "map" base.

I plan to include an "Layer" feature like in GIMP, where you can move a
subset of your dataset to another layer (so creating another dataset) and
simple switch the layers on/off. Then you will be able to load different
timed gps tracks to different layers and switch fast from one to another
(or showing them layed on each other).


> Is it possible to grab the relevant track point data for the sector you
> are interested in.

Sorry, currently it is not possible to extrakt the trackpoint data from
the server, except by let the server render an image for your client. The
image in turn is in a projection method not supported by JOSM (Server:
Mercator, JOSM: UTM or Lat/Lon). But this will be fixed in future.. ;-)


> 3. For the wider schema discussion.. I personally think there is an urgent
> need to be able to assign a basic working "text" name to line segments.

Key/Value editing is the second thing on my priority list. The key you
usually want to assign for that is "name". ;)


> Would be a useful stopgap until the wider discussion is completed.

Fortunatly, the design about the key/value system and the transportation
method of this is almost completed. So expect some clients to turn up
supporting key/values soon.


> 4. Back to the offline beta editor, a back-step facility would be useful
> to move that point, line or otherwise back to the place you inadvertently
> moved it from.

I had an undo feature in mind too, but nothing implemented in that
direction yet. I added it to my idea list.


> 5. A re-centreing facility so that by clicking on a position the map
> re-centres. This coupled with the scroll mouse makes it more like a Google
> Earth feel which is a breeze to navigate.

I am not sure whether I understand you. Unfortunatly I don't can run the
downloadable Google Map Client, since it runs under the wrong operating
system ;-).

You can recenter the whole map by clicking on the "Autozoom" button.


> 6. I did not see how the "Combine Objects" and "Combine Line Segments" was
> meant to work.

Combine Objects is to combine several tracks into one track or to
integrate a line segment into a track. "Combine Line Segments" will be
renamed to "Add Track" and make a new track out of line segments.

For a (not yet complete) user manual, visit
http://www.eigenheimstrasse.de/wiki/index.php/Benutzer:Imi/JOSM/User_Manual.
Unfortunatly, the both mentioned map modes aren't there. I try to complete
this page as soon as possible. Visit the page in some hours again.


Ciao, Imi.






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