[OSM-talk] Newbie - queries and usability suggestions

[Calum Polwart]

OK I'm new here, but having a few issues - I'm reasonably computer savy so it worries me slightly that you will loose potential volunteers because the userfriendlyness is (a bit) rough around the edges.

I've uploaded a track, and started doing some mapping from it.  That's fine.  But because my track in above 54' N it doesn't render on slippy.  Is there anything I can do to progress getting the North of England and Scotland rendered?  (I understand Glasgow is started but also not rendering...)

NONE of the editing tools I've tried are exactly what I'd call user friendly - not sure the best way to feedback on these.  The API is not bad, but of course slow - but also seems to lack adding a node to an existing way - seems a bit poor.  JOSM is faster but seems to freeze a lot (perhaps my track is too large) - unable to do certain tasks like select lines, I also seem unable to get pop-out windows all the time when I click things like add node to give choice of adding a node or adding a node to a segment? It seems intermittent.   Moving the track about is not intuitive - right click and slide?  Where did that come from? Merkator?  Can't get it to actually let me edit!

Can I not edit a Way once its created - i.e. add an extra node? (Seems strange to me)


None of the programmes function as I would expect.  I follow that I place nodes and join nodes with segments - and that for whatever reason most software draws the segments straight not curved. I then join segments into Ways - so why when I do that do I not get an automatic popup asking for properties?  I don't know OSM inside out so why when I do manually add properties do I need to work out:

Highway: Primary
Name: A691

Surely when I add a way it should ask what type of way it is - when I choose Highway, it should ask what type of highway. (I have now found auto-properties, but it still doesn't force you through the process) Then it should ask for a name?

Why would created_by not be automated?

These seem basic features that would reduce the risk of lots of unnamed roads floating around in webspace.

I've only briefly played so far but when I render I notice a few oddities -  the road names are sometimes upside down. Motorway (A1(M), flagged as motorway, is shown in Green.  Is there a better way to render?  Because if I export to SVG and manually tweak then next time I export I'll need to do the same manual tweaks?

Finally - would it not be logical to be able to do my track conversions over a background which is a rendered version of the map (either dynamically rendered [prefered] or at least at last save/load etc.



-- Calum Polwart