[OSM-talk] Prolification of the amenity tag

[Nick Whitelegg]

>>It's a valid point but I think that things like bubble-gum machines, or
>>other custom data, would be best served in a mash-up. If someone wanted 
to 
>>do an OSM-based mashup of bubble-gum machines, it would be quite easy to
>>develop (e.g. combine the OSM map as a base layer and overlay markers of
>>bubblegum machines as in your typical Google mashup).

>>Storing custom data in OSM itself necessitates rendering extra maps, and 

>>storage of extra tiles... something requiring much more overhead than a
>>simple mashup. If each type of "special interest" data required its own
>>renderer, the number of renderers, and the amont of storage required, 
>>would quickly escalate.

>Nick
>I hope the number of rules files for renderers does quickly escalate.  
There needs to be a very different rendering of maps for golf course, ski 
>resorts, theme parks, unversity campuses, motor racing circuits, etc, 
etc. 

True, I didn't think about those sorts of uses TBH - and it would make 
perfect sense. Each golf course/ski resort etc could easily create a 
custom OSM map of their area with only minimal disc storage. When I voiced 
concerns it was more about someone creating a whole map of the world or 
even UK using custom rendering rules - an approach I had in mind in the 
past but now due to the slowness of on-the-fly rendering and the 
disc-space requirements of static rendering, something I would not really 
consider now.

Nick