[OSM-talk] wikiproject rail?

[Tom Chance]

On Tuesday 03 October 2006 23:08, Nick Whitelegg wrote:
> > As a practical point, without editorial controls or an easy way to start
> > mashups, the OSM is probably going to get that data whether people like
> > it or not.
>
> Is it really "that hard" to start mashups though?
> [snip]
> As was said in an earlier post today if we can get a package to allow
> people to deploy a read-only, rendering-orientated version of OSM on their
> own servers, and use an API like openlayers, all it should take to set up a
> mashup is the ability to install some software on a server, tweak a config
> file and - perhaps more advanced but necessary for Google mashups too -
> some JavaScript coding.

That's far too much work for me, and completely incomprehensible to some 
people who I know got interested in OSM through me :-) We're also not just 
talking about people wanting to make complex javascript hacks, but also 
people (like me) who are interested in entering data that would apparently be 
more appropriate in a broadly defined "mashup" like Freemap.

Mashups are far harder than entering data into OSM and getting nice maps out, 
which is hopefully going to get even easier.

So long as that is the case, and we lack editorial control (quite possibly a 
good thing), and we lack a clear way of signposting certain data as being 
appropriate for some other established project (e.g. "walking routes? go to 
freemap! bus routes? go to freebus!)... the OSM database is quite likely to 
get data that many people consider extraneous to OSM's core goals.

One course of action would be for people with the resources to go mad and 
start mashup projects covering public transport, walking, recycling and other 
subjects that we know or suspect people are interested in, clearly signposted 
from the OSM web pages. Another would be to look at editorial controls on the 
Map_Features wiki page and/or database. Or do both. Or we just consider it a 
minor irritation and get on with mapping, whistling hopefully ;-)

Regards,
Tom

-- 
The struggle against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting
 - Kundera