[OSM-talk] Some observations from a newcomer

[Joerg Ostertag (OSM Munich/Germany)]

> > - A lot of areas seem to have segments, but virtually no Ways (and no
> > street names). This seems like wasted effort as if you don't know the
> > street names, it needs a second survey to pick them up. I found I
> > needed to put the names I collected into the map soon after surveying
> > (even if I didn't upload it immediately), or I'd forget the nuances.
> > Main roads form a useful skeleton, but recording the closes and
> > avenues of a housing estate without adding the street name data (and
> > hence the Ways) seems pretty pointless to me.
>
> I disagree. I collected a lot of tracks, loaded them in JOSM and have
> drawn segments. Then I thought I will leave it up to other people who
> want to contribute to create the ways of the segments. This has some
> advantages:
> * Other contributors may not have a GPS at all or at least one which
> cannot collect tracks. Such users may be interested to get a free map.
> If they are familiar to a region I segmented, they can enter the
> streetnames easily.
> * This way I have more spare time to collect tracks, even down to the
> level of footways. This means more details collected.
> * Tagging ways can be done later, maybe during the cold and dark winter
> months where biking isn't that much fun
> * Concerning lacking details, osm is like a wiki and constant work in
> progress. I try to collect as many details as possible, but if I miss a
> footpath, somone else can add it later.
> * The only reason why I started tagging myself is that I wanted to see
> the result of my work via osmarender. That's why some street names are
> lacking and why I didn't care much about the various nuances of
> highway-tags

I personally see these things similar. For me one more point is relevant. For 
only collecting the tracks I can lend my GPSes to people driving around. And 
the only thing they have to do is plug it into the 12V Plug and place it in a 
good satellite-view-place inside the car. Or switch it on if they start 
traveling. (And agree to our Track-publishing policy.) This reduces the 
effort for others to help us. And this way they easily agree to help us 
gather tracks for use in OSM.
I even hope to later be able to take the additional information inside the 
NMEA Data to get an automagic pre-tagging of the streets by looking at 
various things like speed, steering angle, dop, recieved satelite 
positions, ... But the last will be way in the future.

--

Jörg (Germany, Munich)

http://www.ostertag.name/
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