[OSM-talk] The OSM Applet - let's ditch it for JOSM (was: Mapping Reading, some impressions)

[Robert Scott]

On Wednesday 06 September 2006 03:41, Tom Chance wrote:
> For my part I'm inviting friends to tell me of features and if I have the
> time (perhaps including a necessary cycle ride) I add it for them :o)

This may be a stupid idea, but seeing as it's 0400 you'll have grant me that, 
but the simplest solution for this kind of data would be to set up a sort 
of 'spatial bugzilla'. A very simple applet / AJAX / technology du jour 
interface that would allow users to just file 'bugs' on the map, 
saying: "There's a pub here called the Cartographer and Sandals." , "This 
road doesn't go like this at all." , "This road becomes Bodger Road half way 
down." , "The bowls club doesn't extend nearly this far" etc. A mapper who is 
active in the area could pick up the problem, enter the pub, go back to 
problem roads to check what actually happens or whatever the right course of 
action would be. If you wanted to get fancy, local mappers could 'subscribe' 
to an area to be alerted to new & existing bugs in their locality.

The chief problem with this is that the activity wouldn't encourage new 
mappers to get involved. If you give even someone who just wants to fix a 
street name easy access to full editing capabilities, it's quite possible 
that they'll start fiddling and become obsessed. And that's what you want. If 
the simplest thing to do is to file a 'bug' and when brush your hands of the 
matter, it wouldn't spur you on.

And of course there's the legal problem of verifying where the (possibly) 
anonymous bug-submitter was sourcing their information. But freethepostcode 
deals with that issue every day.


robert.