[OSM-talk] Fast tracking map feature proposals.

[Mike Collinson]

At 04:31 PM 30/12/2007, Gregory wrote:
>I was actually thinking about the shop tag today...
>It should be more like the building= and amenity=place_of_worship tags.
>
>Building
>Renderers show anything that has a value for the 'building' key without caring what exactly is the value (unless they're a specialist renderer or it's one the renderer cares about). The name tag can be used, which can sometimes be enough to let you know what it is. 
>
>Place_of_worship
>There were no strict list of values for religion or denomination to be used. The wiki page does however list the values used as of feb 2007(when someone searched the db) and how many time each one was used. When I first started mapping I refered to this page to make sure I did the most common (christian or christianity, spelling, capitilisation etc. for religions and denominations). 
>
>We don't need to propose every single shop value, render admins just need to know what's been used, and mappers need to know what would be most sensible to use.

The Map Features page plays a very important role as a globally coherent core set but it should be emphasised that it does not preclude anyone  trying more local or more experimental things or just plain doing what they want.   I suggest that the solution is to add values to the tag page but not on the Map Features page itself unless it has gone through the voting process.  The tag page can also include a database frequency table as further help.  The voting process may be a red rag to the impatient but it works and proposals that are still languishing are there because the proposer has not followed through or the proposal itself has flaws or is difficult to implement.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Key:Shop  - Put reasonable country-specific values in the space already provided
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Mapping/Features/Place_of_Worship - A guideline list is already provided (I don't use it!)
[building= is not actually on Map Features!]

Once tags with large numbers of potential values have "settled down" it makes sense to have a Map Features global set of set of well-thought out tested values with consistent spelling. This is particularly useful to beginners and to non-native English speakers trying make sense of the weirdities of the British ( :-) )  .  

 The shop= tag needs small (10? 20?)  set of globally translatable values - I personally think the number currently being suggested is a bit of an overkill, but if people take the time to make proposals, I'm prepared to look at and comment/vote on them.  

The place_of_worship= has a list of suggested values, though I think it makes more sense just to right down the name that appears on the building's signboard in order to accomodate local variations and all the small sects.  

The building= is at too an early stage to even begin thinking about casting values in stone.

Mike
Stockholm