[OSM-talk] Yah** imagery

[Richard Fairhurst]

Etienne wrote:

> I suspect that the style Google uses was deliberately chosen - in many cases
> less is more.  For a car user google maps are clear and easy to use
> (ignoring the road label issue).

I'd agree in principle - but Google takes it too far, and extrapolates  
one situation (city streets) to apply to all terrain.

A skilled cartographer should be able to convey the maximum  
information with minimum clutter. For example, discreet hill-shading  
gives a very good impression of the lie of the land without detracting  
from the navigational message at all. (Think something like  
http://www.systemeD.net/stuff/hillshading.jpg , but perhaps faded out  
by a further 50% or so.)

Google's plain grey background, in contrast, can be actively  
detrimental to car navigation. There is no indication that Hardknott  
Pass is any different from any other road.* But anyone on the OSM Lake  
District weekend who was naughty enough to plan their explorations  
with Google would find the reality very different. :)

I'm not sure if I dare say it on an OSM list, but Ordnance Survey  
1:50k is _the_ classic example of how to get the balance right for the  
majority of users.

cheers
Richard

* Looking for Hardknott Pass on Google Maps, I find a placename "Xx"... hmmm.