[OSM-talk] The segments vs ways vs superways question, again...

Leszek Jakubowski makdaam at gmail.com
Tue Jan 2 21:58:49 GMT 2007


> In fact, why do we need ways? I think tags should be applied directly to
> arbitrary groups of segments. So the tag "ref=M25" would have all the
> segments that make up the M25 in it's group. The tag "highway=motorway"
> would have all motorways etc. We'd need to be a bit careful to make sure
> that roads with the same name in different towns are logically kept
> separated, but that shouldn't be too hard to do. Of course this is a
> major change to the data that can't be easily retrofitted, so I should
> probably leave it to one side.
>...
> Robert (Jamie) Munro

I think ways are an important feature, they enable to extend the
information on OSM in an easy way. For example:
- Navigation software could use the same format to store simplified
traces as ways.
- If OSM grows there might be some OpenRacingMaps that would cover
racing tracks which might be marked as a way over already existing
streets.
- Or mass transport companies using their bus lines as additional ways
again over the same segments.
Ways provide some level of scalability which might be very useful in the future.

-- 
Leszek Jakubowski
mailto:makdaam at gmail.com




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