[OSM-talk] OSM as Map Publishers (was Re: TomTom acqures TeleAltas)
Richard Fairhurst
richard at systemeD.net
Tue Jul 24 15:22:37 BST 2007
Nick Black wrote:
> On 7/23/07, 80n <80n80n at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 7/23/07, Raphaël Jacquot <sxpert at sxpert.org> wrote:
>> > * you get to see highways and main roads at the startup level (similar
>> > to what google does)
>>
>> Good point, the start page is totally unimpressive at the moment.
>
> Don't underestimate the OSM homepage - I've just come from a meeting
> with clients who used the openstreetmap.org home page as an example of
> what a web map site's homepage *should* look like!
Yeah, getting the front-page map right is - sadly - not quite as easy
as just adding motorways and trunk roads.
Cartographic decisions are complicated by the fact that we have vastly
different coverage for different countries. So if you add the motorway
and trunk layers, Britain will look like a jumbled-up mess, whereas
Croatia and Serbia will look depressingly stark. (Note that Google
_doesn't_ show motorways/trunk roads at the equivalent zoom level to
OSM's default: and on the next layer in, OSM looks neater IMO,
largely because Google's UK styling shows trunk roads in a very
similar colour to forestry.)
I'm sure we could find a way to have this very first map portray OSM
coverage in particular areas (density of nodes in shades of grey,
perhaps?), and that'd be a great, immediate introduction to the
project. But it would be both a cartographic and programming challenge.
Still, hey, we thrive on those don't we?
cheers
Richard
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