[OSM-talk] Alternative approach to producing countryside maps

[Mike Collinson]

At 01:38 PM 7/05/2007, Nick Whitelegg wrote:

>Regarding the whole countryside thing, I'm wondering if an entirely 
>alternative approach could be taken, given that things like field boundaries 
>can be very difficult to survey.
>
>Namely, you don't show field boundaries at all, but instead you note down 
>places where the path is hard to follow, make some notes which will help 
>others out and then upload to OSM as a "note" node.
>
>Then, on a slippy map, a user could roll over the note and see the directions, 
>whereas printed maps could optionally actually append the note to the map at 
>the appropriate location.
>
>If features like woods, ponds, gates, stiles were surveyed the resulting maps 
>would probably be quite usable by your average person.
>
>Nick


Yes, I've just arrived back in the UK and am doing exactly that for local paths in the Wharfedale area in the expectation that such rollover pop-ups will eventually be implemented.  It makes qualitative things like "muddy when wet" and "flat and well graded, OK for push chairs" easy to add.  Such notes can not only be used to help others out but to advertise interesting things that make the path worth traversing.

If I can shamelessly hijack your thread slightly, I've been putting such comments in a "description=" tag so that "note" can be reserved for notes to self and other mappers.  I proposed this at  http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Proposed_features/Description but it has not attracted enough votes to give it a conclusive thumbs up or down.  Some more votes please!


Mike