[OSM-talk] Advice needed - dispute regarding names in Cyprus

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

> The "problem" as I see it is that the principle name tag is the  
> Turkish name
> which although in use for 30 years will not be acceptable to  
> some ......

[...]

> I hate to say this, but it is a sensitive issue and politics are at  
> hand
> here!

My response to this would be to just leave it alone. If someone wants  
to pick a fight, just go elsewhere. I know this might not sound  
satisfacory for you but there are lots of unmapped places in Greece  
and Turkey that deserve attention, and where you're unlikely to stir  
up political issues by mapping them.

Maps have always had a political component and sooner or later we ar  
going to have a lot of trouble with situations like this, and such  
local mapping conflicts can easily lead to ill-tempered vandalism all  
over the place. What we'll need, in the end, to do everyone justice  
is the option of opening up "parallel universes" in our database so  
that if someone downloads Cyprus a requester pops up saying "do you  
want the Greek or the Turkish world view?". But that is still far away.

In the mean time I would try to steer away from any kind of conflict.

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00.09' E008°23.33'