[OSM-talk] Why OpenStreetMap is not Wikipedia

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

> For the last few months I've been wondering if OSM isn't more of a
> software project than a database.

An interesting aspect.

It is very likely that none of the data we collect now will still be 
used 20 years from now, because by then everything is so networked and 
fully automatic and we have high resolution satellite images of 
everywhere etc. etc. - will I then sit there and think it was all for 
naught? Surely not, because the availability of free data *now* makes 
sure that the market value of geodata goes down (makes ist more likely 
that government agencies will provide them free), and also encourages 
people to develop interesting techniques and software to work with that 
data.

So in a way, it is possible that the database we are creating is just a 
placeholder for future free geodatabases, and will be scrapped once a 
better data source becomes available. But what we (collectively) learn 
and develop working with OSM is very likely to still be of value even if 
our data isn't any more.

But that whole argument is a bit theoretical, I wouldn't talk like that 
in public... the press will only quote the wrong parts ("Ramm: OSM 
basically worthless!").

Bye
Frederik