[OSM-talk] OSM mobile editor

[elvin ibbotson]

> From: Nick Whitelegg <Nick.Whitelegg at solent.ac.uk>
> Date: 26 August 2008 15:32:23 BDT
> To: talk at openstreetmap.org
> Subject: [OSM-talk] OSM mobile editor
>
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> Was thinking of a few ideas for an OSM mobile editor which could  
> work as
> follows:
>
> * Ability to allow user in the field to add new attributes to a way  
> (e.g.
> road name if it's missing, or one way) or correct existing attributes.
> * Allow a user to add new POIs.
> * Could work by either downloading OSM data live from the server  
> (though
> this would have problem of being relatively expensive for the user)  
> or by
> the user preloading OSM data to the phone before they go out.
> * Allows user to add annotations to Openstreetbugs (e.g. "missing  
> footpath
> here")
> * Because the inbuilt GPS in phones is not as good as dedicated  
> devices,
> it would not be a priority to develop features to allow surveying  
> of new
> ways. However this could be built in, in preparation for inbuilt  
> mobile
> GPS improving in the future.
> * Java ME based for maximum cross platform support.
>
> Does this seem like a good approach?  As can be seen the idea is  
> not so
> much to allow addition of new ways (due to the inbuilt GPS on  
> phones not
> being great) but more to add POIs and tags to existing ways. If  
> there's
> interest and - more crucially - if I have the time (always  
> difficult!) I
> could start work on it.
>
> Nick


I think there is a role for an application like this - working with  
OSM data in the field. I certainly agree with using Java ME and the  
impressive processing power of mobile phones. I would take issue,  
though, with the comments on inbuilt GPS in phones. I now have a Sony  
Ericsson W760 with built-in GPS and it is not as good as my Bluetooth  
GPS receiver, but is much ore convenient. Other phones, such as the  
Nokia N95, have internal GPS with very good performance, and almost  
all phones have Bluetooth and can be used with small, cheap Bluetooth  
GPS devices. My own application, mom, can be used to view OSM maps  
and to collect GPX tracklogs, and I believe it is every bit as  
suitable for this as any consumer GPS device. Performance is  
obviously dependent on satellite disposition, nearby trees and  
buildings and weather, but I regularly see accuracy in the 5 to 10m  
range - perfectly addequate for most OSM surveying. But of course  
there is already a phone application for collecting tracklogs and  
viewing maps, so concentrating on using and editing data is probably  
the right approach.

elvin ibbotson



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