[OSM-talk] Relation/Routes and Hikes in open Country

[Andy Allan]

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 2:56 AM,  <simon at mungewell.org> wrote:
> Hi all,
> I'm working on importing another set of tracks, see:
> http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Bob_Spirko
>
> I've done a couple of Relation/Routes and wanted some feedback on whether
> this is the right way, or if not what is....
> http://www.openstreetmap.org/api/0.5/relation/18321
> http://www.openstreetmap.org/api/0.5/relation/18323
>
> Also these hikes are in open country (follow URL link to see pictures of
> very beautiful mountains), so it's unlikely that exactly the same route
> will be followed each time. What is a good rule of thumb for marking
> these?

Wow, I'm totally jealous of the landscape.

However, I don't think marking these as "routes" is appropriate. For
cycle routes we have the rough description that "Cycle routes are
named or numbered or otherwise signed routes, which may go along roads
or dedicated cycle paths. ". I don't see anything objective in some
guy's opinion of a way to get up and down a hill. If any random
collection of paths counts as a personal "route" then I would be able
to create routes all over my neighbourhood along the lines of

<tag k="type" v="route"/>
<tag k="operator" v="Andy Allan"/>
<tag k="route" v="foot"/>
<tag k="name" v="Andy Allan's way to the shops, this time using Main
Street instead of Oxford Road"/>

... and the whole idea of routes being objective, signed etc flies out
the window. For comparison, the foot routes around London that I've
been rendering are all officially signed. There is a right and a wrong
since there is evidence on the ground, and there is an "operator"
since a local authority is responsible for them. So it's not
subjective in any way.

If you want to mark them in using relations, please find tags other
than type=route, route=foot in order to distinguish them from real
objective routes. And this guy doesn't "operate" them in any sense of
the word, so I'd ask you to avoid that tag also.

Cheers,
Andy