[OSM-talk] [OSM-newbies] GPS Trace ownership

[Mike Collinson]

At 10:47 AM 15/10/2008, Richard Fairhurst wrote:
>Moved from newbies@ to talk@, followups to talk at .
>
>James Ewen wrote:
>
>> In this part of the world, the best
>> way I have found to collect road data is to drive the road, convert
>> the track to locked ways, cut the track into small segments that
>> Potlatch will convert, tie them all back together, and finally connect
>> any intersections that might exist.
>> [...]
>> In a similar fashion, I find myself wanting to know the source of the
>> GPS trace that runs through an area where I would like to fix up the
>> highway.
>>
>> http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/11997267
>>
>> Allan Rasmussen has traced out Highway 93 by hand from low resolution
>> imagery, but someone has driven the highway and uploaded a GPS trace
>> which describes the true course of the highway in greater detail and
>> accuracy. If I could find the GPS trace, I could convert it into a
>> locked way, and from there create a better description of highway 93
>> for inclusion in the OSM database.
>> [...]
>> I do not see how privacy concerns can be an issue either. The
>> information collected has been voluntarily uploaded and inserted into
>> the OSM database by the user, only the final step of converting the
>> raw data into OSM ways has not been completed.
>
>To recap:
>
>James would like an option in Potlatch to be able to convert public  
>GPS data from the database into a way. At present, of course, you can  
>do that with a GPS track from the list by clicking the 'edit' link  
>alongside; but if you don't know what track it is, yet you can see it  
>on the map, you're a bit stuck.
>
>I personally wouldn't have a problem with implementing this and would  
>find it useful. However, privacy concerns have often been raised about  
>This Sort Of Thing. I'd be interested to hear people's views.

A personal opinion of course, but for me the privacy thing can go Too Far.  Any security issues should be dealt with by the person uploading the data and there is a choice whether to click the Public button. After that free as in beer and liberty I say, the more use made of them the better. So thumbs up from me. 

[Me, I'll still stick to manual tracing though but I am sure there is something Amazingly Wonderful to be done with our huge accumulating library of GPS tracks, still thinking though.]

Mike