[OSM-talk] to all potlatch and JOSM users - automatic simplification of geometry

[Liz]

On Mon, 10 Aug 2009, Nop wrote:
> Some people mentioned that the default settings of these tools are very
> agressive - this is true and a more lenient approach might produce much
> better results. But then, I have not seen any options to change this (in
> JOSM).
>
It was in "advanced preferences". Can't find it right now

> But on the other hand, there's some areas where you need those tools.
> During my mapping I have found two areas where the way were hideously
> over-defined. When ways have 10 or 20 times more nodes than required to
> show their none-too-complex form or when nodes are set in 2m distances
> it appears that someone has just uploaded raw GPS traces. This makes
> those areas nearly unusable as even a very modest bounding box will
> exeed the 50k nodes limit. In these cases, simplify way is your good
> friend.
>
I concur
I found about 350 -400 km of highway uploaded (twice) with points at one per 
second at 100kmh travel speed
Once uploaded and made into a way, and then the way deleted without removing 
the points, then uploaded again
and while we have editors that allow that sort of default behaviour, then we 
need simplifying tools


> Eventually, in an anarchic open source society like OSM you can't take
> away a tool anyway, so don't even try. But it is definitely worth
> refining and pointing out proper and improper uses.