[OSM-talk] Microvolunteering - interesting opportunity for low barrier OSM contribution

Ed Avis eda at waniasset.com
Thu Jun 18 13:42:43 BST 2009


OJ W <ojwlists <at> googlemail.com> writes:

>Perhaps openstreetbugs (or whatever issue-tracking system we end up
>with) could have an "ask for help" option that would publish a
>question for Extraordinaries to answer by visiting the location?

Yes - the bug report would need to be one that's understandable to newcomers and
reasonably specific.

Good: At what point does Major Road change name to Minor Road?
      What is the exact location of this post box?

Bad: This road is one-way [a request to update OSM database, not to survey]
     Need to map this area [too general]
     Don't know what this means [a question about the database not the real world]

The 'Bad' things are quite valid bugs but they aren't something to push out to
low-level contributors.  So OpenStreetBugs would need a box to tick 'this bug is
a simple query about the real world'.

Further, the low-level volunteer could just type in their reply rather than be
expected to use Potlatch etc.  (We can get them addicted to that later!)  Then
a more advanced OSM contributor would see the question and answer in
OpenStreetBugs and update the database.

-- 
Ed Avis <eda at waniasset.com>





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