[OSM-talk] immutable=yes Fwd: DEC Lands

[Russ Nelson]

On Mar 9, 2009, at 3:07 PM, Matthew Toups wrote:
>  If we can't change the data, what's the point of having it in OSM?

Having consistent metadata and a consistent single-source API.

>>> On what bases would someone with no formal training, no legal deed
>>> description, or survey map have to determine if a State boundary is
>>> correct or incorrect. Simply holding a GPS receiver does not give
>>> someone authority.
>
> This sounds like many arguments against wikipedia -- of *course* only
> highly trained professionals should be allowed to edit an  
> encyclopedia!

Note his title: Surveyors get VERY VERY grumpy whenever they hear that  
people with a GPS receiver are using it for positional recording.   
VERY grumpy.

> We can't change what OSM is all about just because somebody else (who
> happens to have some geodata we might want to import) doesn't like it!


You're arguing that we shouldn't change OSM because we can change OSM??

--
Russ Nelson - http://community.cloudmade.com/blog - http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:RussNelson
russ at cloudmade.com - http://openstreetmap.org/user/RussNelson