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

80n 80n80n at gmail.com
Mon Mar 9 20:24:25 GMT 2009


On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 8:11 PM, Ulf Lamping <ulf.lamping at googlemail.com>wrote:

> Russ Nelson schrieb:
> > 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.
> >
>
> Hmmm, maybe surveyors are not compatible with OSM then :-)
>
>
> "Simply holding a GPS receiver does not give someone authority." That's
> perfectly true. But we're not searching for authorative reference. If
> they want to have an "authoritive database", OSM is probably the wrong
> place to look at!
>

The problem with GPS toting mappers is that they will often believe their
GPS tracks are at least as accurate as those used for all the other data in
OSM, so there's a strong temptation to move things around a bit based on the
information they have to hand - I know, I've done it.

What's needed here is not an immutable=yes tag but rather a couple of tags
source=DEC and accuracy=definitive which will give GPS toting mappers the
information they need to know that the data in OSM is likely to be more
accurate that their GPS.  They can then take an informed view about whether
or not to mess with it.

80n




>
> OSM is about to have a *free* database. Saying "your not allowed to
> change the data" is *not* a free database as I understand it.
>
>
> I would like to see that data included, but if this sacrifies the
> principles of OSM, I'd say thanks, but no thanks!
>
> Regards, ULFL
>
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