[OSM-talk] New Proposed Feature: Tagging the age and duration of existence of features

[Lester Caine]

Peter Dörrie wrote:
> Hi everybody,
> 
> I made a proposal for tagging "the 4th dimension". Hope you like it ;)
> 
> http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/4th_Dimension

I've put a note on that talk page, but I think this needs to be opened 
up a bit, since it IS quite an important area.

Should the database ONLY contain currently existing mapping information? 
That is the area that is getting a 'no' on the 4th_Dimension page 
although it is not actually WORDED in that way! (Hence my comment there 
about a poll not being appropriate - it's the wrong question?)

There are two types of history being generated as we go along, the 
history of when information is added and updated, but also now, the 
history of CHANGES to an area, which from my own point of view is MORE 
important than simply mapping the current situation. Roads and other POI 
that exist in today's map have been recorded, and the information is 
accurate. Should we then simply wipe that history because an area has 
been flattened and remodelled? Surely it is not beyond the whit of man 
to simply hide that material from those users who do not want to see it 
- deleting it just seems like an act of vandalism :(

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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