[OSM-talk] [Fwd: Re: [CrisisMappers] FW: I NEED SUPPLIES NOW/ Location of Functioning Hospital : OSM PIPELINE SUGGESTED !]

[Jean-Guilhem Cailton]

Iván

It was my understanding that OSM may not have been originally designed 
with this in mind. (And my wording and typing may be awkward after the 
little sleep I have had in the past week.) Yet it makes it possible, 
easy and quick. And with all the maps/apps build on it, someone will 
quickly make this look good.

Of course, people who develop special apps will know better whether this 
idea can be useful for them.

But, for example, the message about the Milot hospital being waiting for 
patients had already been forwarded to the CrisisMappers list several 
days ago. And it was last sent again this morning...

If someone had thought about this possibility the first time, the info 
could have been on OSM map 5 minutes later. And with the growing uses 
that OSM is experiencing, someone in a relevant logistic place would 
have been bound to pick it up. Especially if they had been warned of 
this possibility.

Every time I listen to a news flash, I hear that logistics in Haiti is a 
nightmare.

So please do not reject a usage that could turn out to be useful just 
because you consider that OSM was "not designed for it".

 From a technical point of view, this kind of info weighs nothing 
compared with the imagery and cartographic data that OSM is handling. 
But from a relief point of view, it may be vital.

So I'd say : if everybody is needing a central billboard where they can 
pin their localized notes themselves, why not let it be known that OSM 
can do it ? Especially if they already have it with them on their GPS or 
iPhones...

And let people decide whether it is useful for them or not.

Regards,

Jean-Guilhem

"OSM, the Wikipedia of Maps"


Iván Sánchez Ortega a écrit :
> El Viernes, 22 de Enero de 2010, Jean-Guilhem Cailton escribió:
>   
>> What do you think of this suggestion folks ?
>>
>> I haven't taken the time to see whether this use of the database to
>> forward help requests is mentioned anywhere on OSM wiki.
>>     
>
> Well, OSM was never designed as a note-passing platform. OSM is meant to 
> represent the physical features of a base map, i.e. "what's on the ground 
> right now".
>
> If you want to add requests for whatever, I'd say "go to ushaidi".
>
>
> (Anyway, there is going to be a laaaarge amount of OSM training to be done 
> when this crisis is over)
>
> Cheers,
>   

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