[OSM-talk] License/CT issues: Let's not punish the world's disadvantaged, pls.

[Jaakko Helleranta.com]

Hi all,

This may well be my first post to the talk list so let me very briefly
introduce myself.

I started mapping with OSM beginning of 2008 as what I'd say mostly a
"vacation/travel mapper" + mapping some home corners -- that is, until the
earth quake in Haiti last year.

The quake spiked my interest to OSM and was part of the reason why I ended
up moving here last September (working on something else but using a good
chunk of my time on OSM).

But to go to the point:

Browsing a little with the new license status option of Potlatch 2.2 I'm
seeing unfortunately lot of red on the map (and some orange, too).

So what?

As I suggest in the subject line: I'd really love us not to punish the
world's disadvantaged with our license/CT disagreements.

The thing is that what many have reported and what I've seen first hand OSM
has made and keeps on making a clearly positive difference not only in
crisis response but also in peoples' everyday lives for growing numbers of
people especially in countries like Haiti.

While I fully respect everybody's decision to do (including allow not to do)
what ever they want with their contributions I want to raise a
thought/question (in case no one has before) that it would be an awful shame
if we'd have to trash as much data from OSM, the _only_ good map of Haiti!,
as the coloring of the map implies, eih?

So, two things:

1) I want to ask if it's possible to allow (and then persuade! :) users that
have declined to the license / CTs as well as those that are still undecided
and are leaning to not allowing to allow OSM to continue using their data
for specific areas (without them having to "fully accept" the change)?
I'm thinking humanitarian crisis areas but this could be extended in
whatever ways.
But to make my real point clear I want to re-articulate my thought:

This is, in some areas, a clear humanitarian issue and can be a matter of
life or death (as it has been in Haiti - and a number of other areas).

2) Big thanks to Ed Loach for the idea of contacting the undecided and Don
Campbell for keeping the thread floating (which is only when it really sunk
to my head). I'll definitely use this to try to persuade some decliners (but
only after I hopefully hear thoughts to the 1st point) ... and hope that we
have enough time to do this before any purging of data begins!

To conclude my post I want to warmly and deeply thank _everyone_ (regardless
of what you think of the license issue / CTs) who has been contributing to
OSM and creating this incredible project -- and changing the world while at
it! I've talked with so many people that have absolutely amazed and
incredibly thankful for the OSM community contribution in Haiti that I've
lost track a long ago. Most heart-warming have been those that have had a
more direct and "crucial" benefit from OSM (as in soon after the quake) but
there have been so many others ranging from business owners who can to
private people who can -- first time ever -- to give perfect directions to
exactly where they are; and all other kinds. It's really uplifting.

And that in mind, please let's not allow minor -- or even major! --
differences in our opinions to harm the thing that I understand really at
the bottom of things unites us: the desire will to create an (as) Open (as
possible) map of the world.

Cheers from Haiti,
-Jaakko
http://osm.org/user/jaakkoh
--
jaakko at helleranta.com * Skype: jhelleranta * Mobile: +509-37-269154  *
http://go.hel.cc/MyProfile
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/attachments/20110622/5bbd607a/attachment-0001.html>