[OSM-talk] Policy in mapping military installations

Martin Koppenhoefer dieterdreist at gmail.com
Sun Aug 26 11:02:25 BST 2012


2012/8/24 Gregory <nomoregrapes at googlemail.com>:
> I agree with the rules:
> * Don't get shot
> * "On the ground" rule


+1, I'd extend this to "do not get arrested", "do not get fined", "do
not break local law" (where local is referring to the country from
which the mapper is operating, not the country which he is mapping).


> If you walk past a building that says "Toy Factory" but everyone knows it is
> a secret military base because of the armed guards. You map it as a toy
> factory.


-1, you might map the sign as "toy factory" (maybe I am
misinterpreting what you said? I never met a building that "said"
something ;-) ) but if _on the ground_ it is a military installation
and you ("everyone") know about this, mapping it as a toy factory
would be plain wrong and also a violation of the on the ground rule.


> If it has signs around it saying "Military Property: do not enter". then you
> can map it as landuse=military, even if you don't know what it is or what's
> in it.


you might map it like this if it is not forbidden in your country to
do so (but in many/most countries it will indeed be forbidden to map
military installations).


> I have mapped a whole golf course within a military site(UK), but I know
> that to be easy to see from the public road, so not a threat to national
> security http://osm.org/go/erUlTzkI


I guess that in many jurisdictions it would be less safe to map
something that you can only see from the public road (i.e. locally) in
respect to something you can derive from an aerial image publicly
available (i.e. globally).


> If these areas are mapped it's helpful so you can avoid hiking through them.


usually there would be measures taken to prevent you from hiking
through those areas anyway ;-)

cheers,
Martin



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