[OSM-talk] Import guidelines & OSMF/DWG governance

[Lester Caine]

Marc Sibert wrote:
> Again, I'm not a vandal : I do not detroy any work (and nobody complains about
> that), I just "update" data (replace), that is not the point why my account was
> blocked !
>
> So, what have you done in my case ?

It is your opinion that you have not destroyed any work, but this is one of the 
major complaints about this type of import process. The EXISTING data has been 
destroyed, and that is historic data that is now lost. When a new import comes 
out will you again destroy this one and upload the new one? If some one has gone 
through and added all the missing address and other details how will you link 
that to the new import? Are you sure that no one has added some extra data which 
has been delete this time?

What is missing with this type of import is any mechanism to link to the past 
history and THAT is my complaint and one of the points of the guide line - you 
have destroyed data - just as you have with other edits you have done where you 
have deleted objects with several years history and replaced them with a new 
object.

What we need in order to PROPERLY import this data is a unique ID for each 
element in the source data that is maintained by the originator of the data, so 
that when an 'update' arrives, the new data can be correctly matched to that 
already contained in the OSM database.

OK I know there are a lot of people who thing that think that the history has no 
place in the database, but in 50 years time it would be nice to back to 2010 and 
see what buildings existed, and what buildings were added by 2012. The 
information WAS in the database last month and isn't now :(

So with regards the 'import guidelines' do you still think you have complied 
with them? In some peoples eyes you probably have, but in others some useful 
historic data has been lost. I'm in the second camp ...

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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