[OSM-talk] Long tail challenges - was: Re: Bitcoin Spam

[Martin Koppenhoefer]

2013/12/4 Frederik Ramm <frederik at remote.org>

> I'm wary of such POIs where the location may be correct but of no
> interest. If they are a mail-order firm or a spiritual movement and
> place a POI at their registered address for the sole purpose of getting
> their name and telephone number and Facebook URL and Google+ URL and
> E-Mail and web site into some kind of dictionary, but if you went to the
> actual location you'd not be able to conduct any business or even find
> more than a mailbox, then I'd say they shouldn't have a place in OSM.
>
> I agree it's a grey area - there might be a "restaurant" that *only*
> does delivery and if you go there you can't buy anything.
>


There are many businesses where you can't go and buy something, but still
they should be in OSM. Think of a car manufacturer, you can't go there and
buy a car. Or stuff like this: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/235518330

I agree with Jaakko, if there is an office or it is their official address,
this is not "spam". Yes, the information is not complete and not as
detailed and structured as an experienced mapper would enter it, but have a
look at your second example: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2523904649

      <tag k="name" v="Noosphere Ltd, Computer Repair"/>
      <tag k="note" v="Computer Repair Services"/>
      <tag k="payment:bitcoin" v="yes"/>
      <tag k="phone" v="1-216-459-1994"/>
      <tag k="website" v="http://www.noospherecomputers.com"/>

besides the bitcoin tag there is a name, a website, a phone number and a
human readable note. Clicking on the website you'll also get an adress
(housenumber).




Still, knowing
> the restaurant is next door might be an interesting information for you
> if you want food delivered hot. But why should our geo-database have the
> location of a desk from which someone coordinates food deliveries for
> people who order something on his web page, a location that is
> completely irrelevant to the business conducted and just serves as an
> anchor point for storing addresses and contact information?
>


it is not completely irrelevant for a geographic database to see where
businesses are located, even if they do not serve as POIs to navigate to.



>
> > Anyways. I think that having more people contribute - including people
> > whose main (primary) interest is to add only their business is good
>
> Reason I was concerned in this case is that I had the impression that
> what these people saw as "adding their business to Coinmap" was not
> really the same as what we see as "adding a business to OpenStreetMap",
> but piggy-backed process wise.
>


I hope with the time they will find out that putting more detailed
structured information will increase their visibility. One reason for not
setting a detailed shop or office value might also be that often we don't
have something fitting at hand. E.g. there are currently some poor 22
shop=computer_repair in the osm globe.

cheers,
Martin
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