[OSM-talk] Nominatim weakness

[Lester Caine]

On 14/12/15 09:00, Maarten Deen wrote:
> IMHO it is a programming error on the account of importance. No amount
> of importance could be so great that local results get flooded and
> pushed down so much in importance.
> In the Netherlands there is one Starbucks I believe (Schiphol Airport)
> and even standing at that location does not return it in the search.

Now I can see both sides of this debate.

If I am looking for POI's near by it is a different search to asking to
find say 'Starbucks, Birmingham' and having the focus change to the
selected result. As a new user I'm just as likely to put in my home
location and select it as I am to look for something adjacent when the
map is not already centred on my location. ASSUMING that the computer IS
defaulting to one's physical location is a mistake.

*I* use the search to find places that are not 'within range' and can
then make an educated guess at wanting 'Birmingham, UK' over one of the
American alternatives, and having selected Birmingham, UK, a search for
Starbucks, Birmingham, UK fine tunes the results.

That is not to say that options for 'near by' would not be useful, but
just that 'importance' is difficult to gauge if you don't know what the
user expects to see?

(An the pigging change of motorway colour really does not help a new
user in the UK! One can not readily distinguish the motorways around
Birmingham)

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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