[OSM-talk] OSM is a right mess (was: Craigslist OpenStreetMap Rendering Issue)

[Lester Caine]

On 03/06/15 12:57, Janko Mihelić wrote:
> Yes, we need semantic meaning and structure, but I still don't
> understand how do two strings help you with that. Key and value can only
> help someone who is digging through a xml file to quickly help
> themselves. But the true meaning of a k=v combination is in our wiki.
> The structure is also in our wiki, and hopefully in a future wikibase.
> If we are depending on a combination of two strings to give our data
> structure and meaning, we are in a lot of trouble.

I don't see how you can do anything else. Some keys have many values and
those values have a different meaning when attached to a different key.
The key is an element for grouping sub-sets of values or for identifying
just what a number or date applies to, and elements like 'name', 'ref',
'id' identify free format data and how it fits into the data model. *I*
don't see how you can do away with a pair of strings as the base
structure. Yes a few keys can be used without a value, but the major
number of items require a value of some sort to go with the key.

PERSONALLY I would prefer that keys that have a well defined list of
values were stored as a simple number ... then the table used to display
them as text can simply be a version in the correct language for the
user! But far too many of these keys also have values which are not in
the 'approved' list. Enforcing the approved set may have some
advantages, but it is still a list of k/v tags. And on can add ANY
key/value data to that list.

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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