[OSM-talk] Abandoned Rails

[Mateusz Konieczny]

On Wed, 2 Sep 2015 08:08:45 -0500
Paul Johnson <baloo at ursamundi.org> wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 7:22 PM, Russ Nelson <nelson at crynwr.com> wrote:
> 
> > Too bad for that guy that he didn't check OpenStreetMap first,
> > because there was an abandoned railroad mapped in his back yard.
> > Now that the trail has been built, he has a fence about 5' behind
> > his house. I can't imagine he's happy now.
> >
> 
> Wait, what?  I understand that OSM does incorporate *some* cadastre
> data, such as is the case for situations where it makes more sense to
> map out a landuse=* parcel and give it the appropriate name and
> access tags. However, attempting to use OSM as a substitute for using
> the official cadastre from the county clerk, land office or other
> regional equivalent for landuse planning regarding legal encroachment
> would be woefully ill-advised.  This is something you really want to
> hire a licensed surveyor to stake out your legal property lines on
> and not just guess.  Or you're likely to build a swimming pool in the
> middle of an abandoned railroad that's being converted into a
> cycleway.

And "abandoned railway" that was not noticed by somebody in his/her
own back yard seems to be a good example of object that should not be
mapped in OSM.