[OSM-talk] Local knowledge (was: Could we just pause any wikidata edits for a month or two?)

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

On 25.10.2017 08:22, Tomas Straupis wrote:
> Yuri later tried to change the whole theme from "osm-wikidata-sql
> tool" to "new general qa tool" in the same thread.

And now into "is local knowledge really always necessary". I'm sure
before too long Yuri will be starting to discuss whether what we see is
really there, or perhaps just an imagination, and explain to us that we
can't prove either way.

The answer to the "local knowledge" issue is this: Local knowledge comes
in shades. Someone who hasn't been to a particular street but lives in
the same city can certainly make a better guess about things than
someone who lives in the same country but in another city; and that
person's assessment about something will still be better than that of a
third person who doesn't speak the language and lives a continent away.

Local knowledge nearly always beats "common sense" applied by someone
from far away. The person from far away *might* change "Thomas Eddison
Street" to "Thomas Edison Street" based on general knowledge, but then
if the local person says "no, it really says Eddison on the street sign"
then that's what it is.

But even in the absence of a particular objection from someone local,
many in OSM take a dim view of "gardening" in areas where you don't even
know the language or culture. It is much too easy to make mistakes.

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00'09" E008°23'33"