[OSM-talk] WMF: "Interactive maps, now in your language"

[Christoph Hormann]

On Friday 29 June 2018, Andy Mabbett wrote:
> New Wikimedia Foundation blog post:
>
>   
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/06/28/interactive-maps-now-in-your-la
>nguage/

In the past i have been only slightly annoyed by Wikimedia people 
failing to understand or to accept the idea behind OpenStreetMap 
(mapping the world based on information verifiable on the ground) and 
as a result of that failing the make the right choices for rendering 
maps based on OSM data in different languages - despite compentent 
advise being given from the OSM community on multiple occasions.

But now i am starting to get seriously angry by the demonstrative 
rejection of OSM values and the completely undisguised suggestion to 
abuse the OSM database for the special interests of the WMF.

So to be very clear:

* adding non-verifiable name translations (verifiability being 
understood according to OSM principles, not those of Wikipedia) to OSM 
features from any source against better knowledge or after being asked 
not to is vandalism.  So what the linked to blog post calls for is 
vandalizing OSM since Joe Matazzoni cannot claim he is unaware of this 
(plenty of past discussion here and elsewhere i could point to).

* adding information from Wikidata to OSM is not acceptable - both due 
to quality issues (Wikidata is not subject to the verifiability rules 
of OSM) and due to copyright (the vague claim of CC0 does not in any 
way ensure that the data is free of third party rights).

What really angers me about this is that this kind of abuse of OSM is 
technically completely unnecessary.  You could easily use name data 
from Wikidata in your maps and ask your followers to enter their name 
translations into Wikidata instead of OSM.  To say none of the 
explanations i would have for that behaviour is particularly flattering 
is an understatement.

-- 
Christoph Hormann
http://www.imagico.de/