[OSM-talk] Check use of OpenStreetMap logo/name/fame

[Mario Frasca]

On 17/02/2020 17:10, Simon Poole wrote:
> it would be really nice if the community was
> equally upset about misusing the OpenStreetMap brand and marks by so
> many other organisations with the goal of  profiting from OSMs popularity

oh, this reminds me of something!

the community is aware of the misuse of the name "OSM" for promoting 
mapping activities which have very little to do with OSM?  I'm referring 
to, for example, courses where you learn mapping with QGIS, or whatever, 
using all sources available, and which culminate with a final step of 
exporting the produce into OSM.  and we volunteering our time for OSM 
realizing about these activities when they are closed and finished and 
abandoned, and we may clean up their mess.

in one case where I managed to get in touch **before** the start of the 
activity, I advised following OSM norms and respecting OSM values, and I 
hinted to make a start by informing the OSM database about the locations 
of their institution, as shown on a Google-based map.  I got this 
literal answer:

»Primeramente en ese mapa no se uso información de OSM. Pero ya veo que 
en este grupo usted Mario es un burócrata.«

(obviously, the guy did not understand I was not alerting them against 
using OSM data, I was hinting at putting their data into OSM, and 
against importing data from Google into OSM.)

That was in David, Chiriquí, Panamá.  The group had performed various 
exports to OSM, some have been rolled back (they explicitly mentioned 
Google as a source of data), and they shut all communication with me and 
the Panama OSM Telegram group. "Our" people in David could not care 
less, and I personally have not been able to contact them any more, and 
I'm not sure what they now do to promote their courses to the local 
university (couple of hundreds km from where I reside currently).  the 
OSM logo was part of their strategy.  (oh, and something similar happens 
occasionally from the University of Panama, Panama City.)

The events flow I observed:

- individuals interested in GIS form a group

- they can give an introductory GIS course

- they want to sell their time to a local university

- they use the name OSM to sell it better

- the local university professors know nothing about OSM, or don't care

- everything is agreed upon, prepared and executed, outside OSM

- they complete the activity on OSM: opening accounts, uploading data, 
celebrating, all the same day,

- they disappear until the next year, where new people will use new 
accounts.

what could go better according to me:

- we were more active promoting OSM, its existence, its strong values 
and the few resulting norms.  I'm not so sure how.  opening some 
preferential communication channel?  who can do that?

in the cases I observed, I should have contacted the institutions 
involved (as I tried to do), and should have reached the responsible 
departments (which I did not manage), with some sort of authority (which 
I do not have).

or I don't know.

can we black-list IP addresses from which such unchecked activities came in?

but yes, this is much more of an issue to me, than a antifa logo.

bests to all, and happy mapping,

MF