[OSM-talk] Proposed new status for tags in the wiki: "import" for undiscussed tags that were only used by an import

[Joseph Eisenberg]

Unlike some of those who responded, I was not intending this status to
be a "mark of shame", but rather informative.

As mentioned, some imported tags like "gnis:feature_id=*" are useful
to keep the Openstreetmap database object directly linked to an object
in an external database.

That's why I am not suggesting the use of "deprecated" or "obsolete",
since these tags should not necessarily be removed.

The main reason to mark them is so that mappers and database users
will understand where the tag came from, and it may suggest that
mappers will not want to add these tags to objects in the future,
unless they are also importing features from the same source.

Besides the tags mentioned above, I was thinking about tags like
"object:postcode=" and "object:housenumber" - this tag is only used in
Germany on "highway=street_lamp" features which appear to have been
imported mostly in 2015: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:object
and see taghistory:
https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/object:postcode/ and

So, though the usage numbers are moderately high, it is helpful to
know that these tags are not really being used, except in that
particular context. Apparently it makes sense in the context of the
addressing system there, at least according to the mappers who
imported the objects.

If a tag which was first used in an imported then becomes popular and
used frequently by. mappers for new or updated features, then it could
change to "in use" or even "de facto", just like a "draft" or
"proposed" tag can change status due to usage over time.

So, just like the status "draft", the status "import" would be a hint
for mappers and database users, but would not suggest that the tag
needs to be removed, and it might change status in the future based on
use by mappers.

-- Joseph Eisenberg

On 3/18/20, Jmapb <jmapb at gmx.com> wrote:
> On 3/17/2020 10:52 AM, Wayne Emerson, Jr. via talk wrote:
>> However, among your examples you cite "gnis:feature_id=*" The wiki
>> page for this key notes:
>> "Unlike other imported tags such as gnis:created=* and
>> gnis:import_uuid=*, gnis:feature_id=* is meaningful beyond the import.
>> In fact, some mappers actively add gnis:feature_id=* to features to
>> cite a verifiable source for the POI's existence or its name."
>
> Agree with clemency for gnis:feature_id -- it's handy to be able to
> crossreference features with the GNIS database, which you can search by
> feature id here: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:1:0:::::
>
> J
>
>
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