[OSM-talk] Was the deletion of Null Island reasonable?

[Brian M. Sperlongano]

While we're on the topic, there are a number of other named geographic
reference features that are far more noteworthy that ought to be included
if we're including null island, and also they're currently missing from OSM:

* The Equator
* The Prime Meridian and Antimeridian
* The Arctic and Antarctic circles
* The Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

Each of these objects are easily modeled as a two-node way so they would
add vanishingly little space to the database.  Clearly each of these are
far more notable than null island.

If we restore Null Island, I'm sure nobody would object to adding these as
well?

Also, we might consider mapping the magnetic north and south poles.  Sure
they drift a bit, but very slowly.  In fact the circles and tropics drift a
bit too, but since we implemented the continental drift correction factor a
few Aprils ago, it would be trivial to add these objects as well.  As an
added bonus, the magnetic poles are surveyable by any mapper willing to
brave the cold!

The International Date Line is definitely out, since that ties to time
zones, and we don't like time zones in OSM.

While we're at it, we might as well go ahead and map each of the numbered
parallels and meridians.  After all, they have a name, and are even notable
enough for Wikipedia articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_parallel_north

Even with this grid of lat/lon lines, it still only adds a bit over 500 new
ways to the database, which is hardly any in the grand scheme of things.
Whomever maps the forty-ninth parallel north should take special care not
to "glue" nodes on the US/Canada border to the parallel - the survey is not
exact and some of the boundary markers are a few feet off in either
direction, and of course, dropping a node on that way that's even a single
bit off would defeat the purpose of having a way exactly on the line of
latitude.

On Sun, Jan 9, 2022 at 7:50 PM Martin Koppenhoefer <dieterdreist at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> > On 10 Jan 2022, at 00:20, stevea <steveaOSM at softworkers.com> wrote:
> >
> > I'll say two things about this again:  first, Null Island is "OSM's zero
> point," the point from which all other references in our ENTIRE MAP start
> and derive.  That alone makes it "somewhat important" (to OSM), at least:
> it is unique and in a sense "a part of" every single place that OSM
> represents as data.
>
>
> agreed the origin is important, but as it is intrinsic, I do not see a
> need to add a node there. On the other hand, it is just a single node, in
> an area where it isn’t really interfering with anything, that’s why it
> could easily be tolerated despite being pointless as an object.
>
>
> Cheers Martin
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>
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