OSM bits...

[Colin McGregor]

Recently there was a discussion going on the Toronto Linux user group
list about  about which GPS to get (with Open Street Map stuff in
mind). Likewise outside the meeting proper at the last Unix Unanimous
meeting one of the people mentioned he was interested in getting into
Open Street Map but didn't have a GPS.

This of course all misses a key point, for a lot of Open Street Map
contributions, you don't need a GPS, and it is becoming less critical
to have a GPS.

Already much of Toronto has been mapped. Much of the mapping came off
aerial photos, so one has a street grid without street names. Just
printing off a map of an area which doesn't have street names, then
going, collecting the names off road signs, then entering those names
would be a great help. Further, there is a lot of room for additions,
like where are the houses of worship, or schools, or fast food places,
or arts centres or ... in an area. Toronto's downtown core is fairly
well covered already, but as you get away from the core the room for
improvement increases...

A few months ago a deal was reached between the Canadian government
and the Open Street Map people. The agreements gives OSM access to /
permission to use the government's GeoBase geographic database. This
weekend is the first test import of that data, for the moment just the
town of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Still, in the not too distant future
all the streets known to the federal government will be visible in
Open Street Map.

Problems, well, there are areas where the GeoBase is known to be
incomplete. For example, GeoBase has streets, roads etc. for Ontario,
it does not have street names. Street names is information that will
need to be collected and entered. Likewise all the amenities will need
to be entered. A lot of work still to be done...much of which will not
required a GPS.

There will still be some data were a GPS will be important, like,
hiking trails, but these will be the exception not the rule, soon for
Canada.

Colin.
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