I agree that real conflicts are quite rare. So I am not even really sure
if they cause for the duplicates we've seen. Some of the duplicates I
came across when mapping Padang were untagged ways - for me a strong
indication that a newbie had mapped this. This typically came down to
really only a few users.
The chance for a conflict is typically rather small. Also the tasking
manager helps besides dividing the project in individual tasks: You can
see where somebody is at work. So it's probably a good idea to keep some
distance and not to pick an adjacent square.
Michael
Am 23.06.2012 12:08, schrieb Harry Wood:
Yes I think editing conflicts are something that technical people
naturally worry about, but it's never been such a big problem
actually.
Back in the early days I remember people would often say that mappers
should be treating it like checking code into CVS: Do downloads
regularly to update your data from the state on the server, then
finally do a download immediately prior to uploading, fix your
conflicts (This can include checking if anything new appeared in your
area, creating a duplicate with new data you are just about to
upload), and only upload when it's all fixed. There's probably some
fastidious mappers who still stick to this approach, but we came to
realise that it's a bit confusing to explain to newbies, and 99% of
the time it's unnecessary. It turns out conflicts just don't happen
that often.
However...
Experienced HOTties should be aware of the old download before upload
recommendation. If you have reason to believe that a conflict is more
likely than normal, then it's a good idea to do it. e.g. if you're
editing in an area *immediately* after an announcement/call to
action, or if you have held your data in JOSM for more than an hour
since originally downloading. This is no doubt common on an
intermittent internet connection, but also if you're doing a mammoth
mapping session you might keep in mind how long ago it was that you
fetched the data from the server.
There's even a "file" menu "Update data", which is specifically
designed for this. It re-downloads all the same areas you originally
downloaded.
However I don't think we should push this as a massively important
recommendation. It's more important to remind everyone to "upload
early, upload often". And doubly more important to not be frightened
of contributing. Be bold! And this includes more experienced mappers
being bold about scooting around fixing stuff up across the wider
areas covered by these tasking manager jobs. ...as I said in a blog
post:
http://hot.openstreetmap.org/updates/2012-06-22_finishing_off_the_refugee_camp_mapping
_______________________________________________
HOT mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot
