I think I have a half-formed idea about how to solve this dilemma about standard maxspeeds. First, tag what the maxspeed is, so applications that use the data have something to look at. Then, make another tag, which would look something like maxspeed_basis=US:OH:interstate . And then there would be some repository of standard speed limits somewhere. That repository would contain an entry called US:OH:interstate, whose value would be 65 mph, because that's the current standard speed limit for Interstate highways in Ohio. If the Ohio General Assembly then increases that speed limit to 70 mph, then we update the value in the repository. Any applications using the data which are aware of the maxspeed_basis tag can then use it to find the correct maxspeed value*. Then, to take care of less-informed users of the data, a script can be run to update all ways with maxspeed_basis=US:OH:interstate to have maxspeed=70 mph.
*In this system, the value determined by looking up a maxspeed_basis should take precedence over a literal maxspeed value in any application capable of performing such a lookup. If any way has a maxspeed that should be used regardless of any standard value, then it simply shouldn't have a maxspeed_basis tag. The reason why I call this a half-formed idea is I haven't come up with a good manner in which to store the repository. It could be stored as tags on a special relation with a published ID and no members; then it would be accessible via the OSM API, but the misuse of a relation makes this solution hackish and ugly. -- David "Smith" a.k.a. Vid the Kid a.k.a. Bír'd'in Does this font make me look fat? _______________________________________________ newbies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/newbies
