On Sep 30, 2020, at 5:27 AM, Paul Allen <[email protected]> wrote:
> BTW, ordinary polygons won't do for this.  You'll need a multipolygon
> to exclude the Mount Wilson observatory and some campgrounds that
> were saved from the fires burning all around them. :)

Perhaps I have not been clear or remain misunderstood:  the polygon is not an 
exact delineation of "this (and exactly this) has all burned."  It is the 
perimeter of the fire, inside of which the fire was "fought" or allowed to 
burn, outside of which, "not."  If there are areas (like Mt. Wilson Observatory 
and campgrounds) inside of a perimeter that were "saved," the polygon should 
not explicitly exclude these areas with role "inner" as part of a multipolygon 
relation — that isn't the semantic of the perimeter.  Many areas inside the 
perimeter DID burn and will need their existing land cover (natural=wood, 
natural=scrub...) tags removed, some areas (trees, houses which were saved...) 
did NOT burn.  It would not be correct to re-map the fire=perimeter as a 
multipolygon with not-burned areas with role "inner."  As newer imagery becomes 
available, it is correct to leave not-burned areas alone, adjusting them up to 
the edge of where they DID burn, and in areas which did burn, removing / 
adjusting-to-smaller-areas land cover tags as they exist now.  This area was 
almost exclusively heavily wooded in the real world and OSM well maps fairly 
precisely where these "woods" were.  Only now, much of them burned.  Where, 
exactly?  "Somewhere inside of" the polygon denoted fire=perimeter.  OSM 
contributors await newer imagery, we will better (re-) map landcover and other 
data that are inside of the polygon when they become available.

At the completion of this process, the usefulness of the polygon diminishes to 
zero (perhaps there remain closed roads and dangerous areas, these can be 
mapped "differently," although "no-go" area tagging remains unclear) and the 
polygon can be removed, having exhausted its usefulness.

Some might complain that such an "improve existing map data HERE" polygon 
overlaps with small projects like a localized import or a Mapping Party to 
improve a particular city or county, saying a Tasking Manager or similar tool 
can and should be used to manage this.  But while "a particular city or county" 
have well-defined, largely in-the-map boundaries, an area devastated by major 
fire has no such boundary.  Unless and until a polygon tagged fire=perimeter is 
entered, to describe an "area of interest for improvement of existing map data" 
(rather than "this is all burned").  A Tasking Manager could be used for this, 
but it needs such a polygon to identify the area of interest.

SteveA
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