What should not be overlooked is that the best way to get more mappers is to get more users. Everyone who is happily using OSM for maps on their phone or their navigation device, or even just using the OSM website as a day-to-day alternative to Google Maps, is a potential new contributor. It's a small step from using OSM to noticing 'just one little detail' that's missing, to adding it, to getting hooked.
Similarly, every company such as Mapquest which decides to use OSM data for its product is a new source of client tools and support for the project, which in turn leads to more mappers and a better map. That is why I think it important to keep focus on ordinary users and not only on 'people like us' who are technically minded and instinctively took to walking round with GPSes like ducks to water. What stops more people using OSM? I suggest that in many cases consistency matters more than outstanding quality and detail confined to certain areas. If you want to use a navigation program, or even more if you're making a navigation program for others to use, then if even ten per cent of the country is sparsely mapped the data is not really usable. Where OSM falls down relative to other maps is that they usually have a reasonable basic level of quality *everywhere*. Straightaway that makes them far more suitable for many applications and keeps users away from OSM. Every person not using OSM is one more person who won't contribute to OSM. The OS data is not without its faults but one thing it does really well is universal coverage. It can help us to boost our map from 'excellent in parts, almost blank in others' to 'usable everywhere, excellent in many places'. Then as OSM becomes widely adopted, mapping parties and other contribution become a much easier proposition: rather than 'help out with this geeky new hobby' it becomes 'hey! you can contribute to the map you are already using!'. Why is Google Map Maker successful? Because people are already using Google Maps. It is much more appealing to contribute to a map that you already use. -- Ed Avis <[email protected]> _______________________________________________ Talk-GB mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb
