From: Nick Whitelegg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 26 August 2008 15:32:23 BDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: [OSM-talk] OSM mobile editor
Hello everyone,
Was thinking of a few ideas for an OSM mobile editor which could
work as
follows:
* Ability to allow user in the field to add new attributes to a way
(e.g.
road name if it's missing, or one way) or correct existing attributes.
* Allow a user to add new POIs.
* Could work by either downloading OSM data live from the server
(though
this would have problem of being relatively expensive for the user)
or by
the user preloading OSM data to the phone before they go out.
* Allows user to add annotations to Openstreetbugs (e.g. "missing
footpath
here")
* Because the inbuilt GPS in phones is not as good as dedicated
devices,
it would not be a priority to develop features to allow surveying
of new
ways. However this could be built in, in preparation for inbuilt
mobile
GPS improving in the future.
* Java ME based for maximum cross platform support.
Does this seem like a good approach? As can be seen the idea is
not so
much to allow addition of new ways (due to the inbuilt GPS on
phones not
being great) but more to add POIs and tags to existing ways. If
there's
interest and - more crucially - if I have the time (always
difficult!) I
could start work on it.
Nick
I think there is a role for an application like this - working with
OSM data in the field. I certainly agree with using Java ME and the
impressive processing power of mobile phones. I would take issue,
though, with the comments on inbuilt GPS in phones. I now have a Sony
Ericsson W760 with built-in GPS and it is not as good as my Bluetooth
GPS receiver, but is much ore convenient. Other phones, such as the
Nokia N95, have internal GPS with very good performance, and almost
all phones have Bluetooth and can be used with small, cheap Bluetooth
GPS devices. My own application, mom, can be used to view OSM maps
and to collect GPX tracklogs, and I believe it is every bit as
suitable for this as any consumer GPS device. Performance is
obviously dependent on satellite disposition, nearby trees and
buildings and weather, but I regularly see accuracy in the 5 to 10m
range - perfectly addequate for most OSM surveying. But of course
there is already a phone application for collecting tracklogs and
viewing maps, so concentrating on using and editing data is probably
the right approach.
elvin ibbotson
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