The key seems to be individually accessible in a systemic way. To me this implies attributes (columns) and tuples (rows of one or more related attributes) that can be accessed.
A bit map would not be a database, but XML, csv, xls, shape files would. The interesting distinction may be vector data that is not organized in a direct searchable fashion - so, would svg (for example) be a database? Hmmmm... Jim Brown -CTO CloudMade (Sent from my iPhone) On 15 Oct 2008, at 17:28, Jochen Topf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 02:47:39PM +0100, Richard Fairhurst wrote: >> Frederik Ramm wrote: >> >>> What leads you to assume that your .ai files are databases? >>> >>> They're computer readable and they have individual objects that can >>> be accessed... but what file hasn't? >> >> From ODBL: "Database – A collection of Data arranged in a systema >> tic >> or methodical way and individually accessible by electronic or other >> means offered under the terms of this Licence." >> >> But I wouldn't say the .ai file is a database, it _contains_ a >> database. >> >>> At what stage of processing would they, in your eyes, stop being >>> databases? >> >> A sufficiently accurate, computer-produced map of the real world >> always contains a database IMO. > > The Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of > 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases defines a > database as > "a collection of independent works, data or other materials arranged > in > a systematic or methodical way and individually accessible by > electronic > or other means". (From Wikipedia) > > This is rather broad and would certainly cover the OSM XML format and > any other structured format. Probably not bitmaps of rendered maps, > but > about everything else. > > Jochen > -- > Jochen Topf [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.remote.org/jochen/ +49-721-388298 > > > _______________________________________________ > legal-talk mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/legal-talk _______________________________________________ legal-talk mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/legal-talk
