There are a few postings on how to simplify ways, which mostly point to the JOSM plugin. I am wondering whether it would be possible for some Java hacker to port this plugin into Osmosis.
Reasoning: The JOSM plugin is great for 1 or 2 ways, but is cumbersome to run against large data set. As an Osmosis operation, this would enable users to reduce local data set (not to be uploaded!) to save size/rendering time for GPS and paper maps. Example: I am working on a paper map of Amateur Radio repeaters in Alberta (no special reason, I just got a 2m rig and wanted to know where they were). The base of the map is just the highway.[motorway|trunk|primary|secondary], ways which is not a huge amount of data (about 5,000 ways with 50,000 nodes), but significantly more than I really need to represent the road structure... as a result the output map is larger and hence more difficult to work with in the graphical tools. If there was the ability to auto-magically simplify the ways I could significantly reduce the amount of nodes in this data set. Example 2: Ripping OSM to Garmin Map. Does one really need 100 nodes representing a sweeping corner on a device with limited storage? Suggestion: A '--simplify-ways' operation with 'crossTrackError' parameter to define the allowable distance from of the new way from that of the old. I would imagine that one would want to 'lock' junction (or specially tagged) nodes, so that they couldn't be removed. I think all the code is available (from the JOSM plugin), it just needs a Java hacker to take it on. Comments? (and you're welcome to tell me to get lost...) Simon (aka. Mungewell) (and now, aka. VA6SDW) _______________________________________________ talk mailing list talk@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk