Hi, Many of you will have followed earlier discussions of the True Offset process, intended to solve as simply as possible the problem of imagery offsets by enabling editors to, by default, calibrate background imagery based on offset data managed by mappers. In this way, inexperienced mappers or people tracing without local knowledge can avoid polluting the map with badly offset contributions.
The service is now live and seems to be working well on the dev server and I have updated the wiki page to reflect this and some late changes: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/True_Offset_Process The highlights: * You can try it at: http://mackerski.dev.openstreetmap.org/offset/1.0/offset/bing/20/53.26/-6.67 * I have re-documented the meanings of the offset northing and easting to ensure compatibility in units and sign with the offset bookmarks already exposed by the JOSM Imagery module. * This restatement of meaning may lead to a sign shift for one or other of the values. So if you have previously entered offset data for consumption by True Offset, please check that it is still correct. This goes doubly for anybody who recorded offsets based on the earliest proposals which used metres instead of degrees. * Offset Database updates are currently manual (this will change). So for now, if you add or change some offset data, please let me know so I can cause it to take effect. * Most of my test offset data has been for Bing imagery in Ireland. Until the next database update, some of these may be inaccurate. My appeal: If you are a developer of one of the OSM editors that supports background imagery layers, PLEASE build support for True Offset, and please have your editors either apply the corrections silently by default or at the very least prompt users that a known offset exists and offer to use it. While I hope True Offset is useful to experienced mappers who already calibrate their imagery, its real purpose is to avoid the destructive effect of tracing mappers who don't even realise they can or should calibrate. Happy Mapping! Dermot -- -------------------------------------- Igaühel on siin oma laul ja ma oma ei leiagi üles _______________________________________________ talk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
