dear all, I wish to float this draft page for discussion and possibly future approval!
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/How_We_Map The page is a summary of a draft Mappers' Code written by Frederik some time ago after extensive discussion with the rest of the DWG. When I signed up to the DWG I tried to condense that draft into a single-screen, single-page, easily digestible version appropriate to show to new mappers and to put on the registration pages. My ideal for the doc is that it expresses the core principles of contributing to OSM without besetting anyone with rules, and that it's as short as possible without missing out anything important to know. I encourage people to post scathing critiques on the Talk: page in addition to here on the list. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Talk:How_We_Map For the benefit of the really lazy or bandwidth-deprived, I include the full text of "How We Map" as it stands now, below the fold. be well all, ---- OpenStreetMap is a social activity; it is a teamwork effort by hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. OpenStreetmap has a tradition of making as few rules as possible. Contributions to OpenStreetmap should be: Truthful - means that you cannot contribute something you have invented. Legal - means that you don't copy copyrighted data without permission. Verifiable - means that others can go there and see for themselves if your data is correct. Relevant - means that you have to use tags that make clear to others how to re-use the data When in doubt, also consider the "on the ground rule": map the world as it can be observed by someone physically there. OpenStreetMap has very few rules on tagging. There are tagging standards but they evolve instead of being pushed through. OpenStreetMap values local knowledge highly, but mappers should welcome edits from outsiders. OpenStreetMap values community cohesion over data perfection. You do not have to ask permission before modifying existing data. If you believe that you can improve something, then do it. In talking to other mappers, always assume good intentions. If you have a conflict with another mapper that you cannot solve amongst yourselves, involve other project members - via the local community meetup, the regional mailing list or areas of the forum, or by messaging them directly. Occasionally you will be contacted by other mappers about edits you have made. Please do not ignore them; if the other mapper has taken the time to look at your edit and ask you a question, they deserve an answer. Do not delete data unless you know (or have very strong reason to believe) that it is incorrect. Do not engage in large-scale "cleanups" without securing the agreement of the relevant community, or talking to the people whose work you aim to "clean". You may believe your third-party dataset should be added to OSM. Do not bulk import data from other sources without first discussing and securing agreement on the imports list. -- Jo Walsh [email protected] _______________________________________________ talk mailing list [email protected] https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
