OpenStreetMap: one for the fantasy mappers

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

There is a separate forum for Street Furniture (traffic lights, street lights, road signs etc).

Registered users get access to other forums including discussions about other forms of transport, driving, fantasy roads and wishlists, and roads quizzes.

Moderator: Site Management Team

Post Reply
mackerski
Member
Posts: 214
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 21:19
Location: Dublin

OpenStreetMap: one for the fantasy mappers

Post by mackerski »

Hi folks,

I've been meaning to mention the OpenStreetMap project in the forum for a while, but the "fantasy map" thread reminded me. Has anybody here been contributing to the project? Granted, it's more concerned with mapping how things really are than recording personal utopias (imagine how cross the other mappers would be...), but I know we have a lot of map enthusiasts here.

A big goal of the project is to produce a set of free, accurate and up-to-date mapping data - we've seen a lot of frustration here about the drawbacks of traditional maps on all three counts. Here's an example (featuring my own work) of a level of currentness unmatched by commercial maps:

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=53.35 ... ayers=B0FT

GB is in fairly good shape, but there's a lot of Ireland still to be mapped. The mapping tools would even be a good resource for the road fantasists, since both editors and map renderers can happily be run offline.

Anybody already participating? Anybody tempted to?
User avatar
Truvelo
Member
Posts: 17467
Joined: Wed May 29, 2002 21:10
Location: Staffordshire
Contact:

Post by Truvelo »

A pity the Red Cow junction is shown half finished :?
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
Big and complex.
mackerski
Member
Posts: 214
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 21:19
Location: Dublin

Post by mackerski »

Truvelo wrote:A pity the Red Cow junction is shown half finished :?
Yes, well it is half-finished :? . I know that there's a new few movements that have come live in the last few days, so I'll need to survey those too. But what you see on the map is a decent reflection of reality, unless I've missed something obvious.
User avatar
Truvelo
Member
Posts: 17467
Joined: Wed May 29, 2002 21:10
Location: Staffordshire
Contact:

Post by Truvelo »

How easy is it to create malicious road layouts on OSM? Do you think it's possible to make a simple roundabout junction into this :D

Image
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
Big and complex.
mackerski
Member
Posts: 214
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 21:19
Location: Dublin

Post by mackerski »

Truvelo wrote:How easy is it to create malicious road layouts on OSM?
Extremely simple. Careful, now!

Edit: But that bit of the map is looking a tad bare, so you could just put in all the rest of what's really there...

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=52.98 ... ayers=B0FT
User avatar
Stevie D
Member
Posts: 8000
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2006 17:19
Location: Yorkshire

Re: OpenStreetMap: one for the fantasy mappers

Post by Stevie D »

mackerski wrote:I've been meaning to mention the OpenStreetMap project in the forum for a while, but the "fantasy map" thread reminded me. Has anybody here been contributing to the project? Granted, it's more concerned with mapping how things really are than recording personal utopias (imagine how cross the other mappers would be...), but I know we have a lot of map enthusiasts here.
I've spent quite a lot (too much!) time on there. The problem I have now is that the area where I live doesn't have detailed satellite photos, and I don't have any GPS kit, so I'm not able to add in the details I would like to.
User avatar
ForestChav
SABRE Developer
Posts: 11081
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2005 00:00
Location: Nottingham (Bronx of the Midlands)
Contact:

Post by ForestChav »

Truvelo wrote:How easy is it to create malicious road layouts on OSM? Do you think it's possible to make a simple roundabout junction into this :D

Image
I wish! That would be nice (except there's a fort to the SE of the junction and a TV mast to the SW!).
C, E flat and G go into a bar. The barman says "sorry, we don't serve minors". So E flat walks off, leaving C and G to share an open fifth between them.

Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.
User avatar
Truvelo
Member
Posts: 17467
Joined: Wed May 29, 2002 21:10
Location: Staffordshire
Contact:

Post by Truvelo »

...but the TV mast is well away from the junction :D

This junction is furtunate not to have any stupid business parks or warehouses built adjacent which will jeopardise any future upgrade.
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
Big and complex.
User avatar
ForestChav
SABRE Developer
Posts: 11081
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2005 00:00
Location: Nottingham (Bronx of the Midlands)
Contact:

Post by ForestChav »

Truvelo wrote:...but the TV mast is well away from the junction :D

This junction is furtunate not to have any stupid business parks or warehouses built adjacent which will jeopardise any future upgrade.
My guess is any further exits (6 is enough!) would muller B600/A6002/A610.

Be nice to have some urban motorways in the city of chav nevertheless.
C, E flat and G go into a bar. The barman says "sorry, we don't serve minors". So E flat walks off, leaving C and G to share an open fifth between them.

Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Wack0
Member
Posts: 128
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 18:36
Location: M4 j10 / M3 j3

Post by Wack0 »

Just regged.

<methinks it's time to stick M31 on there! lol>
"Brown foxes run fast."
User avatar
Achmelvic
Member
Posts: 1553
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2004 21:50
Location: Castleford, Yorkshire

Post by Achmelvic »

As a site it still seems to need A LOT of work doing on it. There are roads marked as going in the wrong direction, stopping suddenly and not joining up etc, there's even a short section of railway marked around Barnard Castle in County Durham that was lifted in the late 60s! You have to wonder who the people are who are adding the data???

IMHO a mapping source which has errors or omissions is actually worse and less use than none at all :roll:
morwen
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 23:17
Location: London

Post by morwen »

achmelvic wrote:As a site it still seems to need A LOT of work doing on it. There are roads marked as going in the wrong direction, stopping suddenly and not joining up etc, there's even a short section of railway marked around Barnard Castle in County Durham that was lifted in the late 60s! You have to wonder who the people are who are adding the data???

IMHO a mapping source which has errors or omissions is actually worse and less use than none at all :roll:
Well, I quite agree. But bear in mind we aren't finished yet, and we never claimed to be.
mackerski
Member
Posts: 214
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 21:19
Location: Dublin

Post by mackerski »

achmelvic wrote:As a site it still seems to need A LOT of work doing on it. There are roads marked as going in the wrong direction, stopping suddenly and not joining up etc, there's even a short section of railway marked around Barnard Castle in County Durham that was lifted in the late 60s! You have to wonder who the people are who are adding the data???

IMHO a mapping source which has errors or omissions is actually worse and less use than none at all :roll:
Yeah - what the mapping community really needs is participation from a bunch of folks who really know their roads. Do you know of any such individuals? Or perhaps the location of a forum where they might be reached? :wink:
Post Reply