OSM - Intro

[Pieter]

Open Source Maps discussion allowed?

[Jan Horn]

I can see no reason why not Pieter. We will most likely move it to the Map section when we have created a home for it where it will feel more at home

[fugglefeet]

Open Source Maps discussion allowed?

Hi Pieter,

Since we have now aimed at distancing ourselves from any particular brand name or trademark (through our name, web address and disclaimer), it makes it possible for these types of topics/forums to exist, that would not have been otherwise possible on a trademark/brand endorsed forum.

Darryl

[Metro Nomad]

I will be creating sub-forums for OSM and T4A during the course of the day.

[Metro Nomad]

Pieter

If you found this topic again, you will also know where the OSM forum is.

[Pieter]

Tnx guys! :)

Not sure how big it is in SA but I have used it overseas with success.

Some pointers:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Wiki ... uth_Africa

http://www.openstreetmap.org/

The SA OSM team has negotiated the use of the CD data:

http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermai ... 00914.html

Dear OpenStreetMap ZA contributors,

A few of us have negotiated an agreement with Chief Directorate:
National Geo-Spacial Information ("CD:NGI") (part of the South African
Department of Rural Development and Land Reform) to make some of their
mapping datasets available to the project. The agreement does not
include data collected and held by municipalities.

In terms of the agreement we have to let CD:NGI know of any
inaccuracies in their data or changes to the data imported from
CD:NGI. All data we use must be tagged with "source=CD:NGI".

This is a huge amount of data, in effect it means that we can
comprehensively map the whole of South Africa at least to the level of
the 1:50 000 topographic maps, and probably a lot more detail.
The vector data is in shapefile format (12.6 GB). We also have access
to rectified national aerial imagery of between 0.5m and 1m, captured
between 2007 and 2011.

The difficulty is setting up a process and method for importing the
data in an effective way, while merging it with our better existing
data. We need help. If you have experience with python, java, Open
Source GIS etc your help would be appreciated.

I will add as we go along- but will refrain from cross posting too much, this is just to set the scene and to inform possible users.