Hi all, > In the mean time, I think we should use this channel to carve out our > strategy and objectives. To help with that, let me ask newbies in this > list: what obstacles did you face in your first steps with OSM?
this is an incomplete summary of 'obstacles' I faced when I started with OSM, first as slippy map user, then as a mapper: I started to use OSM in 2009 with the purpose to find new bicycle routes on the slippy map. At that time I just wanted to use OSM maps, not to contribute. But already there I faced obstacle 1, the map key: O1: I was confused that the key (legend) of the slippy map is not complete. For example the various mapnik tracktypes are rendered in brown colour either as solid line or dashes / dotted line. The map key only shows a dashed line, but the map location I was viewing had a lot of solid lines. It took a few weeks until I figured out that I can use the MapFeatures page as a better reference to understand better the items rendered on the map. I don't remember why it was so hard to find that page. Maybe because it's not linked from the map page, maybe because the term "Map Features" did not mean anything to me a german native speaker. In mid 2012, when I started to become an active mapper with JOSM, the next obstacles have been: O2: I wanted to map a new road, nonexisting in OSM at that time. I did my own gps recording on the new road. When I wanted to add it via JOSM, I thought I can upload the GPS track directly as a way, but I couldn't find how to do that in JOSM. When I found the JOSM feature: "Convert GPS track into data layer" the editor gave me a warning, that this should be avoided. After that I went back to the wiki to read how to map roads. At first I didn't get the point why I first should upload my GPS track to OSM, but not use it as new data for the map? Then, after more careful reading of the beginners guide, I got the point. O3: I tried to insert a new track and it wasn't clear to me what are the rules to connect new tracks to existing tracks. After reading the Beginners_Guide_1.3.1 (General tips for adding roads or other ways) it was clear to me. I think two questions conclude from this: - Are there more mappers like me, who became a mapper through the mere usage of the slippy map? - Is the beginners guide still to comprehensive for impatient newbies like me who do not carefully read the beginner's guide? Michael _______________________________________________ newbies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/newbies
