How surprisingly similar the landscape in this area is to the place where I live in Brazil. (If you're curious: https://www.google.com/maps?q=Porto+Alegre&ll=-30.228926,-51.066213&spn=0.013942,0.047979&t=m&hnear=Porto+Alegre,+Rio+Grande+do+Sul,+Brasil&z=15&layer=c&cbll=-30.228942,-51.066222&panoid=Usk3Tqr5RIfjqj4KVzlz7Q&cbp=11,325.39,,0,7.66).
Anyway, back to your place. I believe you'd call this a dirt road leading into a private property: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.704426,-116.720207,3a,75y,160.59h,81.43t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sH5Ez46TUHWIetR4uLSCy0Q!2e0 Would you describe this surface as "earth"? Or maybe "compacted"? I think "sand" would usually mean fluffy sand, such as in beach sand, like here: https://www.google.com/maps?ll=-29.347317,-49.729185&spn=0.014065,0.047979&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=-29.347303,-49.729198&panoid=nxCzohwftvM2H6wO89EJng&cbp=11,182.99,,0,3.15 Here's a road in Brazil that probably fits the American definition of "dirt": https://www.google.com/maps?q=dom+pedrito&hl=pt-BR&ll=-30.911356,-54.643936&spn=0.110754,0.383835&sll=-22.809099,-45.727844&sspn=1.05575,1.535339&hnear=Dom+Pedrito+-+Rio+Grande+do+Sul,+Brasil&t=m&z=12&layer=c&cbll=-30.911501,-54.644076&panoid=PPforo0GCSl6Olx7vH8-_Q&cbp=11,58.3,,0,13 However, the surface here is "compacted" according to official sources. It's hard to tell visually, but it's possible that the mixture has been compressed. This is what I believe would be described as "earth" but not "compacted" (also from official sources): https://www.google.com/maps?q=Campo+Mour%C3%A3o+-+Paran%C3%A1,+Brasil&hl=pt-BR&ie=UTF8&ll=-24.223158,-52.403901&spn=0.470893,1.535339&sll=-22.231586,-42.793808&sspn=0.265046,0.383835&oq=campo+mour%C3%A3o&doflg=ptk&hnear=Campo+Mour%C3%A3o+-+Paran%C3%A1,+Brasil&t=m&z=10&layer=c&cbll=-24.223158,-52.403901&panoid=0ClYdUrcz7I5OEaTGYF2hw&cbp=11,183.99,,0,4.89 I wonder if you'd call this "dirt" too. The distinction is quite relevant for calculation of routes: you can't travel as fast on earth as can on compacted, and earth is much more likely to turn into sticky mud that may get you bogged. Finding a gravel road here was harder than I thought it would be. I could only get this photo: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8dyZBqNo6TI/TUv3KhRjRiI/AAAAAAAAAXs/jOA_pfv_IH0/s1600/tainhas+-+brita.jpg It turns out that most preparations that include "some gravel" but mostly "soil" here fit the definition of "compacted" quite closely. I think that "earth" and "soil" are similar enough to stay only with "earth" - but I'm not a native speaker. I also wonder which names the British would give to each of these surfaces. On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 8:58 PM, johnw <jo...@mac.com> wrote: > > On Mar 15, 2014, at 5:05 AM, Fernando Trebien <fernando.treb...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Well, any information you add does help. If you could use something > more specific than "dirt" ("gravel" is more precise, for instance) > > > Not when the road is dirt as opposed to gravel. > > I live on a gravel road in Japan. My aunt lived on a dirt road in the US. > She has since improved the road, and now it is a gravel road. > > > https://www.google.com/maps/@32.6956552,-116.7504381,6466m/data=!3m1!1e3 > > This is the area around my aunt's house. Many of the driveways that were > once dirt are now gravel or paved, due to new fire truck access laws. > > So most people have a gravel/asphalt/concrete driveway. but their property, > and the backcountry of dry california is littered with dirt access roads > that thread out into the countryside. > > Zoom in. Drop into street view, though the dirt roads are hard to see from > the street. There are plenty of concrete, asphalt, and gravel driveways, but > there are also a ton of grade 2 "graded" and grade3 "doubletrack" dirt > access roads. > > Not gravel, fine gravel, sand, asphalt, pavers, concrete, clay, > cobblestones, grass pavers, clay, nor tephra - but dirt. > > Some kinds of roads are truly "dirt roads," just as some are sand. > > The question is: > > Do you use "dirt" "earthen" or "soil" to describe them? I vote for dirt. > gravel is not an option. > > > Javbw > > _______________________________________________ > Tagging mailing list > Tagging@openstreetmap.org > https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging > -- Fernando Trebien +55 (51) 9962-5409 "The speed of computer chips doubles every 18 months." (Moore's law) "The speed of software halves every 18 months." (Gates' law) _______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
