I have been adding administrative boundaries in NSW and SA using the Government data for which OSM has been given explicit permission. I am currently working on the "Pastoral Unincorporated Area" in SA and another mapper commented that it was inappropriate. I responded but my response appears not to have satisfied the other mapper. I then found that the same mapper had deleted the "Unincorporated Area of New South Wales" because it was not administered by a council.
Both of these "unincorporated" areas are defined and designated in the respective government datasets, that is (1) South Australian Government Data - Local Government Areas and (2) LPI NSW Administrative Boundaries - Local Government. The issue for the other mapper appears to be the acceptability of the form of governance of these areas. While the majority of local government areas are administered by councils, this model works less well in areas which are sparsely populated. The Pastoral Unincorporated Area in South Australia is administered by a designated authority, the Outback Communities Authority, which is not a council either in name or in the usual sense. I am aware of three other designated local government areas in South Australia that do not have councils - two are administered by the indigenous residents although they appear to have some form of executive committee to make routine decisions. One designated local government area does not appear to have a council and I have not ascertained the form of governance. In the Unincorporated Area of New South Wales, responsibilities are dispersed and do not rest with any one body, for example roads are managed by the Roads and Maritime Services (state authority) and there are local advisory committees in some isolated communities. The key issue is whether the form of governance in an area should determine whether or not areas should be mapped in OSM. It seems to me to be akin to removing Northern Territory and ACT on the basis that they have different forms of governance and are not proper states! The comments on the Pastoral Unincorporated Area can be viewed at http://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/44528330#map=12/-34.3720/140.4687 The relation for the Pastoral Unincorporated Area is at http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/6804541 The deleted relation for Unincorporated Area of New South Wales is at http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/5892272 and refers to Changeset #44531564 Do other members of the OSM community have a view on whether the form of governance should determine what areas are shown on the map and particularly whether local government areas should be included if they are not administered by councils. _______________________________________________ Talk-au mailing list Talk-au@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-au
