Dear 41latitude, I came accross your blog on "critique of OpenStreetMap". http://www.41latitude.com/post/1310985699/openstreetmap-critique and read it with interest. Some points are true, others need better explaination and I think you misinterpreted some things.
Basically your critique can be drilled down to 3 main components: *The website* The issues for mapkey/legend and the different maptypes are noticed by the community. These points are indeed not always obvious to "newbies" and might be better understandable by simply changing text and labels. *Rendering* There is a huge misunderstanding with the rendering done on the map at www.openstreetmap.org. www.openstreetmap.org is maintained by the Openstreetmap foundation. Their mission goals are clearly stated here: http://www.osmfoundation.org/wiki/OSMF:About "Making the perfectly rendered map available to the world" is *not* a mission goal for the OSMF. The OSMF is primarily responsible for maintaining the database and the services related to it. Everybody in the world is free to make their own online-map, but it is impossible for the OSMF to fund the hours that would need to be spent to have the perfect map available from their website for all the different wishes on maps that exist in the world today. To get a good idea of what is possible with rendering, you would need to investigate further. For instance, look at what Geofabrik: http://www.geofabrik.de/maps/tiles.html and Cloudmade: http://cloudmade.com/products/web-maps-studio have to offer, or look at open mapquest is also busy: http://open.mapquest.co.uk/ Please compare those rendering possibilities and see if you would need to rephrase your conclusions on the rendering part. I agree that the rendering issues could be removed from your critique if the OSMF mission statement was better proclaimed at the "main openstreetmap map" since it's primary goal is to showcase what might be possible. It is up to map developers all over the world to make beautiful, fit for purpose, maps. *Data quality* OpenStreetMap is a young project, with a extremely fast momentum, unrivaled anywhere in the world of mapdata. Data is entered by volunteers all over the world and there is NO restriction as to what data can be entered or how it can be entered. This is the great power of openstreetmap, you are in control! If you feel that labels like “Departamento de Santa Cruz” are no good idea; suggest a new key-mapping, or fix the labels by changing the tag/value pairs for the particular departemento to name=Santa Cruz admin_level=6 and so fort. OpenStreetMap as a whole is not responsible for incorrect labeling, we as volunteers are. If we come across data that is wrong, and we KNOW what is right, fix it. I hope this give you some new insight. Please feel free to sign up for an OpenStreetMap account and join the process of correcting what in your opinion is not completely right. And when you are in doubt on how to correct things, drop by on the mailing-lists and ask for review of your ideas. That is the true beauty of the structure at OSM. Kind regards, -- Milo van der Linden Open Source Geospatial consultant
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