Pierre Béland wrote:
Check the list of arguments presented here for the mandatory separate account:

1. "it's easier to separate from normal contributions"
2. "it's more effecient for sourcing"
3. "it's easier to identify the source if we change the license. We
faced that issue in the past for ODbl transition"

Lester

Is a separate account is the better and only way to have some metadata
documenting imports? I don't think so.There are various ways to document 
imports.
To be honest I think that the 'separate account' was originally recommended for a single import of a complete set of data. So we all knew that this data came from 'xxx', but I'm not even sure now that when you select an object it still tells you that information?

There were discussions on the Import listin 2009. Andy Allan opinion was that
metadata like attribution should be on the Changeset and not on the geo feature.
Other like Pieren suggested that it is sometime necessary to give attribution on
the geo feature. Andy Allen also stated that using a dedicated account was
something he less bothered about.

When uploading to the OSM database, I think that the Changeset comment field can
be used to both give attribution and indicate that it is bulk edit. This will be
simple and as efficient. It will be easier to manage for both the contributor,
the local chapter and the DWG.

Comment fields are not documented as well as they should be and the 'problem' that instigated this thread is to my view of what's on line a very good example of why there WAS a problem. Correctly flagging information is essential and we do perhaps need a little more 'automatic' actions. I can see that the French data is perhaps not suited to a 'single import' which is then the problem, since multiple imports already processed in some way are just as much a problem? Lets try and make the 'initial' import as clean as possible even if that has to be to a staging area from which packets can be taken and manually processed. Identification can then be married back to the raw data in a location where anybody can see it?

If that Knight Foundation grant is suitable I'd like to propose that it is directed towards the very tools I am talking about to take all the currently available data sources and importing them in as raw a format as possible into an overlay system from where they can be merged with the main database. Rather than the quite heroic efforts that are currently being used to import them?

--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
-----------------------------
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