I think the main issue that mongoltweets is getting at is that, in order to log in to OSM (is it just the wiki? or also to create a mapping account? I haven't done either for ages) one must permit Google javascript to run. The issue with that (have I got this correct?) is that it gives them a chance to track which (Google-JS-executing) sites that one (or, rather, one's IP address) visits.

There certainly are alternatives to ReCaptcha, that can run on the same server as the app; I guess they're just a bit more of a hassle to set up.

What's this DWP? I didn't think the Democratic Workers' Party was in the business of inspecting postboxes...

I just bought a eTrex Vista HCx, and so far it's totally great. Small and light, and feels pretty rugged. I've only used it when walking so far, and it's perfect for navigation on foot; I think it'd be great on a bike too (there's a handlebar bracket available for it).

Gosh, I've never even heard of roadfanning (is that the verb?), and yet I shout HURRAH for the highways... :-)

Welcome, hiefk!

Great idea!

I've had a crack at Lake Cowan.

But I don't like Spam!

No Spam?! Eegh!

(Hmm, I don't know why that link didn't work. It's meant to be http://walking-papers.org/ )

Yes, absolutely, getting out there with GPS and bicycle is much more fun than tracing from silly old aerial photos! :-)

Good on you for getting involved, Peanutz. By the way, have you come across Walking Papers yet? It's another good way of mapping one's local area, and an easy one to share with other people.

@malenki, @David Leonard: Yes, I'm uploading them under this username. However, the ones I've done so far I did as private, but of course that's really not going to work is it? I've modified the timestamps, and removed a massive chunk of the Perth metro area (I figured on uploading as private before I'd sorted out how to do these things), so I'll change them to public (later; "The GPX file upload system is currently unavailable").

@WarrenP: Welcome! OSM is certainly not that difficult; it's local knowledge that makes all the difference, I think. Lots of the traces I'll be uploading will be for areas about which I know nothing, so your help will be great. What editor are you using? (May I recommend Merkaartor?)

@PurpleMustang: I've just been doing highway=road, because really I haven't got any more of an idea of what the roads are like out there. What other options do you think would be appropriate?

What's wrong with adding things that are emphemeral? We can just delete them again, later. At least it'd mean that the *history* of the map would be accurate -- surely something that, once we've mapped everything (ha!) will start to be of interest?

Not that I can personally be bothered mapping things that aren't pretty well fixed (I don't bother with 'building site' etc. for instance).

When I saw the title of this post, I though it was about the town in South Australia -- and I wondered that the place had regained its former vibrancy and had its own wiki.

But no. :-)

There's http://www.bikely.com/, but it doesn't use OSM.

I must say, I hadn't really thought about footway routing. Good point.

So, I shall endevour to only ''extend'' the foopath network, ensuring that footpaths are always connected to other pedestrian=yes ways and areas.

The example given by FK270673
osm.org/?lat=-32.05965&lon=115.762051&zoom=18&layers=B000FTF
(which I have recently added more footpaths to) shows a variety of footpaths right next to the road, and some set back. There are also non-predictable crossings and footpath intersections.

This really matters, doesn't it, for wheelchair navigation? I'm really not all that au fait with that whole topic of tagging; I'll keep reading. :-)

Perhaps simplification is the wrong word -- have a look at the northern end of osm.org/edit?gpx=622260 at the big tangled mess over a house. There are dozens of points all right near each other because the GPS was sitting still in a room for a couple of hours, dutifully logging away. This would be a common occurence in a vehicle.

Perhaps error removal is really what needs to be done to these tracks. However, I don't know if the extra data volume is actually of concern, and I don't really know how to ''quickly'' edit the tracks, so for now I won't make any changes.

Thank you for the reassurance!

Yes, I'm certainly trying to get written approval, but it's not hard to put the case: the trucks drive around, and if we submit the tracks (so my pitch goes) then the maps that they use to drive around will get better, and the trucks can drive around some more. See, often people (in my company) are in out-of-the-way places, and need to tell other people how to get to the same out-of-the-way places in a couple of weeks. Thus, they draw a map! This way (i.e. using OSM), they don't have to draw all the map. Understandable even by people who don't really get the whole Free thing! :-)

As for removing the puddles of points created by standstill vehicles: does anyone have any good pointers about how to do that? All of the processing so far is using bash scripts, so it'd be nice to keep things simple.

Hmm, yes, good idea about rationalising the tracks; does gpsbabel do that by default? That's what I'm using to convert to GPX anyway.

And John, is there anything special about a bot account, or is it just a normal one with bottish tendencies? :-) I'll create one.

Thanks for your input!

+1 for "OSM can be considered to be a big online model train set"!! I thoroughly concur. :-)