The comparison links make very interesting viewing, as does the TomTom online route finder, which has just directed me through the very same reservoir:

http://routes.tomtom.com/route/Capilla%252C%2520ES%254038.82046%252C-5.08428%2540-1/Chill%25C3%25B3n%252C%2520ES%254038.79689%252C-4.86701%2540-1/?leave=now&traffic=true¢er=38.810934355592%2C-5.030878306885&zoom=10&map=basic

I have to agree with you regarding JOSM presets: tagging the colour of a bench really does take the biscuit.

I have followed the import vs. no import debate with interest, and have never been hard-line in either direction. I am grateful for both of these parables as they give me a much better understanding of where some of those pushing these positions come from.

Although I have what might be called a professional job, it is unrelated to geography. In the geo field, therefore, I regard myself as an unskilled individual. So, I am interested in where the others in the project see me fitting in.

One parable seems to suggest a good way of spending my spare time is to try my hand at a craft hitherto only attempted by trained professionals. Although the results may be a little inconsistent, I will be creating something unique. Hopefully others will benefit from my work, though some may decide that my work is not of a consistently high enough precision, and choose to stick to using the work of professionals. Although I will be unpaid for my efforts, I will undoubtedly benefit as I slowly gain skills I did not have before, and have fun, too.

The other parable seems to suggest that a good way to spend my spare time is to become a machine operator in a cardboard box factory for no money.

Seriously though, I think the choice of analogy does say a lot about the differing philosophical positions (well, almost) on what the project is all about. So, thanks to Andy and Andrzej.

Good stuff. Looks great.

Some reviews of my own GPS logger (iBlue 747A+, based on MTK chipset) say that it is not well calibrated for walking. If this is true (and I've no idea whether it is), some units may actually get worse results walking, but no doubt others might get better results. I use mine while walking in spite of this, but I seem to get the best results of all cycling. I'd echo what others have said about not worrying too much, though.

However, your final statement is true in general - much more fun doing your surveys on foot (or bicycle) than driving.

At the moment, agreeing to the contributor terms is voluntary, hence no "Decline" button. At a later stage in the process you will have the option to decline. More details of the implementation plan may be found here:

osm.wiki/Open_Data_License/Implementation_Plan

spam

Yes, has been happening to me on my works computer (XP and IE 8), of late. No idea why, though.

I too, don't see how this is bad news. Except for one thing: from now on lazy, stupid journalists will stop calling it "CloudMade's OpenStreetMap" and start calling it "Microsoft's OpenStreetMap" :)

http://www.socialcarnews.com/blog/1047934_misled-by-a-map-fix-it-yourself-with-openstreetmap#comments

What is a rogue postbox? (And do I need to take more care when posting a letter?)

Sounds like the landuse ways and the road were sharing nodes (I am guessing - without coordinates in your diary entry, I cannot inspect the area you are talking about). There are endless debates on the mailing lists about whether this is correct or not. i.e., whether landuse should be joined to the road centre line or not. There are strongly held views on both sides. So, it cannot really be said to be wrong to have these joined (unless you are in the "it's wrong" camp!).

Relations can be a pain. I would suggest reading up on the wiki and then asking any further questions on:

help.openstreetmap.org

You will get more and better answers than you will here!

Latitude and longitude are often expressed like this:

52.63725,-2.92876

Where negative numbers mean South for latitude and West for longitude.

To my knowledge you cannot use the standard OSM editors to simply enter latitude and longitude and say "put a map feature at these coordinates". You can search for latitude,longitude pairs (or place names) on the OSM home page, and then click edit to use the Potlatch editor to edit. However, before you do any of that, I would recommend reading the Beginner's Guide on the wiki:

osm.wiki

It's worth the effort. The best place to ask further questions is:

help.openstreetmap.org

Good luck!

Welcome!

If you are talking about waypoints you have recorded, having visited these villages, then you can download these (and any GPS traces) and use these for mapping. The Beginner's Guide on the wiki will tell you more:

osm.wiki/Main_Page

If you are talking about coordinates on the map/location data that came with the Garmin, please do not enter these into OSM, as you would (probably) be breaching the copyright on the map/data. OSM data should either be collected by on-the-ground survey, with the copyright holder's permission (or under an OSM compatible licence) or public domain (including out-of-copright sources).

More information on OSM and copyright can be found here:

osm.wiki/Copyright

Welcome! Be careful how you use that Google Maps app. I assume you mean you are taking the coordinates from your phone's GPS, as displayed in the app, rather than from the Google map. Don't forget, you shouldn't take data from Google Maps to enter into OSM, as this breaches Google's copyright and licence terms (and OSM tries to be whiter than white in this regard).

More information:
osm.wiki/Copyright

Welcome! I too live in an area with very low resolution Yahoo imagery. I use a GPS logger to collect traces of roads and paths, and map from these.

osm.wiki/Beginners%27_Guide

In the long run, I may speak to a local photographer who does aerial photography to see whether he will grant rights to trace his imagery for OSM.

Unfortunately, to date, it is only Yahoo that has given global rights to the OSM community to use its imagery for tracing, and the resolution they have varies depending on the area. Who knows, maybe another big provider will sooner or later grant rights, but for the time being, if you want to trace high resolution imagery, it is a case of finding someone who can provide it, and asking permission. Companies have given permission in some places (e.g., Nearmap in Australia).

In other places, authorities have given rights to use their maps or geodata:

osm.wiki/Potential_Datasources

It is probably worth making contact with other mappers in Turkey, via the mailing list. They will know whether there are any sources of data or imagery you can currently use, and whether there are any negotiations going on to get some.

http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-tr

Good luck!

Good luck!

Everything you could possibly want to know about Naptan:

osm.wiki/Naptan

Thus far Naptan imports have only been done on an area-by-area basis at the request of at least one mapper in the area, the idea being that stops should ideally be verified by mappers on the ground.

By the way, you will probably get better answers to your questions (over time), if you ask them at the new http://help.openstreetmap.org site.

Welcome! If you want to find out what OSM is all about, and how to get started, the Beginners Guide on the wiki is the best place to start:

osm.wiki/Main_Page

(or click "Help & Wiki" on the left-hand side)

Welcome! Once you've got your home map sorted out, I would recommend the next step is to read the Beginners Guide on the wiki:

osm.wiki/Main_Page

Although it might seem a boring way to start when you just want to dive in, the minutes you will spend on this might save you hours later!

AOL will make all the data it gets available for free through the OpenStreetMap project, so that developers can create programs based on it.

I would rarely, if ever, assume my track to be better than anyone elses (maybe if I am ever lucky enough to make use of professional survey GPS equipment!). I understood the best practice to be to go for the average of the traces present. Clearly some common sense might need to apply if a trace looks all over the place (but even then yours could beautifully describe the road geometry but be several metres out!).