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title: Gregory Marler
url: http://www.livingwithdragons.com/
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summary: One man's adventure mapping Durham and beyond, not knowing what lurks round the corner.
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  		<title>Why your community should host SotM</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2019/06/why-your-community-should-host-sotm</link>
  		<comments>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2019/06/why-your-community-should-host-sotm#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2019 12:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[event]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[sotm]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[SotM Organising Committee]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=669</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[The OpenStreetMap event of the year is &#8220;State of the Map&#8221; (SotM), an international conference run by OSMF and I love being part of the organising committee that brings so many people to one place. We&#8217;re volunteers and it takes a lot of work and a lot of local knowledge throughout the year to organise [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2019/06/why-your-community-should-host-sotm/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>67</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Slides from my talks</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2018/06/slides-from-my-talks</link>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 20:11:12 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMUK]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[slides]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[talk]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=637</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[A few months again, I promised (to myself) to share slides I use when giving talks about OpenStreetMap. The idea is to help other people with resources and inspiration to talk about OpenStreetMap themselves. I present in my own style, which includes simplistic slides that I add verbal overlay to. So to maintain some value, I [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Finding people to bring to SotM</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2018/01/finding-people-to-bring-to-sotm</link>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Jan 2018 19:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[scholars]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[sotm]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[sotm17]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[State of the Map]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=627</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[For a number of years, State of the Map(SotM) has been able to provide scholarship funds to ensure more people attend the global conference. Finding people that might otherwise miss out on our community face-to-face event is not a problem, last year we had over a hundred applications and we were able to bring 15 [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Where is OpenStreetMap in 2017?</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2017/10/where-is-openstreetmap-in-2017</link>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Oct 2017 07:12:09 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[diversity]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[GeeoData]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[local chapters]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[osmfuk]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[staff mappers]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[year review]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=619</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[At events I often get asked, &#8220;Gregory, what&#8217;s the big subject or latest thing for OpenStreetMap this year?&#8220;. I tried to cover this when I spoke at GeoData 2017 last Thursday, although perhaps I tried to cover too many other subjects. So here&#8217;s my answer in blog form, your mileage/answers may vary. Continuing to affect lives [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>What will/should a group for the UK do?</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2017/03/what-willshould-a-group-for-the-uk-do</link>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Mar 2017 20:01:04 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Birmingham]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMUK]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[UK]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=604</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[In 2007 the OpenStreetMap Foundation(OSMF) was incorporated as a UK company, to support the international OpenStreetMap project and run the services (hardware, website, etc) needed to do that. When individual countries setup their own organisations, and the concept of OSMF local chapters start to become formalised, the question has existed&#8230; should there be an organisation [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>From Haklay to Slater (book review finished)</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/09/from-haklay-to-slater-book-review-finished</link>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2016 18:52:58 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[academic]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Andy Robinson]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Grant Slater]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Henk Hoff]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Mikel Maron]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Muki Haklay]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Pavel Machalek]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Randy Meech]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[The Book of OSM]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=587</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Much appologies for not typing up my remaining book review notes after the overview review and first half of chapters, finally my comments on the second half&#8230; It might be unusual for OpenStreetMap and this book, but Muki Haklay is a name in the project that has been focused on GIS when I was only learning [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Being a Code of Conduct volunteer</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/09/being-a-code-of-conduct-volunteer</link>
  		<comments>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/09/being-a-code-of-conduct-volunteer#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:48:03 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Brussels]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Code of Conduct]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[sotm]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[sotm16]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[State of the Map]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[wheelchair]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=589</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[There was a lot of effort put into organising The State of the Map(SotM) conference, and it was a success. I was one of two Code of Conduct volunteers (for want of a better title). Some would point out I have related experience helping people in conflict, however this kind of role at a conference [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/09/being-a-code-of-conduct-volunteer/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>From Allan to Gorman (a book review continued)</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/05/from-a-to-g</link>
  		<comments>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/05/from-a-to-g#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 28 May 2016 17:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=574</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Continuing from my main review of The Book of OSM, I wanted to share the thoughts I jotted on a scrap of paper as I read the chapters. So onwards, with the first half of interviews in the book. Andy Allan is a name that most OpenStreetMappers have come across. He started with the project [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/05/from-a-to-g/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Review: The book of OSM by Steve Coast</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/04/review-the-book-of-osm-by-steve-coast</link>
  		<comments>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/04/review-the-book-of-osm-by-steve-coast#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2016 21:56:03 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[academic]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[HOT]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[review]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[steve coast]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[The Book of OSM]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=559</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[My summary review&#8230; A book with wonderful content on the history of a vast project called OpenStreetMap(OSM)  it will help you discover the background of OSM which is essential if you wish to understand today&#8217;s OSM. Highly recommended reading for academics starting OpenStreetMap projects and also recommended as an enjoyable light read. Unfortunately the very [&#8230;]]]></description>
  		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2016/04/review-the-book-of-osm-by-steve-coast/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>OSMF Election 2015</title>
  		<link>http://www.livingwithdragons.com/2015/11/osmf-election-2015</link>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2015 13:57:33 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gregory Marler]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Living with Dragons]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[OSMF board]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.livingwithdragons.com/?p=550</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[The OpenStreetMap Foundation is currently holding it&#8217;s annual election for board members, anyone currently a paid-up member of the foundation should have received instrctions on how to vote electronically this year. Sadly none of the board members due to step down are running for re-election (3 must do so each year, usually those who have [&#8230;]]]></description>
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  		<title>Think tanks and financial transparency</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2019/05/09/think-tanks-and-financial-transparency/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2019/05/09/think-tanks-and-financial-transparency/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2019 12:15:06 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=726</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Last week&#8217;s Question Time introduced one of the panelists, Kate Andrews from the &#8220;Institute of Economic Affairs&#8220;. What an organisation name! It sounds so official. So governmental. So trustworthy &#8230;yeah not so much. The name sounded familiar to me from some recent reading on dodgy think tank funding transparency. It prompted me to look up [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title="BBC Question Time show on 2nd May 2019" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0004pyz/question-time-2019-02052019">Last week&#8217;s Question Time</a> introduced one of the panelists, Kate Andrews from the &#8220;<strong>Institute of Economic Affairs</strong>&#8220;. What an organisation name! It sounds so official. So governmental. So trustworthy</p>
  <p>&#8230;yeah not so much.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0004pyz/question-time-2019-02052019"><img class="size-large wp-image-727 aligncenter" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bbc-question-time-2-may-2019-1024x450.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="281" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bbc-question-time-2-may-2019-1024x450.jpg 1024w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bbc-question-time-2-may-2019-300x132.jpg 300w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bbc-question-time-2-may-2019-768x338.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></a></p>
  <p>The name sounded familiar to me from some recent reading on dodgy think tank funding transparency. It prompted me to look up their rankings on <strong><a href="https://www.transparify.org">transparify.org</a></strong>:</p>
  <p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-728" style="border: solid #EEE 1px;" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/transparify-uk-think-tanks.jpg" alt="" width="710" height="1075" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/transparify-uk-think-tanks.jpg 710w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/transparify-uk-think-tanks-198x300.jpg 198w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/transparify-uk-think-tanks-676x1024.jpg 676w" sizes="(max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px" /></p>
  <p>I&#8217;ve improved this image from one found <a href="https://www.transparify.org/blog/2018/11/16/pressure-grows-on-uk-think-tanks-that-fail-to-disclose-their-funders">on the transparify blog</a>. You can read much more about how and why transparify have ranked the think tanks on the website. Transparify have zoomed in on the issue of funding transparency because it&#8217;s important. If we are to have these &#8220;think tank&#8221; organisations dedicating themselves to swaying public opinion one way or another, then isn&#8217;t it important to know who is paying them to do it?</p>
  <p>Well maybe it depends how influential they are. It occurs to me that &#8220;think tanks&#8221; exist as part of a fuzzily defined spectrum. An individual can set up a wordpress site and start pumping out blogs and social media posts pushing their political viewpoint. That&#8217;s a wonderfully easy thing to do, and I&#8217;m glad. But then if you name this website &#8220;Institute of X&#8221; and pretend to be an organisation not an individual, then you&#8217;re well on the way to being a &#8220;think tank&#8221;. If some wealthy backer wants to pay you to hire a team, and work on pumping the messages full time, then that <i>is</i> a think tank. It&#8217;s a natural progression to this situation where it feels like there&#8217;s a cost-effective way for wealthy individuals or organisations to buy influence over our politics.</p>
  <p>But it&#8217;s OK. The key remaining barrier is whether we all grant them <i>acceptance and influence</i> (and whether mainstream media do e.g. by inviting them to be panelist on BBC Question Time!). We should be rejecting organisations who fail to disclose exactly what they are, who they are, and who they are funded by. If we don&#8217;t know who is paying the salary of Kate Andrews from the &#8220;Institute of Economic Affairs&#8221;, isn&#8217;t it rather sinister that she has been able to gain such a platform?</p>
  <p>If you saw the show then you may remain unconvinced, after all Kate Andrews was talking a lot of sense on there right? She&#8217;s intelligent, charismatic, and persuasive. I was finding myself agreeing with her even as I was surfing around the transparify website! I was waiting for her to drop a right-wing free-market help-the-rich-get-richer bombshell. She talked on a lot of topics without touching on this, and when it came it was so subtly slipped in at the end of a debate on climate change, that it passed without any cross-examination.</p>
  <p>Maybe that&#8217;s just good politics. Don&#8217;t try to ram your message down people&#8217;s throats. Say <a href="https://comb.io/G3bRa3">things that people agree with</a>, and slip your message in. But I suspect that kind of obfuscation game is a think tank speciality. A while ago I followed a tweet to humanprogress.org, and it&#8217;s bothered me ever since, because again I found myself agreeing with so much of it. I enjoyed these optimistic pro-science articles, but look out! Slipped in there you&#8217;ll find various dubious messages: <i>&#8220;inequality doesn&#8217;t matter&#8221;, &#8220;deforestation isn&#8217;t happening&#8221;, &#8220;fossil fuels are the best energy source&#8221;, &#8220;be happy with your menial existence and help us get richer&#8221;</i>. OK I made that last one up, but the others are all messages in articles on that site, all cunningly tucked between other more enjoyable (and more correct) writing. humanprogress.org is one of many sub-brands of content pumped out by the  American right wing think tank with wealthy backers: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_Institute">Cato Institute</a>.</p>
  <p>But I guess that&#8217;s just dodgy politics as usual, and I&#8217;m criticising Cato Institute based on my own political views. I&#8217;m quite happy to do so, but to be fair, they do OK on financial transparency. Middling score from transparify.</p>
  <p>What <a href="https://www.transparify.org">transparify</a> do so well is to focus on just that one aspect of think tanks, financial transparency, in a non-partisan very objectively measured manner. It&#8217;s possible to do so, and while it won&#8217;t solve all the problems with dodgy think tank politics, it is a great starting point for penetrating the sinister goings on behind these organisations. It should be a clear &#8220;untrustworthy&#8221; red flag if organisations regardless of political flavour, are failing to disclose details of who is backing them financially.</p>
  <p>Which dodgy characters will the BBC be inviting onto Question Time tonight I wonder?</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Counting game</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2019/01/06/counting-game/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2019/01/06/counting-game/#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Jan 2019 12:38:32 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=718</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I made a little counting quiz game for my 3 year old to practice his counting: &#62;&#62;&#62; Counting game &#60;&#60;&#60; I&#8217;m hoping some other kids at the &#8220;learning to count&#8221; stage might find this fun. Just click the link to play (not on a phone) Little video of him playing it When we talk about [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I made a little counting quiz game for my 3 year old to practice his counting:</p>
  <p style="text-align: center;">&gt;&gt;&gt; <b><a href="https://harrywood.co.uk/kids/counting-basic/">Counting game</a></b> &lt;&lt;&lt;</p>
  <p>I&#8217;m hoping some other kids at the &#8220;learning to count&#8221; stage might find this fun. Just click the link to play (not on a phone)</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kj63xkCtww"><img class="alignnone wp-image-719 size-full" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/counting-game-frame.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="368" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/counting-game-frame.jpg 500w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/counting-game-frame-300x221.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><br />
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kj63xkCtww">Little video of him playing it</a></p>
  <p>When we talk about &#8220;learning to count&#8221;, there&#8217;s actually a couple of quite different skills. Speaking the numbers out loud in sequence &#8220;One&#8230; two&#8230; three&#8221; &#8230;  our lad has been good at this for over a year now, but recently I&#8217;ve been trying to get him to look at a set of objects and tell me how many there are. Not the same kind of &#8220;learning to count&#8221;.</p>
  <p>So far he&#8217;s quite bad at this. It seems like one type of counting skill should help with the other, but sometimes I&#8217;ll point and say &#8220;how many?&#8221; and he&#8217;ll just wave his finger at the objects while counting to ten very quickly. Almost like he&#8217;s too good at the other skill, he&#8217;s not getting the idea of counting objects!</p>
  <p>Naturally my solution to these things is to spend hours coding something. <a href="https://github.com/harry-wood/counting-basic">Here it is on github</a>. It needs a bit more work. In particular this is no use at all on mobile at the moment (or tablet). You need a keyboard to press the number keys. This and a few other <a href="https://github.com/harry-wood/counting-basic/issues">issues listed here</a>.</p>
  <p>Oh and thanks to various people for the open licensed images (credited on page), and thanks to wikimedia commons for helpfully <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=wikimedia+commons+%22white+background%22&amp;client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjeoIvpoN7fAhU1tHEKHRFjCnYQ_AUIDigB&amp;biw=1385&amp;bih=686">naming them &#8220;x white backgound&#8221;</a>.</p>
  <p>If you missed it, check out my previous kids game<strong> <a href="https://harrywood.co.uk/kids/keyboard-letters/">Keyboard Letters</a></strong> (+<a href="https://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2016/09/10/keyboard-letters-game/">previous blog post</a>)</p>
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  		<title>space4 &#8211; OpenStreetMap games and engagement talk</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/06/05/space4-openstreetmap-talk/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/06/05/space4-openstreetmap-talk/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:40:18 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[maps]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=704</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I gave the following talk at &#8220;space4&#8221; the other day, at an event called &#8220;Mapping for change &#8211; games and other processes of public engagement&#8220;. My talk was an introduction to OpenStreetMap, which is something I haven&#8217;t done in a while. And I also went into more detail on the different ways of contributing, from [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I gave the following talk at &#8220;space4&#8221; the other day, at an event called &#8220;<a href="https://www.meetup.com/Mapping-for-Social-and-Political-Change/events/250853293/">Mapping for change &#8211; games and other processes of public engagement</a>&#8220;.</p>
  <p>My talk was an introduction to OpenStreetMap, which is something I haven&#8217;t done in a while. And I also went into more detail on the different ways of contributing, from complicated things like <a href="https://josm.openstreetmap.de">JOSM</a>, right down to the very simple <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes">OpenStreetMap Notes</a>.</p>
  <figure id="attachment_706" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="wp-image-706 size-full" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/openstreetmap-ecosystem-harry-wood.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/openstreetmap-ecosystem-harry-wood.jpg 500w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/openstreetmap-ecosystem-harry-wood-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Showing the <a href="#slide10">OpenStreetMap ecosystem diagram</a> (There was also an appearance for my newer <a href="#slide21">workflows summary diagram</a>) &#8211; <a href="https://twitter.com/Wright1Carole/status/1002328158601965570">Photo by Carole Wright</a></figcaption></figure>
  <p>Space4 is a new funky little tech hub place, of which London has many, but exciting for me because it&#8217;s half a mile from where I live! It&#8217;s nice to see Finsbury Park attaining this badge of trendiness, but also it&#8217;s super convenient. I can even cheekily duck out of family commitments to attend an event for an hour as I did on this occasion, although it was I shame I didn&#8217;t get to stick around and chat to anyone. I did get to answer questions, and it seemed like an interesting audience. I&#8217;ll have to try make it along to more events there, perhaps more in this series titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.meetup.com/Mapping-for-Social-and-Political-Change/">Mapping for Social and Political Change</a>&#8220;.</p>
  <p>Below are the slides and transcript, or at least what I intended to say. You can also <a href="/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/2018-space4.odp">download the slides in OpenOffice format</a> (34Mb).</p>
  <p>Jump to slide:<br />
  <a href="#slide1">1</a>, <a href="#slide2">2</a>, <a href="#slide3">3</a>, <a href="#slide4">4</a>, <a href="#slide5">5</a>, <a href="#slide6">6</a>, <a href="#slide7">7</a>, <a href="#slide8">8</a>, <a href="#slide9">9</a>, <a href="#slide10">10</a>, <a href="#slide11">11</a>, <a href="#slide12">12</a>, <a href="#slide13">13</a>, <a href="#slide14">14</a>, <a href="#slide15">15</a>, <a href="#slide16">16</a>, <a href="#slide17">17</a>, <a href="#slide18">18</a>, <a href="#slide19">19</a>, <a href="#slide20">20</a>, <a href="#slide21">21</a>, <a href="#slide22">22</a>, <a href="#slide23">23</a>, <a href="#slide24">24</a></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide1"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img0.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide1">Slide 1</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img0.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I&#8217;m going to present my introduction to OpenStreetMap and then, in relation to the theme of this evening, I&#8217;ll run through some app and gamification ideas and other ways we try to encourage participation in this project.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide2"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img1.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide2">Slide 2</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img1.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>My day job is another interesting open data initiative at a company called <a href="https://opencorporates.com/">OpenCorporates</a>, but that&#8217;s a whole other talk! I found this job via my interest in open data and OpenStreetMap actually, but for OpenStreetMap I&#8217;m just a spare-time volunteer.</p>
  <p>And that&#8217;s typical actually. It&#8217;s a very volunteer driven initiative. There is a small company called the <a href="https://osmfoundation.org/">OpenStreetMap foundation</a>, but there&#8217;s only one admin assistant employee. OpenStreetMap is a not-for-profit project with lots of passionate volunteers, although commercial use of the data is allowed, and a number of companies provide services around OpenStreetMap.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide3"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img2.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide3">Slide 3</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img2.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So what is OpenStreetMap? If you&#8217;ve only taken a quick look, you&#8217;ll perhaps have the idea that OpenStreetMap is a competitor to Google maps. It kind of is that, but that&#8217;s really not the whole story.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide4"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img3.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide4">Slide 4</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img3.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>You only have to zoom in on the map and you&#8217;ll start to see that this is a bit different. Here&#8217;s where we are at space4. In many areas there&#8217;s this kind of very rich detailed data, but you can also get the sense, I think, that this is a very human-crafted map.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide5"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img4.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide5">Slide 5</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img4.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>OpenStreetMap is a community of now over 1 million people who have made contributions to the map. It&#8217;s a “mass collaboration”, and engaging <i>many</i> people in participation has been the name of the game really.</p>
  <p>I&#8217;m going to talk more about how we do this, but essentially a key aspect is making the map editing process (which is inherently quite complex) as simple as possible.</p>
  <p>The project is called “Open”StreetMap, not just because it is open to edit, but because we release all the data openly licensed as raw vector data. I&#8217;ll explain that more, but I think when it comes to community engagement, a key motivator is simply seeing an updated map, taking in the changes people make, and showing a new improved map with a rapid turn-around.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide6"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img5.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide6">Slide 6</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img5.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Everything in OpenStreetMap is made up of “nodes” and “ways”. This is what I mean by “vector data”. And then attached this we have “tags”. These name=value pairs.</p>
  <p>This is a simple data model, helping drive simplicity of the editors, but particularly with the tags, it&#8217;s also very flexible and it means you can put your own ideas into OpenStreetMap for things to be represented on the map. The tags are an interesting aspect of OpenStreetMap&#8217;s design which really makes editing simple and fun, even if it means the data is less tidy and usable than it might be. That&#8217;s a bias which OpenStreetMap has. A focus on simple fun contributing.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide7"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img6.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide7">Slide 7</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img6.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>What about <i>using </i>OpenStreetMap?</p>
  <p>Well you can do the Google maps thing of embedding a map on your website. Also you can build interfaces involving clickable markers etc, with OpenStreetMap as the base-map.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors/map">https://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors/map</a></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide8"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img7.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide8">Slide 8</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img7.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But the raw data from OpenStreetMap has allowed developers to do so much more. Here we see&#8230;</p>
  <p>“<a href="http://project-osrm.org/">Open Source Routing Machine</a>” doing route planning across the road network.</p>
  <p>“<a href="http://overpass-api.de/">OverpassAPI</a>” doing flexible queries within the rich tagging data (show me all the pubs in London)</p>
  <p>“<a href="https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/">Nominatim</a>” search system, finding a street. Here we also see it showing the internals of how exactly that search is matched.</p>
  <p>There are endless other examples powerful uses for the low level geo-data.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide9"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img8.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide9">Slide 9</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img8.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Of course one main use is to have a view of the map. But what <i>kind</i> of view? With access to raw geo-data we can create a customised “rendering” of our map view, choosing different types of data to emphasise and different ways of colouring and styling it.</p>
  <p>Top left &#8211; <a href="https://www.thunderforest.com/maps/transport/">Thunderforest Transport Map</a></p>
  <p>Top middle – <a href="http://whitewater.quaker.eu.org/">Quakers Whiterwater map</a></p>
  <p>Top right – <a href="http://hikebikemap.org/">hikeandbikemap.org</a></p>
  <p>Bottom left – <a href="http://www.opensnowmap.org/">OpenSnowmap.org</a></p>
  <p>Bottom right – <a href="http://opencyclemap.org/">OpenCycleMap.org</a></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide10"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img9.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide10">Slide 10</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img9.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So the raw geo-data flows out from this central OpenStreetMap database, out through an ecosystem of various tools and services which developers are providing and refining (often as open source), out to many many website and mobile apps.</p>
  <p>If you&#8217;re not a techy developer yourself then this might not seem that exciting, but just think&#8230; by contributing to OpenStreetMap you&#8217;re not only making a view of a map on openstreetmap.org. The data flows out and gets used in a wonderful variety of different ways.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide11"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img10.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide11">Slide 11</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img10.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So I&#8217;m going to move on now to talk more about the different ways you can contribute to OpenStreetMap.</p>
  <p>I thought I would start with the more complicated ways first, so don&#8217;t be put off. I hope to show you that you can contribute in very very simple ways too.</p>
  <p>But this is the way I often edit OpenStreetMap. It&#8217;s a tool called <a href="https://josm.openstreetmap.de/">JOSM</a>. Here we see the photo mapping feature. There&#8217;s a photo I took of some shops near here, and little icon here shows roughly where I was when took this.</p>
  <p>JOSM is a powerful editor, but actually even if you are just getting started with OpenStreetMap, if you don&#8217;t mind learning new software, I recommend diving in and giving JOSM a try, because ultimately it may give the most satisfying editing experience.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide12"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img11.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide12">Slide 12</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img11.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Most people though, will begin by trying the editor on the website. On openstreetmap.org if you click this “edit” button here, you can edit directly with this tool called “id”. No need to install anything.</p>
  <p>This is simpler than JOSM, though still quite powerful. It&#8217;s easier to get started with.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide13"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img12.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide13">Slide 13</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img12.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Here&#8217;s how you can edit using a smartphone. An app called “<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id592990211">Go Map!!</a>” on iPhone and “<a href="http://vespucci.io/">Vespucci</a>” on android.</p>
  <p>These are simplified editing experiences for mobile, however both of these are what I would call “fully featured” OpenStreetMap editors because you can make edits to the “ways” as well as the “nodes” and “tags”. You can edit the geometry of buildings for example.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide14"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img13.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide14">Slide 14</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img13.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But if I have to make one app recommendation, it would be this: <a href="https://maps.me/">Maps.ME</a> on iPhone and Android is a really great map <i>viewing</i> app. It looks a bit like google maps, so it will feel familiar. But it&#8217;s OpenStreetMap! Install it now!</p>
  <p>This also lets you download whole countries for use offline, including satnav style routing. It&#8217;s great for using without an internet connection while on holiday. But I use it as a really nice useable map view for getting around all the time.</p>
  <p>Maps.ME does also have editing functionality. This is an example of a simplified feature-limited editor. You can use it to add a missing shop for example, but only basic edits. It&#8217;s not as powerful as Go Map!! or Vespucci.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide15"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img14.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide15">Slide 15</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img14.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So you can use your gadgets, but I want to stress that gathering data can be as simple as using a pen and paper. Of course you&#8217;ll still need to input your data later using JOSM or “id”, but data collection can be very simple and low tech.</p>
  <p>&#8230;although some people get quite advanced and quite complex with their paper notes!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide16"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img15.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide16">Slide 16</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img15.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>And here&#8217;s an interesting tool which bridges the gap: <a href="http://fieldpapers.org/">fieldpapers.org</a></p>
  <p>This gives a nice easy way of getting a map printout. It creates an “atlas” of many A4 sheets. Here you see the interface where you&#8217;re arranging a grid of A4 sheets to cover an area of interest.</p>
  <p>The printouts can then be used for noting down more data which needs to be added to the map. If you want to get clever, these can then be scanned in, and a QR code geolocates the scanned images for use within an editor (but you can easily skip that and&#8230; look at the paper!)</p>
  <p>Because the data collection is very low-tech pen &amp; paper, this has been used for humanitarian mapping, with local people in Lubumbashi writing down things like street names, and then the paper brought back to London, where we input the data at a fun mapping event.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide17"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img16.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide17">Slide 17</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img16.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Speaking of humanitarian mapping (this is a whole other area I didn&#8217;t go into) check out the “<a href="https://www.hotosm.org/">Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team</a>”, and a project called “<a href="http://www.missingmaps.org/">Missing Maps</a>” which is having very popular events every month here in London.</p>
  <p>But this is a tool we use to coordinate mapping a lot. The “Tasking Manager” at <a href="https://tasks.hotosm.org/">tasks.hotosm.org</a>. You can see the idea. We divide up an area into a grid. The yellow squares have already been done, and you can acquire a square to work on. It&#8217;s a coordination tool which means we don&#8217;t accidentally work on the same area even if we have a large number of people mapping.</p>
  <p>This is for remote “armchair mapping” where we can sit at home with our laptops and contribute using aerial imagery, to draw around buildings for example.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide18"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img17.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide18">Slide 18</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img17.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Getting more towards “gamification” side of things, this is a tool called “<a href="http://www.maproulette.org/">MapRoulette</a>”. It assigns random little tasks for you to work on (by making edits in the OpenStreetMap data)</p>
  <p>Often the “challenges” are created based on data from external sources. Here for example it&#8217;s showing Police stations in London, where we could be adding some address data, taking the addresses from some government dataset. So we spin the roulette wheel, and we&#8217;re shown a random London police station, and we click to add the address data and then go again!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide19"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img18.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide19">Slide 19</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img18.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I wanted to show you a couple of really simple ways of helping OpenStreetMap which don&#8217;t involve learning how to edit.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.mapillary.com/">Mapillary</a> is a thing you can contribute to, particularly if you drive a lot. You simply set your phone going taking photos as you drive, and these form a thing a bit like Google StreetView.</p>
  <p>But Mapillary works very closely with OpenStreetMap, and allow us to use the images while editing. If we gather enough of these street-level images, it becomes a very powerful supportive tool for OpenStreetMappers. We can easily use it to double-check our data and directly add things like missing shops.</p>
  <p>The app is really easy to use because contributing is very passive. You just sort of set it going, and you can almost forget about it. Later you upload lots of photos.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide20"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img19.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide20">Slide 20</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img19.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Finally this is perhaps the simplest way to contribute OpenStreetMap: A thing we call “<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes">Notes</a>”. Just go to the website and click this button here to add a note. Place a marker and write a textual description of a thing which is missing or needs to be changed on the map. Easy! It doesn&#8217;t even require you to log in.</p>
  <p>Like Mapillary this is a slightly <i>indirect</i> way of helping. It still requires people who know how to edit, to then go and make use of this information to edit the map.</p>
  <p>But this is very much designed to be a very simple way to contribute. It&#8217;s dead easy, although do make sure you zoom in and place the marker precisely, and be as descriptive as you can in the text.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide21"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img20.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide21">Slide 21</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img20.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Here&#8217;s a summary diagram showing different ways of contributing.</p>
  <p>It&#8217;s split into “gathering data” and “inputting data”, because often we do things in those separate stages. The mobile mapping approach using Go Map!! or Vespucci will cut across these, because you can make the edit directly while you are out and about seeing things to add. This is perhaps not as useful as it sounds because, tapping away with your finger to add all of data is very slow. If you&#8217;re adding lots of things, or even if you&#8217;re casually doing some fly-by mapping, I tend to prefer a two stage approach. I snap quick photos on my phone (which are geo-located), and then later at home I view these with JOSM to add the data.</p>
  <p>We also talked about Tasking Manager &amp; MapRoulette. These options at the bottom only involve a data input phase without the need for data gathering. But as with the other projects we&#8217;ve heard about this evening, OpenStreetMap is a great excuse to go out and look at the world! If you like that sort of thing, you may prefer these other modes of contribution.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide22"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img21.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide22">Slide 22</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img21.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Beyond editing tools, we also have a few tools like this which show us stats on our OpenStreetMap editing. This helps make editing fun and engaging, and naturally a little competitive! This is “<a href="http://www.hdyc.neis-one.org/">how did you contribute?</a>”, and on the right a<a href="http://www.missingmaps.org/users/#/"> tool on MissingMaps.org</a> which shows edit stats related to humanitarian mapping with the tasking manager.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide23"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img22.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide23">Slide 23</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img22.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So that&#8217;s OpenStreetMap!</p>
  <p>Do check out the <a href="https://twitter.com/osmlondon">@OSMLondon twitter account</a> for news of OpenStreetMap events happening here in London.</p>
  <p>Thank you very much!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide24"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img23.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide24">Slide 24</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/space4/img23.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><i>For my part, I release these slides under the <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 License</a></i></p>
  <p><i>However see the notes on the slides, for other specific attributions.</i></p>
  <p><i>Any standard OSM map images are cc-by-sa2 OpenStreetMap contributors.</i></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Jump to slide:<br />
  <a href="#slide1">1</a>, <a href="#slide2">2</a>, <a href="#slide3">3</a>, <a href="#slide4">4</a>, <a href="#slide5">5</a>, <a href="#slide6">6</a>, <a href="#slide7">7</a>, <a href="#slide8">8</a>, <a href="#slide9">9</a>, <a href="#slide10">10</a>, <a href="#slide11">11</a>, <a href="#slide12">12</a>, <a href="#slide13">13</a>, <a href="#slide14">14</a>, <a href="#slide15">15</a>, <a href="#slide16">16</a>, <a href="#slide17">17</a>, <a href="#slide18">18</a>, <a href="#slide19">19</a>, <a href="#slide20">20</a>, <a href="#slide21">21</a>, <a href="#slide22">22</a>, <a href="#slide23">23</a>, <a href="#slide24">24</a></p>
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  		<title>Yak Shaving and Woolly Jumpers</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/04/16/yak-shaving-and-woolly-jumpers/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/04/16/yak-shaving-and-woolly-jumpers/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2018 20:54:19 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=701</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Photo by Glen MacLarty &#8211; A woolly jumper being knitted (&#8230;probably not from Yak&#8217;s wool) Do all developers know the phrase &#8220;yak shaving&#8221;? Apparently not. I see it being introduced to a new generation of developers here. What does it mean? &#8220;yak shaving&#8221; &#8230;the alternative explanation. You&#8217;re an engineer. You have a problem:  you&#8217;re feeling [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title="116_1269" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/glenmaclarty/3664977294/in/photolist-6zRY4G-GkgxuM-bmwHE9-gNXSNn-pgSXN3-bbJer6-ddSwg6-63Kgv-f8NwA2-5nKU6j-mod6pW-5cWBCM-ntbh1Z-5dfrG4-89zMSJ-63Ktoq-qSsx6i-8ZHMRs-4RH2E2-bzrATX-anW4s7-5djLvJ-oMQnSB-bqcnSv-nzNdi4-Uqd5N7-ahUsT6-bpNTLp-7gU3Ws-bpNT1v-7Tg4cv-5dfrvk-ndYafr-f8FH6j-rVYhew-6zRXYJ-DNDhDR-4N85RP-fNVAHE-UhzayW-baJz7r-bf6ckZ-bK4SCx-bBYkwZ-zLD66-fkXqCh-edusQv-4zDhsD-orLyRP-bhY6jg" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3345/3664977294_35339ba718.jpg" alt="116_1269" width="500" height="333" /></a><br />
  <em><small><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/glenmaclarty/3664977294/"> Photo by Glen MacLarty</a> &#8211; A woolly jumper being knitted (&#8230;probably not from Yak&#8217;s wool)</small></em></p>
  <p>Do all developers know the phrase &#8220;yak shaving&#8221;? Apparently not. I see it <a href="https://dev.to/dance2die/shaving-yak-4g2m">being introduced to a new generation of developers here</a>.</p>
  <p>What does it mean?</p>
  <h3>&#8220;yak shaving&#8221; &#8230;the alternative explanation.</h3>
  <p>You&#8217;re an engineer. You have a problem:  you&#8217;re feeling a bit cold.</p>
  <ul>
  <li>You could turn up the heating, but you decide it&#8217;s better to find a jumper to put on.</li>
  <li>You find a nylon sweater, but you want to do this properly. You need a woolly jumper.</li>
  <li>You could go out and buy a woolly jumper, but if you&#8217;re going to go to the trouble of heading out to the shops, maybe you should <i>really nail</i> this problem. A really kick-ass solution, would be to <i>knit yourself</i> a good thick woolly jumper.</li>
  <li>You could use some wool you already have, but since you&#8217;ll be spending quite some time on this knitting project, you might as well find some really premium quality wool.</li>
  <li>You could select some nice wool from a shop, but you&#8217;re a thorough sort of person. If it&#8217;s worth finding good wool, you decide it&#8217;s worth going to the source of the supply chain where the wool is produced.</li>
  <li>You could travel to a sheep farm somewhere, but since you&#8217;re going to be travelling, you start researching different types of wool, and discover that the very best type of wool is from the Himalayan yak.</li>
  <li>&#8230;and so it is that you end up on a hillside in the Himalayas, in the baking hot sun   &#8230;shaving a yak.</li>
  </ul>
  <h3>Origins</h3>
  <p>I like this explanation, but it is &#8220;the alternative explanation&#8221;, because I&#8217;ve no idea where it came from! Can&#8217;t find any reference to it on the internet. I <em>think</em> I was taught this by <a href="http://www.gravitystorm.co.uk">Andy Allan</a> while I was working at CloudMade. A few years ago I introduced &#8220;yak shaving&#8221; to workmates at TransportAPI, to much hilarity.</p>
  <p>For the <em>real</em> origins of the &#8220;yak shaving&#8221; phrase, all googles lead to <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that.html">Seth Godin</a>&#8216;s blog, which references, <a href="http://joi.ito.com/archives/2005/03/05/yak_shaving.html#trackbacks">Joi Ito&#8217;s blog</a>, which references an O&#8217;Reilly Book on productivity, and [oopse. now that&#8217;s going a bit recursive], but  no there&#8217;s lots of pointers to the <em>real</em> origin, which I find a bit disappointing: A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mmISldi060">&#8220;Yak Shaving Day&#8221; segment of a Renn &amp; Stimpy episode</a>.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mmISldi060"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-702" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/yak-yak-shaving-day-300x188.png" alt="" width="300" height="188" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/yak-yak-shaving-day-300x188.png 300w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/yak-yak-shaving-day.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
  <p>I suppose it&#8217;s disappointing because Ren &amp; Stimpy is so unbearably bizarre I can&#8217;t get my head around it, but also I was hoping for the origins to have some better link with our tech community use of the &#8220;yak shaving&#8221; phrase. Oh well.</p>
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  		<title>Government snooping and breaking encryption. Hurrah!</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/04/05/government-snooping-encryption/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/04/05/government-snooping-encryption/#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:30:50 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=593</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I was just looking at some old photos from this time last year. A year ago the weather was a lot better and I finally made it to Bletchley Park. It filled me with chest-thumping patriotic pride to think of these code-breakers puzzling over intercepted nazi messages, and inventing brilliant machines to break the code. [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title="Bletchley Park Bombe Machine" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrywood/32938135664/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true" style="float:right;"><img class="alignright" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/32938135664_83ea8a7f54.jpg" alt="Bletchley Park Bombe Machine" width="375" height="500" /></a>I was just looking at some old photos from this time last year. A year ago the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrywood/33740298596/in/dateposted-public/">weather was a lot better</a> and I finally made it to Bletchley Park.</p>
  <p>It filled me with chest-thumping patriotic pride to think of these code-breakers puzzling over intercepted nazi messages, and inventing brilliant machines to break the code. A good old bit of government snooping and breaking encryption. hurrah!</p>
  <p>It was a curious coincidence to return home on the same day, and see on the evening news, the home secretary <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/26/intelligence-services-access-whatsapp-amber-rudd-westminster-attack-encrypted-messaging">Amber Rudd declaring that it was “completely unacceptable” that the government could not read messages protected by end-to-end encryption</a>. There had been a small terrorism incident in which a few people were killed by a nutter with a gun at Westmister. Hardly deserving of the &#8216;T&#8217; word. Apparently he had sent a WhatsApp message. So naturally this was being used as an excuse to enlarge government snooping powers. A good old bit of government snooping and breaking encryption. hurrah!</p>
  <p>The enigma code was a different matter though. British code-breakers versus the nazi war machine.</p>
  <p>It&#8217;s a well known story, but I learned a few things at Bletchley park, particularly while putting my stupid questions to a member of staff. I asked about what came before enigma. Radio signals had been extensively encrypted by various communication networks of the German military for years before the outbreak of war, and Poland had been extensively snooping, mapping out all these networks (a complex challenge in itself), and breaking various levels of encryption in a cat &#8216;n&#8217; mouse game. They were able to pass on all of this information to the Brits. We were only carrying on with the game.</p>
  <p>But with enigma machines the nazis thought they had an unbreakable code. To crack it, Alan Turing built the Bombe. This is often described as a forebear of modern computers.  The star attraction at Bletchley Park is a working (moving!) replica. It moves with spectacular spinning and clunking noises. Watching the way it moves, it&#8217;s obvious that the spinning drums are performing a kind of brute force attack, trying every combination to break the encryption. But the replica is not complete, and actually seeing <em>behind</em> the drums where they are still missing, is very revealing. Metal brushes on the back of the rotating drums, brush over these metal contact pads. Behind the scenes they&#8217;re wired up so that an electrical current flows and the machine suddenly stops when it hits upon the correct combination.</p>
  <p><a title="Bletchley Park Bombe Machine" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrywood/33740299836/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3854/33740299836_5e1662022c.jpg" alt="Bletchley Park Bombe Machine" width="500" height="375" /></a></p>
  <p>I was amazed and delighted by the simplicity of that idea. The whole giant contraption is just a great big electrical circuit, with some mechanical movement thrown in. We can see and understand the machine at a very low level, in a way which is much harder with modern computers. In computer science studies we learn about all the lovely layers between applications like this web browser, right down to&#8230;  well ultimately an electrical circuit. However I actually deliberately chose a computer science degree course which <em>didn&#8217;t</em> involve hardware, because I found that low level stuff uninteresting. I have a vague understanding, but maybe I should try building <a href="http://nand2tetris.org">tetris with nand gates</a> some time!</p>
  <p>Although there&#8217;s a beautiful electromechanical simplicity to the Bombe, the less low level aspects (the details of the cryptography problem it&#8217;s actually trying to solve) are harder to understand. There&#8217;s a good <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4V2bpZlqx8">numberphile video</a> explaining some of it.</p>
  <p>To come up with these solutions in 1940, Turing was surely a genius. He clearly knows the necessary hashtags. We rewarded him with chemical castration as a punishment for being gay, which drove him to suicide. Hurrah Great Britain!</p>
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  		<title>New job at OpenCorporates</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/02/12/new-job-at-opencorporates/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2018/02/12/new-job-at-opencorporates/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Feb 2018 01:22:42 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=692</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[A month ago I started a new job. This is a big deal for me because I&#8217;d been in at TransportAPI for eight years. But time for a new job in 2018! I&#8217;ve just started at OpenCorporates. OpenCorporates provides company listings data. It has a database of corporate entities, rather like Companies House in the [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A month ago I started a new job. This is a big deal for me because I&#8217;d been in at <a href="https://www.transportapi.com">TransportAPI</a> for eight years. But time for a new job in 2018! I&#8217;ve just started at <a href="https://opencorporates.com">OpenCorporates</a>.</p>
  <p><center><a href="http://opencorporates.com"><img class="wp-image-695 size-full alignnone" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/opencorporates-1.png" alt="" width="575" height="162" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/opencorporates-1.png 575w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/opencorporates-1-300x85.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px" /></a></center>OpenCorporates provides company listings data. It has a database of corporate entities, rather like Companies House in the UK, but bringing together this and similar datasets from countries all around the world.</p>
  <p>Now &#8220;company listings data&#8221; may sound rather dull, but there&#8217;s a couple of aspects of this which I think are quite exciting: open data and&#8230; fighting crime and injustice!</p>
  <h3>Open Data</h3>
  <p>At one stage the Companies House website was only open during working hours (Yes. Hilariously the website&#8217;s clunky querying interface stopped working after 6pm!). Aside from making itself a target of general ridicule from tech people, companies house also became a target of the emerging &#8220;open data&#8221; campaign at the time. About a decade ago the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/free-our-data">guardian &#8220;Free Our Data&#8221; column</a> was leading the march, campaigning for data releases. I also remember attending a &#8220;National Hack the Government&#8221; event hosted by the guardian, with all sorts of hijinks of civic hacking tech people who were producing better versions of government websites and, if necessary, taking data by force (brute force scraping) to do so.</p>
  <p>From these kinds of mischievous beginnings OpenCorporates was born. I remember bumping into Chris Taggart at various conferences and events around this time, while I was generally running around beating the OpenStreetMap drum. Later I ended up working with TransportAPI, and TransportAPI ended up sharing an office space with OpenCorporates at the <a href="https://theodi.org">Open Data Institute</a> for a while.</p>
  <p>Companies House went on to get their act together considerably (spurred on by those early civic hackers no doubt). Meanwhile OpenCorporates continues to campaign for open data releases from other governments around the world. My point is, OpenCorporates is very much historically and currently part of the open data movement. I regard <i>any</i> open data work as a kind of &#8220;social good&#8221;, but if you think about it, company listings are really a flagship example of the kind of dataset any government <i>absolutely should</i> be making public and easy to use.</p>
  <h3>Fighting crime and injustice!</h3>
  <p>This brings me onto the other aspect. A more dramatic kind of &#8220;social good&#8221;. OpenCorporates, by making company listings data more available, is fighting crime and injustice &#8230;if a little indirectly.</p>
  <p>A &#8220;registered company&#8221; might be a high-street shop or some other real-world bricks-and-mortar thing, but often not. Registered companies are legal and financial constructs which get used and abused in all sorts of ways. We see examples of dodgy dealings on any episode of &#8220;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Traders_(TV_series)">rogue traders</a>&#8221; where it invariably reveals how bad people closed down a company, and re-started under a new name to shake off the authorities. It&#8217;s clearly too easy to get away with. Company listings data provides a little bit of an antidote by helping with transparency and knowing who you are doing business with.</p>
  <p><a href="http://treasureislands.org"><img class="alignleft wp-image-694 size-full" style="margin: 10px; float: left;" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/treasure-islands.png" alt="" width="260" height="404" srcset="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/treasure-islands.png 260w, http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/treasure-islands-193x300.png 193w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" /></a>But that&#8217;s just small time fraud. When I started at OpenCorporates they gave me a copy of the book &#8220;<a href="http://treasureislands.org">Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men who Stole the World&#8221;</a> by Nicholas Shaxson. It describes tax avoidance, tax evasion, money-laundering, and flows of criminal funds enabled by offshore &#8220;secrecy jurisdictions&#8221;. It builds up a picture of this as not just a side-show by a dishonest minority, but widespread deeply embedded system of corrupting influence benefitting the rich and powerful, at the expense of everyone else. The problem feels unsolvable as we realise that the corruption runs deep within all of our governments.</p>
  <p><i>&#8220;Rich governments cannot be trusted to do the right thing on tax havens and transparency. Many will demand more transparency and international cooperation even as they work to frustrate both. They will call for reasoned debate as they engage in character assassination  secret deals and worse. They will talk the language of democracy and freedom the better to defend unaccountable, irresponsible power and privilege.&#8221;</i></p>
  <p>It&#8217;s a pretty eye-opening and pretty horrifying book!</p>
  <p>The book details some specific financial tricks and loopholes, but generally the idea for a global company (or crime syndicate, or just a wealthy individual) is to have your accountants and lawyers create a tangled web of different corporate entities registered in different jurisdictions, with maximum secrecy making it almost impossible for tax authorities or financial regulators to pin down your assets, profits, risks, and capital. There are many layers of financial trickery, but it&#8217;s clear that corporate registrations are the key vehicle for this kind of skullduggery.</p>
  <p>As such, data on registered corporate entities is vital. It doesn&#8217;t solve all the problems of financial secrecy. Investigators will need to piece together a lot more about companies, their assets, the true owners and beneficiaries, and their links with other entities, in order to cut through the information void created deliberately to bamboozle them. But it&#8217;s a start. Company listings form a kind of information bed-rock upon which other information and investigation can be built. Whether it&#8217;s an investigative journalist looking to crack open a high profile case, or a tax authority, or a just somebody looking to establish the trustworthiness of a company, OpenCorporates helps enable this important work. It puts the information out there more publicly and in more useful formats to help shed a little bit of light on this murky world of crime and tax dodging.</p>
  <p>Maybe &#8220;fighting crime and injustice&#8221;, is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_(2010_American_film)">super</a>-style exaggeration. Folks like the <a href="https://www.taxjustice.net">Tax Justice Network</a> are tackling this big problem more head on, but OpenCorporates helps chip away at the problem with a more bottom-up data-oriented approach.</p>
  <h3>The new job</h3>
  <p>So I&#8217;m getting my head into this new subject area, and <a href="https://blog.opencorporates.com/2018/01/25/meet-harry-wood-software-engineer/">joining OpenCorporates as a software engineer</a>. It&#8217;s primarily Ruby on Rails development, but with lots of infrastructure and data processing challenges. Fun stuff! We&#8217;re based in the main pointy tower at Canary Wharf. We just had our office warming party in a new place 42 storeys up.</p>
  <p>If you fancy joining me there, we are hiring back-end engineers, infrastructure engineers, and data analysts. Check out <a href="https://jobs.opencorporates.com">jobs.opencorporates.com</a>!</p>
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  		<title>Printable Calendar tool</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/11/18/printable-calendar-tool/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/11/18/printable-calendar-tool/#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Nov 2017 22:49:10 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=688</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a little thing I just found (I have lots of silly bits of code like this kicking around) : Printable Calendar Generate a calendar in a strip layout, suitable for printing, with lots of space for writing notes next to each date. I originally did this as a visual basic word macro, then later [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here&#8217;s a little thing I just found (I have lots of silly bits of code like this kicking around) :</p>
  <p><b><big><a href="/calendar.php">Printable Calendar</a></big></b></p>
  <p>Generate a calendar in a strip layout, suitable for printing, with lots of space for writing notes next to each date.</p>
  <p>I originally did this as a visual basic word macro, then later as <a href="https://github.com/harry-wood/printable-calendar/blob/master/calendar.php">this php script</a>.</p>
  <p>I used to use this to do big calendar printouts to help with family logistics, usually at this time of year, covering the months around Christmas. That&#8217;s back when we four kids were all home for Christmas in Yorkshire, all with our own overlapping plans. Nowadays we might do a shared google calendar instead, but I remember the scrawlings all over the calendar wall used to be quite fun.</p>
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  		<title>A tech manifesto from 2007</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/10/05/a-tech-manifesto-from-2007/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/10/05/a-tech-manifesto-from-2007/#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2017 23:50:21 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=682</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve just been tidying some old content on this website, which I&#8217;d written just over 10 years ago now. Back then I wrote a kind of tech manifesto, or at least a collection of various broad thoughts of tech and the IT industry I was working in at the time. I haven&#8217;t worked as an [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve just been tidying some old content on this website, which I&#8217;d written just over 10 years ago now. Back then I wrote a kind of <b>tech manifesto</b>, or at least a collection of various broad thoughts of tech and the IT industry I was working in at the time. I haven&#8217;t worked as an enterprise integration consultant since 2009, and some of it is out-of-date in various other ways. Some of it feels like it&#8217;s noticeably coming from my naive younger self.</p>
  <ul>
  <li>
  <p><a href="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2007/03/03/i-hate-the-word-geek/">I hate the word &#8220;geek&#8221;</a>. I don&#8217;t really hate the word of course, and that&#8217;s not the point I was trying to make. I stand by the idea that we should always work to close the separation between &#8220;geeks&#8221; and &#8220;normal people&#8221;. The march of technological progress does this for us of course. If I think back to 2007, the internet was actually a lot less mainstream. Fewer people with broadband at home (including me!). Fewer people required to use the internet or even computers as part of their work. It used to be that &#8220;geeks&#8221; were people who knew how to use computers and were super savvy with the internet. Nowadays that&#8217;s everyone. My 2 year old son is already getting the hang of it! Nowadays I see an interesting push to get more people from more diverse backgrounds to learn to code.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
  <p><a href="https://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2007/03/03/its-a-people-thing/">It’s a people thing</a> was a piece complaining that clients should discuss high level requirements rather than skipping ahead to designing a solution. This is an accepted anti-waterfall principle rolled into &#8220;agile&#8221; these days. Perhaps it goes without saying, &#8230;except it&#8217;s still a common mistake. I recall a few occasions since writing that, when I&#8217;ve worked on projects which jumped to discussing a technical solution before getting a high level view of problems we were solving.</p>
  <p>I also talked about user interface design. I think I had a bit of a bee in my bonnet about the project I was on at the time, but I do remember leaving that particular project with great satisfaction at having implemented some of the UI ideas despite initially having them shot down. Since then there has been a couple of times where I&#8217;ve found myself surprised by colleagues&#8217; failure to see obvious UI improvements. It makes me wonder whether user interface design is a talent I&#8217;ve not really appreciated within myself. Maybe I should do more of that kind of work.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
  <p>
  With <a href="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2007/03/03/it-project-politics/">IT project politics</a>, I was talking in general terms, but really I was bearing my soul about some frustrations with my consulting job. Some of the assignments with Green Hat Consulting involved parachuting into a pretty hostile environment. When I quit that industry and went to work in a more fresh funky start-up I left the politics behind on the whole, but of course you never really escape that kind of thing completely. I guess the golden rule I still have to remind myself of would be: work with people you like (and if you don&#8217;t, leave, because life&#8217;s too short)</p>
  </li>
  <li>
  <p><a href="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2007/03/03/maintainable-software/">Maintainable Software</a>. Maybe I had a fairly simplistic view of what makes good software back then, but I think I was just glossing over the details. Obviously there&#8217;s a whole universe of coding best practices which make code maintainable, beyond &#8220;comments and meaningful variable names&#8221;. In fact <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=comments+are+bad&#038;oq=comments+are+bad">comments are bad</a> &#8230;sometimes. I think keeping up with recommendations and knowing which wisdom to follow and which to discard may be the real skill. Being an &#8220;opinionated coder&#8221;, and taking pride in your craft. In any case, I&#8217;m sure I was correct in saying that most developers consider their own code to be good code. &#8230;and I still didn&#8217;t learn to drive!</p>
  <p>I was also ranting about documentation. Again I think this was a bee I had my bonnet related a particular request to document a particular project at the time. But it remains a reasonable point, that documentation can be seen as an afterthought; a project delivery box to tick. I quite like documentation. The interesting challenge of trying to distill the most important hand-over information for a project, without making something which is just too long for anyone to bother reading. Also mechanisms to help ensure docs are kept up-to-date e.g. keeping docs close to the code or part of the code. I like that github have  establish a nice convention of supplying a README.md file for each repo.
  </p>
  </li>
  </ul>
  <p>On the whole my &#8220;tech manifesto&#8221; of a decade ago wasn&#8217;t too bad, but a lot&#8217;s happened in 10 years, and some of these thoughts were starting to feel quite old. So I decided today that they belong in the blog archive.</p>
  <p>But what would I write about if I were to pick some points to make about tech and the IT industry in 2017? (Not sure we even call it the &#8220;IT industry&#8221; so much these days). I don&#8217;t think I would try. Clearly such things are destined to go out of date. A single page of thoughts also feels incomplete, but maybe I should add some more deep thinking to the <a href="http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/category/technology/">blog category &#8216;technology&#8217;</a></p>
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  		<title>My SOTM 2017 talk: Diagrams of OpenStreetMap</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/09/18/diagrams-of-openstreetmap/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/09/18/diagrams-of-openstreetmap/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2017 12:19:23 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[maps]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=602</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I gave a talk at State Of the Map 2017, the official OpenStreetMap annual conference, which took place in Japan last month. &#8220;The Diagrams of OpenStreetMap&#8221; is a tour of a various diagrams illustrating the project, but focussing more on my own diagramming efforts, including quite a few new diagrams I produced especially for this [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img style="float: right; margin: 10px;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sotm2017talk-video-frame.jpg" width="332" height="219" /><br />
  I gave a talk at State Of the Map 2017, the official OpenStreetMap annual conference, which took place in Japan last month.</p>
  <p>&#8220;The Diagrams of OpenStreetMap&#8221; is a tour of a various diagrams illustrating the project, but focussing more on my own diagramming efforts, including quite a few new diagrams I produced especially for this talk.</p>
  <p>I would have mentioned in my talk, but I wasn&#8217;t going public with it at the time: I&#8217;m going to be available for new work opportunities soon. Maybe I can find something map related? We shall see (suggestions welcome). In any case I&#8217;ve been involved in OpenStreetMap, mostly as a volunteer, for over a decade now, and so I&#8217;m well placed to try to capture some &#8220;big picture&#8221; overviews of the project&#8230; in diagram form! That&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve tried to do here.</p>
  <p><b><a href="http://2017.stateofthemap.org/2017/diagrams-of-openstreetmap/">Watch the video</a></b> on the conference site</p>
  <p><b><a href="/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sotm2017-harry-wood.odp">Slides as a LibreOffice .odp file (7.3Mb)</a></b></p>
  <p>But the following are slides and transcript as one big long blog post. In total there&#8217;s a whopping 61 slides (I was talking through them quite quickly). I&#8217;ve skipped over some animation step slides to reduce this down a bit, but still a lots of slides:</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Jump to slide:<br />
  <a href="#slide1">1</a>, <a href="#slide2">2</a>, <a href="#slide3">3</a>, <a href="#slide4">4</a>, <a href="#slide5">5</a>, <a href="#slide6">6</a>, <a href="#slide7">7</a>, <a href="#slide8">8</a>, <a href="#slide9">9</a>, <a href="#slide10">10</a>, <a href="#slide11">11</a>, <a href="#slide12">12</a>, <a href="#slide13">13</a>, <a href="#slide14">14</a>, <a href="#slide15">15</a>, <a href="#slide16">16</a>, <a href="#slide17">17</a>, <a href="#slide18">18</a>, <a href="#slide19">19</a>, <a href="#slide20">20</a>, <a href="#slide35">35</a>, <a href="#slide36">36</a>, <a href="#slide37">37</a>, <a href="#slide38">38</a>, <a href="#slide39">39</a>, <a href="#slide40">40</a>, <a href="#slide41">41</a>, <a href="#slide42">42</a>, <a href="#slide43">43</a>, <a href="#slide44">44</a>, <a href="#slide45">45</a>, <a href="#slide46">46</a>, <a href="#slide47">47</a>, <a href="#slide48">48</a>, <a href="#slide49">49</a>, <a href="#slide50">50</a>, <a href="#slide51">51</a>, <a href="#slide52">52</a>, <a href="#slide53">53</a>, <a href="#slide54">54</a>, <a href="#slide55">55</a>, <a href="#slide56">56</a>, <a href="#slide57">57</a>, <a href="#slide58">58</a>, <a href="#slide59">59</a>, <a href="#slide60">60</a>, <a href="#slide61">61</a></p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide1"></a></p>
  <p><!-- SOTM-Japan.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide1">Slide 1</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img0.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>This talk is called “Diagrams of OpenStreetMap”. I started thinking about this after my previous 2014 State Of The Map talk.</p>
  <p><span id="more-602"></span></p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide2"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img1.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide2">Slide 2</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img1.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>In Buenos Aires I ran through some favourite visualisations which in some way capture the essence of OpenStreetMap</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide3"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img2.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide3">Slide 3</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img2.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But I was mostly talking about the “long tail of OpenStreetMap”. The long tail graph shows a spike of a few big contributors on the left, and long tail of many people chipping in a little bit at the bottom.</p>
  <p>I annotated this in various ways in that talk. I think this was my favourite. It’s showing the marketing messaging and really everything we do to make OpenStreetMap easier, which all can be related to different positions on the long tail graph.</p>
  <p>We’re enticing a potential audience of many millions of people to come take a look at the website and find out about OpenStreetMap for the first time. Then enticing some of those millions to join the ranks of signed up users because you might want to edit… and then trying to entice those people to actually make an edit, since there are many signed up users who do not. So perhaps the message at that stage is to “be bold” and give editing a try.</p>
  <p>I suppose it’s also showing that messaging for new joiners and website visitors, is very important in terms of number of people it applies to.</p>
  <p>I like this kind of thing. A “big picture” diagram which tries to capture all of OpenStreetMap, or some aspect of it, explaining our project in a particular way.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide4"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img3.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide4">Slide 4</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img3.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Big picture diagrams are something I’ve been trying to do for a long time now. One of my very early contributions to the project was this technical components diagram &#8230;a decade ago now!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide5"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img4.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide5">Slide 5</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img4.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>You may recognise it better if I show it like this. It was designed as a little illustration for the “develop” page on the wiki, where we listed various technical development activities. This page was fairly prominently linked and used to get a fair bit of attention, so it felt like an important diagram despite being pretty basic.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide6"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img5.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide6">Slide 6</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img5.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>And this diagram went through a lot of different revisions, which you can see in<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:OSM_Components.png#filehistory"> the wiki histor</a>y.</p>
  <p>The way the diagram developed was actually kind of interesting. It represents some historical changes, but also an evolution of my own understanding.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide7"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img6.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide7">Slide 7</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img6.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>It starts off with the “Java Applet” editor which feels like early history of the project now.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide8"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img7.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide8">Slide 8</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img7.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>That was largely replaced by Potlatch in the next revision, and you can see I’m refining my understanding of how the tile rendering systems work.</p>
  <p>We had a strange idea of calling the API the “Protocol Interface” at this stage, and you can see that I’ve incorrectly shown the “Planet.osm” feeding from the API. This is wrong&#8230;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide9"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img8.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide9">Slide 9</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img8.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>….but fixed in the next revision, in November that year.</p>
  <p>We’re showing JOSM consuming Yahoo! Aerial imagery via the “YWMS Plugin”. Remember that? That was rubbish. This still feels like early history</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide10"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img9.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide10">Slide 10</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img9.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>It went unedited for a while but here in 2009 I did another update. We’re calling it the “API” now and introducing the “diffs” alongside the planet dump.</p>
  <p>So as I say, this was an evolution of my own understanding as much as anything. So a few people were involved in the sense that they were telling me the stupid things I was getting wrong, but… I was always hoping for some direct collaboration on this diagram, and later that year&#8230;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide11"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img10.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide11">Slide 11</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img10.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Boom! Collaboration!</p>
  <p>Well sort of… ivansanchez redrew the whole diagram into this more spectacular creation, overwriting with the wiki comment (which you have to imagine spoken in Ivan’s cheeky spanish accent) :</p>
  <p>“Brand new architecture diagram. I was getting bored of the old one (which by the way looked amateurish)”</p>
  <p>Thanks ivan. Thank you very much! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/72x72/1f600.png" alt="😀" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
  <p>He was right though wasn’t he? It <i>was</i> pretty amateurish. This looks much more of a pro job</p>
  <p>Although&#8230; it’s getting more complicated. Showing more components, which may or may not be regarded as a good thing.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide12"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img11.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide12">Slide 12</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img11.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>And the diagram continued from there through a few more iterations, with somebody else getting involved too to add some colours.</p>
  <p>&#8230;up until this point in 2012. At this time it was removed from the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Develop">“Develop” page on the wik</a>i, and I think around the same time, the entire wiki was de-linked from the front page a bit, meaning this diagram no longer got much attention.</p>
  <p>This seemed like a shame to me so&#8230;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide13"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img12.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide13">Slide 13</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img12.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Especially for this talk I decided to blow the dust off it, and make some more changes.</p>
  <p>Now first of all I actually largely re-created the diagram because Ivan only had OpenOffice files from an earlier version, so I’ve recreated this in Inkscape now, and got it working <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:OSM_Components.svg">directly from SVG within the wiki</a>. Rather a fiddly task actually, but I’m hoping this may encourage more people to make edits to it</p>
  <p>I also made various obvious updates. So I’ve included ‘iD’ editor alongside ‘P2’ (I have to thank Richard here for choosing nice short names for editors. Made drawing this bit of the diagram much easier!) and I’ve added some mobile editors.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide14"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img13.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide14">Slide 14</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img13.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>The right hand side shows some tile rendering systems. I got rid of MapQuest, and we’re showing just those which are featured on the main page here. We show Leaflet and OpenLayers options at the top.</p>
  <p>But it feels like there’s a huge range of output possibilities not really covered by this.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide15"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img14.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide15">Slide 15</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img14.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>So I’ve done another iteration. This is the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Component_overview#Diagram">components diagram</a> as it currently looks.</p>
  <p>You may have seen my blog post about this. I’ve had a go at adding a bit more detail to the right hand side&#8230;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide16"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img15.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide16">Slide 16</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img15.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Near the top we’re now showing other web map libraries, and also mobile apps with web mapping app SDKs.</p>
  <p>I’ve tried to introduce “vector tiles” here. We can feed vector tiles into a raster rendering system (e.g. as a Mapnik datasource), sending raster tiles to the browser as before, but these days we can also use “Vector Plugins” such as <a href="https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/api/">Mapbox GL JS</a> / Tangram to render vector tile data in the browser. Likewise in the mobile SDKs.</p>
  <p>I’m happy with this as as a conceptual summary diagram but vector tiles is a confusing array of different technologies on server-side and client-side, following different standards/schemas. I’m confused by this, so I’m probably the wrong person to try to draw such a diagram, but I think this is also a clue that this is an information gap, and a great diagram could help bring clarity to me and to lots of other people. So can we find a diagram to help with this?</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide17"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img16.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide17">Slide 17</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img16.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I found <a href="https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/55685/generate-styled-map-tiles">this diagram on the Q&amp;A site</a> which made me laugh.</p>
  <p>Map data from OpenStreetMap(s!), a style definition, in the end map tiles, and &#8230;what is that ’???’ thing in the middle?</p>
  <p>Not a very revealing diagram, but just look how much more interesting this question is when there’s a diagram added!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide18"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img17.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide18">Slide 18</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img17.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>This diagram is probably the closest to what I’m looking for actually. I found this in the <a href="https://delftswa.gitbooks.io/desosa-2017/content/mapbox-gl-js/chapter.html">Delft Students on Software Architecture</a>, so some sort of university project to document open source, with a chapter on Mapbox GL JS. We’ve got boxes for client and server side components and various mapbox technologies and APIs. I don’t understand some of the arrow directions here.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide19"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img18.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide19">Slide 19</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img18.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But what I’m looking for is a diagram with boxes and arrows for the range of different vector technologies from MapBox, Mapzen, OpenMapTiles, ThunderForest, Wikimedia, also the various client-side libraries, and laying out the different standards, and some indication of compatibility (the concept of vector tile “schema” and how that effects compatibility)</p>
  <p>This is a sketch I drew while chatting with Matt in the pub, but when I got home I realised I didn’t understand it! Always the way.</p>
  <p>Unless anyone can suggest an existing diagram, I hope to revisit this, and I hope to pick the brains of people at this conference to understand it better.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide20"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img19.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide20">Slide 20</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img19.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>OK. Here’s another diagram I created quite a while ago. Actually I think I was regarding it as a successor to the component diagram for some purposes. It’s showing fewer technologies, just some key ones and broad concepts and trying to show an ecosystem of data users.</p>
  <p>Actually I created this, not just as a diagram, but as a slide deck forming a kind of animation, introducing tech topics as the diagram builds up.</p>
  <p>I’ve presented this four or five times now, to various technical/developer audiences, as an introduction to OpenStreetMap.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide35"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img34.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide35">Slide 35</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img34.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I found <a href="http://letters-sal.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/openstreetmap-post-earthquake-mapping.html">this diagram by Steve Bower</a> which does a similar thing of placing the raw OpenStreetMap data at the centre of the diagram, with many arrows radiating out from it.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide36"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img35.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide36">Slide 36</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img35.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I like this diagram by Andy Woodruff from a <a href="http://maptimeboston.github.io/web-maps-101/#47">web maps 101 maptime talk</a>. That’s for a similar web developer type audience, and the diagram covers the tile server rendering bits.</p>
  <p>I like the way it also has “feature layers” coming in on the right hand side. That’s the bit web developers tend to be more familiar with from using google maps (which offers less control of the left hand side)</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide37"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img36.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide37">Slide 37</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img36.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Sticking with tech topics for a little longer…</p>
  <p>Here is a diagram by Komяpa showing the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Database">database of OpenStreetMap</a> (website &amp; API). Maybe this kind of thing is useful for developers?</p>
  <p>At this zoom it might be better not listing out the fields and just show table names. But I showed this to some of the sysadmins and we played a game of “guess the database table”. The well linked table on the left with lots of fields is the ‘user’ table. The well linked table on the right is the ‘changesets’.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide38"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img37.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide38">Slide 38</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img37.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Here’s<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Rails_port/Railroad_diagrams"> diagram showing the rails app “models”</a>, which is more or less the same thing but a little different.</p>
  <p>This is very old. Shaun did this in 2008, so maybe we should try re-running this “Railroad” tool to regenerate it now. The fact that this whole diagram is automatically generated, is kind of interesting.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide39"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img38.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide39">Slide 39</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img38.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Here’s something a bit different, but again automatically generated.</p>
  <p>Matias Dahl made these <a href="http://matiasdahl.iki.fi/2015/finding-related-amenity-tags-on-the-openstreetmap">diagrams which show tag transitions</a>, meaning it’s tracking things which have changed from one tag to another, and looking at the statistical frequence of these transitions, which turns up some interesting linkages, showing that tags are related, but often confused, perhaps because they are very similar or overlapping in their definition.</p>
  <p>These are all prefixed with the amenity key, so we can see in the example I’ve pulled out, that people commonly “fix” these various other values to become amenity=drinking_water . You can imagine people might accidentally tag something as amenity=fountain when they meant a drinking water fountain. So that’s just an example, but on the right is the really big diagram covering lots of interlinked amenity tags. And being an automated process, he could re-run it for other keys.</p>
  <p>This is a neat use of the big “history dump”. He had to crunch all of that data rather than just the current “planet dump” in order to figure out these tag transitions.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide40"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img39.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide40">Slide 40</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img39.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>OK. Something completely different now. We’ve been fairly techy so far, but how about this for a diagram?</p>
  <p>This is an old diagram which Steve Coast used to show, to explain the project in the early days. The idea is, as OSM quality improves at zero cost, moving along the bottom axis, we start to exert a downward pressure on the price point of traditionally licensed closed data providers, even if we haven’t yet reached their level of “quality”.</p>
  <p>This is UK specific, talking about the Ordnance Survey, but you might be able to draw a similar diagram showing a monopolistic over-charging data supplier in your country.</p>
  <p>&#8230;and actually the situation in the UK has changed now.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide41"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img40.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide41">Slide 41</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img40.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Ordnance Survey released some of their datasets as free open data, so we have to show this rather more complicated picture. Different products. Different price points. Debatable positions on the quality scale (depending on your use case)</p>
  <p>I find it useful to show this, if only to point out that the Ordnance Survey have <i>not</i> released all of their products as open data (a common misconception)</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide42"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img41.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide42">Slide 42</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img41.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Here’s a different diagram. An “organisation chart” for HOT. These are the HOT paid employees. We can see their different teams.</p>
  <p>I really like that we can see their mugshots. It feels softer, more human, and more real than just showing people’s names. It makes us feel we <i>know</i> each other better.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide43"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img42.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide43">Slide 43</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img42.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>We also use mugshots on this page, which is showing HOT working groups. These are not staff but volunteers now. It could be interesting to blend the two diagrams somehow.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide44"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img43.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide44">Slide 44</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img43.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>What about the OpenStreetMap Foundation? It only has one member of staff doing admin, so the staff org chart would be boring, but we do have a board and some working groups arranged like this I suppose.</p>
  <p>Given that some working groups come and go and are more/less active, while others are like OWG and DWG are performing essential functions, it could be redrawn to show some being more important than others I suppose.</p>
  <p>But there’s an obvious limitation/problem with this diagram, and with the previous HOT diagrams. They don’t show anything of the big OpenStreetMap community where a lot of the action is. Some “work” happens in things like working groups, and HOT paid staff positions, but vast amounts of “work” go into making OpenStreetMap great outside of these organisation structures.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide45"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img44.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide45">Slide 45</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img44.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&#8230;in what we might call a “disorganisational structure” (to be a little flippant)</p>
  <p>I have this vision of the OpenStreetMap community represented as a wibbly wobbly jelly blancmange thing. A big community of many volunteers working to build OpenStreetMap up into something great. Reaching upwards for the sky.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide46"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img45.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide46">Slide 46</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img45.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>People make collaborative contributions, or individual contributions, sometimes as one-offs before disappearing again.</p>
  <p>In the middle of the diagram we have folks working together, and managing to build on eachother’s work to some extent, for example with large important OSM projects like developing the core website &amp; api, and JOSM / iD editors. Things like “Overpass API” also get subsumed into this central column of collaboration, with many people building upon it, and relying on it as a stable bit of infrastructure. But like many things it started life as more of an individual pet project. A great contribution (forming a tall blob on the diagram), coming from the community at large and gradually being drawn in as a more central thing.</p>
  <p>This is not just about tech contributions though. It’s also people creating great documentation resources, or blogs, or building great local communities.</p>
  <p>But a lot of volunteer effort comes and goes. Things get set up but then get shut down a while later. There’s a lot of ebb and flow. A wibbly wobbly jelly.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide47"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img46.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide47">Slide 47</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img46.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>There’s various things which we might collectively call “Organisation building”, which I think of as attempts to build some solid structure. To make things less wibbly wobbly,</p>
  <p>Things like working groups, things done as university projects, or even paying staff to do certain things. These are slightly boring classic organisation type things, which can feel quite different from our normal volunteer driven do-ocracy.</p>
  <p>When I served on the board of HOT, we talked a lot about the challenges of building a “hybrid organisation”. This reinforced jelly diagram/metaphor popped into my head a lot. I think we should try to do organisation building activities in a way which is not working around or re-doing volunteer activities, but supporting them. Placing good solid cast iron girders for the community to climb upon, to bring OpenStreetMap to higher heights.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide48"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img47.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide48">Slide 48</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img47.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>OK. Something different again.</p>
  <p>Here’s a diagram which for a long time was shown on the first page of the wiki beginners guide. It shows the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:First_Page2.PNG">mapping workflow in 5 steps</a>. Actually the whole wiki guide was structured around this. I think in a way that was quite good, because there’s many different ideas for ordering this guide. I think this diagram forced us to settle on one idea for the overall structure, partly because the graphics is quite nicely done, so nobody felt able to re-draw it!</p>
  <p>But the five steps may seem a bit weird. If you’ve never used a GPS unit, you may be wondering why that is presented as the first step in <i>the</i> mapping workflow. Actually the 2nd step is also referring to uploading of GPS data, “upload data” being a confusing title. Likewise “edit maps” and “edit data” are confusing titles for steps 3 and 4. It means “edit nodes/ways” and “edit tags”. Those are OK as titles for chapters of the guide, but here it seems to suggest you do one then the other as separate steps. I suspect the step 5 “render maps” also dates from a time back when we needed to run our own data through osmarender and upload the image to the wiki, because there <i>was</i> no front page map! All said and done, there’s lots wrong with this diagram, but&#8230;</p>
  <p>I’m interested in what we would replace it with nowadays. How do we capture the steps of mapping workflow in diagram form?</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide49"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img48.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide49">Slide 49</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img48.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>There are many different mapping workflows. In fact there always was, even back when it was all about using these GPS units. You could gather GPS tracks, giving you a spiderweb of lines along where the streets are, and then just name those streets etc from your local knowledge. But people have invented quite range of other ways to gather and record data. You could mess around with waypoints and write them down on paper. You could take photos and correlate them by timestamp (I used to do a lot of that). You could use a dictaphone.</p>
  <p>Some folks would just dump their GPS tracks and never do any editing of map data.Now that would mean that you could build upon this by gathering data (using just paper) about street names or POIs and position that it in relation to other people’s GPS tracks. In theory you could even simply add roads over other people’s GPS tracks without even knowing the area (an early kind of armchair mapping) but I don’t think this was a common approach.</p>
  <p>But of course we need to add aerial/satellite imagery to the picture here.</p>
  <p>It’s worth noting, before I do that, that there are still some parts of the world where we don’t have useable imagery, so these workflows are still where it’s at.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide50"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img49.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide50">Slide 50</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img49.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I’m trying to show all the different combinations of tools and data sources we might use, so if we add the use of aerial imagery as a possibility, then we get this combinatorial explosion in the number of different mapping workflows.The bottom half of this, is showing workflows now incorporating imagery.</p>
  <p>But towards the bottom, some of these mapping workflows are made dramatically more viable when we have imagery. In particular, at the very bottom here, you can quite easily and effectively skip the data gathering stage entirely, and simply sit and home and edit the map based on what you see in the imagery. Armchair mapping!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide51"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img50.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide51">Slide 51</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img50.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>OK but these combinations are getting out of hand. Let’s condense this down. Imagery can be thought of as an optional source for use while we are inputting our data. If it’s available you’ll generally use it, even if you’ve got lots of GPS tracks and photos etc, so it’s almost not worth mentioning there. But obviously it enables this big new approach of armchair mapping at the bottom.</p>
  <p>In the middle we’ve got paper based approaches. Map printouts like field papers, or just taking some notes on a piece of paper.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide52"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img51.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide52">Slide 52</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img51.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But while we’re on the topic of paper, I want to draw attention to what I call the “Lubumbashi Workflow”. As a humanitarian mapping thing, people in Lubumbashi in DRC, were asked to write down street names and other details on field papers map printouts. These sheets of paper were then brought back to mapathons in London (and Berlin too I think) and we inputted the map data there.</p>
  <p>So this is a workflow involving two different sets of people. Because this editing is in an area we don’t know, maybe it’s a kind of armchair mapping (as humanitarian mapathons generally are) &#8230;but maybe not, because we’re taking this locally surveyed data, which is coming from the local community. We could think of it as a souped-up survey powered kind of armchair mapping.</p>
  <p>I love the Lubumbashi workflow by the way. A great way to get low-tech local communities involved. The approach has been used several times since, and we should carry on with more of this!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide53"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img52.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide53">Slide 53</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img52.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>That’s not the only kind of souped-up survey powered armchair mapping actually. Connected to armchair mapping down in the bottom-right here, Street level photos from Mapillary and OpenStreetCam, and OSM Notes, when they are added by somebody else, can act as a new kind of data source for armchair mapping. Those new mapping workflows are a kind of <i>enhanced</i> armchair mapping, which feels closer to survey-based mapping.</p>
  <p>Another box I’ll add here is “community import”. This is where we’re using an external datasource, and we copy data into OpenStreetMap bit-by-bit as armchair mappers. Like imagery though, we might have a dataset available as an optional source to make use of during any editing session. I’ll talk a bit more about importing in a minute.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide54"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img53.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide54">Slide 54</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img53.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I added field papers in yellow before, so let’s add a few more yellow boxes to this diagram for software/tools.</p>
  <p>For armchair mapping we (sometimes) use tools which guide us on what to map. “Tasking Manager” is obviously one, but “Maproulette” also does this in a different way.</p>
  <p>At the top in relation to “editing at home”, this is going to involve a desktop editor. JOSM and iD being the main options.</p>
  <p>And aha! There’s a whole workflow style I didn’t mention yet.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide55"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img54.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide55">Slide 55</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img54.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Mobile mapping! Mobile devices allow us a workflow which cuts through this devide between gathering data and inputting data. We do both at the same time, so a wide bar crossing both sides of the diagram. Typically that’s done with apps like Go Map!! on iPhone and Vespucci on android (There’s many other <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Editors">editor options</a> of course. I’m just showing some leading examples)</p>
  <p>Even when not using an app to input data, smartphones can make data gathering easer. In particular geo-located photos!</p>
  <p>So I want to put this forward as a new diagram to show mapping workflows. As with many diagrams we have to choose how much detail to show. I like the balance I’ve chosen here. As I showed earlier, trying to show more data source combinations gets pretty messy.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide56"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img55.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide56">Slide 56</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img55.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>We could choose to condense it down more. We can group mapping workflows into survey-based mapping, armchair mapping, and imports.</p>
  <p>I see these things on a spectrum. Survey mapping is rich and detailed and creates a dataset backed by a community of local mappers. At the other end of the spectrum, data imports will get mapping done very quickly, usually with even coverage. But (downsides) we’re blatting in data quickly, sometimes crudely, and side-stepping the community building problem. In the middle, armchair mapping e.g. with these big humanitarian tasking manager projects. It’s also blatting in data quite quickly, but at least at a human speed, using humans to use the OpenStreetMap editors, as part of, if not a local community, at least a community.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide57"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img56.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide57">Slide 57</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img56.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>I probably just said something you disagree with, because I’m very much straying into a divisive area of OpenStreetMap politics now.</p>
  <p>It’s a kind of tribal politics which Mike Migurski drew attention to, identifying groups he called “Craft Mappers”, “Humanitarian Mappers”, and “Robot Mappers”. He was discussing some particular debate related to robot mappers at the time, but I think it makes more sense to lump those in with a broader group of “Import” people. Anyway he labelled these groups and then…</p>
  <p>&#8230;went on to conclude that “Craft Mappers” are all wrong and taking the project in a bad direction, which I disagree with pretty fundamentally.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide58"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img57.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide58">Slide 58</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img57.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>The idea of doing survey-based mapping, is not just some old idea we need to move on from. It’s core to what OpenStreetMap <i>is</i>. “Map your neighbourhood”, because if we all map our own neighbourhood and get enough people to do this, then we’ll have a free map of the world. Many hands make light work. A huge community of people coming together to create the map, and to maintain the map. It’s what makes OpenStreetMap unique. We’re not just an aggregation of data. Our map is created by a community. The data is backed by a community.</p>
  <p>Imports, armchair mapping, and humanitarian mapping (which largely overlaps armchair mapping) are <i>extensions</i> to the core idea of OpenStreetMap. They should be carried out with due deference to the core idea of OpenStreetMap. This means finding ways to minimise anything which detracts or impedes the message and the practicalities of “map your neighbourhood” community growth.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide59"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img58.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide59">Slide 59</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img58.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>But I agree with one point Mike Migurski’s was making, that it feels like some unhealthy tribal politics has developed here. This “craft mapper” group of old timers are in danger of being seen as the “grumpy old farts” of OpenStreetMap, particularly if this group seems to be cliquey, unwelcoming and negative all the time.</p>
  <p>But the “map your neighbourhood” message is a positive message, and a welcoming message. It’s <i>all about</i> welcoming more mappers to our community (but making sure we don’t do anything to inhibit that)</p>
  <p>So to the craft mappers I want to say, let’s find ways to amplify that positive message. Less of the snide remarks in back-channels. Less of the polarised entrenched viewpoints. And let’s try not to be grinding on with negativity too much.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide60"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img59.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide60">Slide 60</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img59.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>This will help us to become more unified and less tribal.</p>
  <p>But if you are looking upon craft mappers as grumpy old farts, I would ask for your understanding. It’s not easy to defend these principles without sounding negative. Understand what OpenStreetMap <i>is</i> at its core. If you’ve only ever done humanitarian mapping, try mapping your neighbourhood just once. You might like it! Let’s keep refining the HOT validation process to help ensure we’re not blatting low quality data too quickly, and (In the developing world this is always going to be difficult but) wherever and however possible, let’s keep doing what we can to foster <i>local</i> communities and local mapping in addition to the armchair mapping.</p>
  <p>If you’re keen on imports, understand that we don’t want OpenStreetMap to feel like a data dumping ground. Blatting in data could be detrimental to community-building; The “map your neighbourhood” thing we’re operating here. Again, understand what OpenStreetMap <i>is</i>. Follow the guidelines. Sell your import idea to the community, but dont get angry if our community doesn’t buy it.</p>
  <p>Sometimes defending the core idea of OpenStreetMap can feel like an unavoidably negative discussion. Let’s look for ways to positively advise and reinforce the behaviour shifts we want to see from armchair mappers and importers. Set out rules, but also friendly guidance, and reminders of the reasons &amp; the principles we’re defending. Find consensus on where we should draw the line. And let’s <i>celebrate</i> examples of where it’s done well.</p>
  <p>Unify the tribes of OpenStreetMap!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <hr />
  <p><a name="slide61"></a></p>
  <p><!-- img60.html --></p>
  <h3><a title="permalink" href="#slide61">Slide 61</a></h3>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><center><img style="border: 1px solid #DDD;" src="//harrywood.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/img60.png" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&#8230;so we’re all in one happy OpenStreetMap family. Wouldn’t that be the best diagram of all? So I’ll leave you with that one. Thank you very much!</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Jump to slide:<br />
  <a href="#slide1">1</a>, <a href="#slide2">2</a>, <a href="#slide3">3</a>, <a href="#slide4">4</a>, <a href="#slide5">5</a>, <a href="#slide6">6</a>, <a href="#slide7">7</a>, <a href="#slide8">8</a>, <a href="#slide9">9</a>, <a href="#slide10">10</a>, <a href="#slide11">11</a>, <a href="#slide12">12</a>, <a href="#slide13">13</a>, <a href="#slide14">14</a>, <a href="#slide15">15</a>, <a href="#slide16">16</a>, <a href="#slide17">17</a>, <a href="#slide18">18</a>, <a href="#slide19">19</a>, <a href="#slide20">20</a>, <a href="#slide35">35</a>, <a href="#slide36">36</a>, <a href="#slide37">37</a>, <a href="#slide38">38</a>, <a href="#slide39">39</a>, <a href="#slide40">40</a>, <a href="#slide41">41</a>, <a href="#slide42">42</a>, <a href="#slide43">43</a>, <a href="#slide44">44</a>, <a href="#slide45">45</a>, <a href="#slide46">46</a>, <a href="#slide47">47</a>, <a href="#slide48">48</a>, <a href="#slide49">49</a>, <a href="#slide50">50</a>, <a href="#slide51">51</a>, <a href="#slide52">52</a>, <a href="#slide53">53</a>, <a href="#slide54">54</a>, <a href="#slide55">55</a>, <a href="#slide56">56</a>, <a href="#slide57">57</a>, <a href="#slide58">58</a>, <a href="#slide59">59</a>, <a href="#slide60">60</a>, <a href="#slide61">61</a></p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/09/18/diagrams-of-openstreetmap/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>OpenStreetMap Notes in MAPS.ME</title>
  		<link>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/03/12/notes-in-maps-me/</link>
  		<comments>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/03/12/notes-in-maps-me/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Mar 2017 11:25:55 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Harry Wood]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[maps]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/?p=582</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[I made a tool to scratch an itch I&#8217;ve been having recently. I wanted to see OpenStreetMap notes within the MAPS.ME app, so I made a thing to fetch and generate&#8230; OpenStreetMap notes as KML This let&#8217;s you grab all the notes in an area and download them as KML. Such a download might be [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I made a tool to scratch an itch I&#8217;ve been having recently. I wanted to see <a href="https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2013/04/29/openstreetmap-opens-up-to-more-contributors-with-easy-add-a-note-feature/">OpenStreetMap notes</a> within the <a href="http://maps.me">MAPS.ME</a> app, so I made a thing to fetch and generate&#8230;</p>
  <p><b><a href="http://harrywood.co.uk/maps/notes/kml/">OpenStreetMap notes as KML</a></b></p>
  <p>This let&#8217;s you grab all the notes in an area and download them as KML. Such a download might be useful for various things, but mostly the idea is to easily load notes into MAPS.ME</p>
  <p>It works nicely if&#8230;<br />
  (A) you have the MAPS.ME app on your phone, and&#8230;<br />
  (B) you open the above link on your phone  (Or this QRcode)</p>
  <p><img class="aligncenter" src="http://harrywood.co.uk/maps/notes/kml/qrcode.png" /></p>
  <p>The KML download will (after some confirmation prompts) be handled by the MAPS.ME app, and the result is&#8230;   a shed-load of red bookmark icons:</p>
  <p><a title="MAPS.ME notes map" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrywood/32572702583/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img class="aligncenter" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3950/32572702583_1321e772fe.jpg" alt="MAPS.ME notes map" width="281" height="500" /></a></p>
  <p>It will fetch up to a limit of 1000 notes for an area of your choosing, appearing as a layer of &#8220;bookmarks&#8221; which you can show and hide (third icon on the bottom there).</p>
  <p>On a bookmark, swipe up to see the detailed description and you get the full note description plus any other comments people have added:</p>
  <p><a title="MAPS.ME Note comments" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrywood/33003931660/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img class="aligncenter" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/744/33003931660_92125fb678.jpg" alt="MAPS.ME Note comments" width="281" height="500" /></a></p>
  <p>I have control over how that gets formatted, so it&#8217;s something I could tweak/improve</p>
  <h3>What is MAPS.ME?</h3>
  <p>You don&#8217;t know? It&#8217;s an app which you can install <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id510623322">for iPhone</a> or <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapswithme.maps.pro">for Android</a> for viewing maps &#8230;specifically OpenStreetMap, but it&#8217;s worth having even if you&#8217;re not a big OpenStreetMap enthusiast, as an alternative to the &#8220;maps&#8221; app on your phone. You might use it occasionally e.g. when the maps app doesn&#8217;t have the detail you want. MAPS.ME requires an initial (quite big) download of an area, and then it all works offline. Great for going on holiday somewhere.</p>
  <h3>What are &#8220;notes&#8221;?</h3>
  <p><a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Notes">OpenStreetMap Notes</a> allow people (anyone. without even logging in) to report a map problem or an omission on OpenStreetMap. So if you don&#8217;t fancy learning how to edit OpenStreetMap (we try to make it very easy, but &#8230;takes a bit of learning) then instead you can effectively ask somebody else to make the edit, by simply leaving a note. However it&#8217;s important to position the note precisely add as much description as you can. Preferably even link a photo of the thing which is missing/wrong.</p>
  <p>As a mapper you will understand the importance of this when you come to try to clear out the open notes in an area. In London it feels like most notes are pretty unclear and poorly described, but of course we&#8217;re generally only looking at the notes which are left open. It&#8217;s quite common for somebody to write just a few words, seemingly reporting the name of a missing thing, but if that&#8217;s the level of effort somebody is willing to go to (not even constructing a sentence) then the data doesn&#8217;t feel reliable enough to do anything with, other than to leave open and go survey. And there&#8217;s various other types of notes which lead to this same conclusion. Going to take a look on-the-ground is going to be the way to solve the note.</p>
  <p>And going to look on-the-ground is really the idea behind this. Because I use MAPS.ME <em>a lot</em> while out and about, for everyday navigation, I&#8217;m hoping having the notes in there will help remind me to go take a look</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>http://harrywood.co.uk/blog/2017/03/12/notes-in-maps-me/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  	</channel>
  </rss>


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title: Matt Amos
url: http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/
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  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
    <title>Matt's Blog</title>
    <link href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/feed/" rel="self" />
    <link href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/" />
    <id>urn:uuid:e353bad7-3e06-41a5-ab8f-a3fce37ca805</id>
    <updated>2016-03-22T12:15:21+00:00</updated>
    
    <entry>
      <title>On Building Things</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2016/03/22/on-building-things"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2016/03/22/on-building-things</id>
      <published>2016-03-22T10:59:02+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2016-03-22T12:15:21+00:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>Building a thing means that there&#39;s a thing. Building a tool to build things means that there can be many things, and many people can build their own things.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>An Open Letter to Mapzen's CEO</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/12/04/an-open-letter-to-mapzens-ceo"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/12/04/an-open-letter-to-mapzens-ceo</id>
      <published>2015-12-04T16:53:31+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2015-12-04T16:53:31+00:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>Hey Randy,</p>

  <p>While I agree with the sentiment of
  <a href="https://mapzen.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-audi-ag-bmw-group-and-daimler-ag">what you&#39;ve written</a>
  to the new owners of HERE, I can&#39;t help feeling there&#39;s a distinctly anti-OSM
  vibe from this piece. It seems like you&#39;re suggesting that HERE&#39;s data might be
  opened up to external contribution (&quot;It would certainly reduce your ongoing data
  collection costs&quot;) as a competitor to OSM, which would only serve to fracture
  the open data community.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>The Road to API 0.7</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/11/18/the-road-to-api-07"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/11/18/the-road-to-api-07</id>
      <published>2015-11-18T13:42:00+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2015-11-18T13:46:05+00:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>Its been years since the <a href="https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2009/04/17/osm-api-06-on-the-way/">last OpenStreetMap API update</a>. Partly this is a good thing as it seems to be mostly powerful enough for people to map the things which they want to, editor support is pretty good, and there has been time for <a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/API_v0.6">documentation</a> and <a href="http://learnosm.org/en/">tutorials</a> to be written.</p>

  <p>However, there are some known problems as well.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>OAuth support in Cgimap</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/09/12/oauth-support-in-cgimap"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/09/12/oauth-support-in-cgimap</id>
      <published>2015-09-12T12:17:00+01:00</published>
      
      <updated>2015-09-12T12:17:20+01:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>Recently, I&#39;ve been hacking on <a href="https://github.com/zerebubuth/openstreetmap-cgimap/tree/oauth">adding OAuth support</a> to <a href="https://github.com/zerebubuth/openstreetmap-cgimap">cgimap</a>. This seems like a fairly technical detail, but it&#39;s a key part of making important improvements that&#39;ll really help people editing, especially at mapping parties.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>New blog</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/09/07/new-blog"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2015/09/07/new-blog</id>
      <published>2015-09-07T00:52:20+01:00</published>
      
      <updated>2015-09-07T00:52:20+01:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>It&#39;s been almost a whole decade since <a href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2005/09/20/first-blog-post/">my first blog post</a> and, in a weird kind of celebration, I&#39;ve just finished getting rid of that whole wordpress blog and started using something more <a href="http://jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll</a>-like. Hurrah.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>Routing Benchmarking: Part II</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2014/02/18/routing-benchmarking-2"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2014/02/18/routing-benchmarking-2</id>
      <published>2014-02-18T11:41:00+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2014-02-18T12:27:00+00:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p><a href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2014/02/16/routing-benchmarking/" title="Routing Benchmarking: Part I">Last time</a>, I ran a simple benchmark on <a href="http://project-osrm.org/" title="Open Source Routing Machine home page">OSRM</a> and
  <a href="http://graphhopper.com/" title="GraphHopper home page">GraphHopper</a> and presented some of the results. I&#39;d like to expand
  on those results in this post in more detail.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>Routing Benchmarking: OSRM vs. GraphHopper</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2014/02/16/routing-benchmarking"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2014/02/16/routing-benchmarking</id>
      <published>2014-02-16T19:55:24+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2014-02-18T12:47:00+00:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>One of the great benefits of open data is that anyone can download it
  and write software to do really cool things with it. One example of
  that is route-finding and there are several good bits of software
  which you can use, ranging from those on the embedded or mobile
  environment to the server environment.</p>

  <p>I tested two of the leading server implementations; OSRM and
  GraphHopper to see what the differences between them are.</p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>OSM Without Delay - SotM10 Talk</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2010/07/12/osm-without-delay-sotm10-talk"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2010/07/12/osm-without-delay-sotm10-talk</id>
      <published>2010-07-12T21:00:21+01:00</published>
      
      <updated>2011-08-21T21:36:49+01:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>I gave a talk at <a href="http://stateofthemap.org/">State of the Map</a>,
  <a href="http://osm.org">OSM</a>&#39;s annual conference, about the <a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Planet.osm/diffs">minutely
  diffs</a>; why they
  should be used, a little introduction on how they could be used and
  some examples of things that already use them. I also used the talk to
  advertise the
  <a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OWL_%28OpenStreetMap_Watch_List%29">OWL</a>
  system I&#39;ve been writing. </p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>Editor retention</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2009/12/04/editor-retention"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2009/12/04/editor-retention</id>
      <published>2009-12-04T20:06:53+00:00</published>
      
      <updated>2011-08-21T21:36:49+01:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>I&#39;ve been playing with the changeset data for OpenStreetMap and looking to see what patterns I can find in the usage of various editors since changesets were introduced in the API 0.6 migration. We can start off just looking at the major editors by distinct users, i.e: everyone&#39;s favourite popularity contest. </p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
    <entry>
      <title>Imports and the Community II</title>
      <link type="text/html" href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2009/09/10/imports-and-the-community-ii"/>
      <id>http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2009/09/10/imports-and-the-community-ii</id>
      <published>2009-09-10T11:32:17+01:00</published>
      
      <updated>2011-08-21T21:36:49+01:00</updated>
      
      <summary type="xhtml">
        <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  	<p>Thanks for the <a href="http://www.asklater.com/matt/blog/2009/09/06/imports-and-the-community/#comments">feedback</a> on the previous post on imports; it got me thinking about whether my model had been over-elaborate. Specifically, the limit on the model agents which capped the maximum &quot;completeness&quot; levels at which they would contribute. I thought this was a necessary part of the model, but after investigation it turns out it isn&#39;t. </p>

        </div>
      </summary>
      <author>
        <name>Matt Amos</name>
      </author>
    </entry>
    
  </feed>


key: peter_reed
encoding: utf8
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title: Peter Reed
url: http://tlatet.blogspot.co.uk/
feed_url: http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
summary: Ridding the world of grumpy old men
generator: Blogger
updated: 2019-10-09 09:17:09.988000
twitter: tlatet
items_last_updated: 2019-10-09 09:17:09.927000
fetched: 2019-10-09 09:30:14.485340
http_etag: W/"542904710479ae22684b06231b8e7fa5d034b2e26a2822fe003cc0b274565374"
http_last_modified: Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:17:09 GMT
http_server: blogger-renderd
md5: 974995846e3cbd01000ab3ed28f7653c
created_at: 2019-06-09 18:11:33.368421
updated_at: 2019-10-09 09:30:14.793093
body:
  <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311</id><updated>2019-10-09T10:17:09.988+01:00</updated><category term="OSM"/><category term="goal"/><category term="quest"/><category term="Scotland"/><category term="CandC"/><category term="jaunts"/><category term="bicycle"/><title type='text'>Tlatet</title><subtitle type='html'>Ridding the world of grumpy old men</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>743</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-5470500510387859857</id><published>2019-10-08T19:58:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2019-10-09T10:17:09.927+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Kielder</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVcNCKegPv8/XZzaaxkm1pI/AAAAAAAAAqE/XafmipVrltIwFJk_-ggO7LQCLlBz6Rx2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/48866629287_fe6d7c2704_c.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;533&quot; data-original-width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVcNCKegPv8/XZzaaxkm1pI/AAAAAAAAAqE/XafmipVrltIwFJk_-ggO7LQCLlBz6Rx2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/48866629287_fe6d7c2704_c.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Earlier this week I rode from a few miles outside Bellingham, to the Kielder dam, and Falstone. My route touched on parts of NCN10 (Reivers Cycle Route). It was a good choice: beautiful scenery and demanding enough (for me) to feel I had stretched myself, without overdoing things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today the plan was to complete a circuit of Kielder Water using the Waterside Path. That&#39;s a recreational route for walkers and cyclists. We&#39;ve had heavy rain, and there were a few muddy patches, but on the whole it&#39;s well-paved with fine gravel. I was expecting a ride of about 26 miles: something that would stretch me again, without being unrealistic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was a good plan, but things didn&#39;t turn out that way. I started from the dam, working anti-clockwise along the north shore towards Kielder village. So far so good - it&#39;s a lovely ride, and although there was a blustery wind, most of the trail is sheltered by trees. Showers threatened, but didn&#39;t arrive. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, two-thirds of the way along the north shore I had a puncture. It shouldn&#39;t have been a problem - I carry a spare inner tube, and a repair kit. However, I haven&#39;t had to repair a puncture in the last ten years, and I made a mess of it. Somehow I managed to wreck the valve on the spare tube, and although I found and fixed a couple of holes in the old tube it still wouldn&#39;t hold air. I couldn&#39;t work out why.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I had no choice other than pushing the remaining distance to Kielder, where the wonderful people at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thebikeplace.co.uk/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bike Stop&lt;/a&gt; helped me out. By then I was running late, and getting tired. I was expected back by now, and there was no mobile signal, so it was difficult to share what was going on. So I chose the main road along the south of the reservoir to finish the loop and return to the dam.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The end result: I completed a circuit of the reservoir and covered 22 miles. However, my idea of a circling the reservoir along the waterside will have to wait for another day. It&#39;s a lovely route, so maybe that&#39;s not such a bad thing.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/5470500510387859857/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=5470500510387859857' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/5470500510387859857'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/5470500510387859857'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/10/kielder.html' title='Kielder'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVcNCKegPv8/XZzaaxkm1pI/AAAAAAAAAqE/XafmipVrltIwFJk_-ggO7LQCLlBz6Rx2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s72-c/48866629287_fe6d7c2704_c.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-1578754457537497470</id><published>2019-10-01T19:11:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2019-10-01T19:11:16.481+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Today&#39;s ride</title><content type='html'>Twenty-one miles today, following NCN1 south to Druridge bay. Very pleasant, but nothing remarkable. The water in the Aln Estuary was unusally high, but not high enough to reach the cycle path.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/1578754457537497470/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=1578754457537497470' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1578754457537497470'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1578754457537497470'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/10/todays-ride.html' title='Today&#39;s ride'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-3299819468600781618</id><published>2019-09-21T11:03:00.005+01:00</published><updated>2019-09-21T11:08:58.672+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Useful advice</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j1VRdpJDXXA/XYX2n8MpUII/AAAAAAAAAp4/aYTv5iVWj3k-vijWQ4Z1YoLgKC4Gkzq3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DSCF7218.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1600&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1066&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j1VRdpJDXXA/XYX2n8MpUII/AAAAAAAAAp4/aYTv5iVWj3k-vijWQ4Z1YoLgKC4Gkzq3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSCF7218.JPG&quot; width=&quot;213&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&quot;If you are trying to save weight in your luggage, don&#39;t forget that you can always cut the covers off the maps.&quot;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From the CTC route guide to cycling in Britan and Ireland, by Christa Gausden and Nicholas Crane (1980)</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/3299819468600781618/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=3299819468600781618' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3299819468600781618'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3299819468600781618'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/09/useful-advice.html' title='Useful advice'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j1VRdpJDXXA/XYX2n8MpUII/AAAAAAAAAp4/aYTv5iVWj3k-vijWQ4Z1YoLgKC4Gkzq3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s72-c/DSCF7218.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-3439808232884115698</id><published>2019-09-08T19:51:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2019-09-09T10:21:06.788+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Private stations</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_UIwIesIBo/XXVLi4FTH4I/AAAAAAAAAps/N7IILxKnaZY_YUdHDnSxUTr0Zu_AEC7oQCLcBGAs/s1600/48700103243_19b59f2b12_z.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;480&quot; data-original-width=&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_UIwIesIBo/XXVLi4FTH4I/AAAAAAAAAps/N7IILxKnaZY_YUdHDnSxUTr0Zu_AEC7oQCLcBGAs/s320/48700103243_19b59f2b12_z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;The Newcastle to Berwick Railway opened in 1847, but plans were being prepared from 1839. The proposed route crossed land owned by Earl Grey, who had been Prime Minister but was now retired. He and his son fought to protect their estates from the arrival of the railway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Parliament was sympathetic to projects that could demonstrate public benefit, so the landowners&#39; efforts did not succeed, and the planned route from Newcastle to Berwick now forms part of today&#39;s East Coast Main Line. However, the Howicks ended up with private stations: one at Little Mill to serve Howick Hall, and one to serve Fallodon Hall at Fallodon. Little Mill went on to become a public station by 1861, and was finally closed in 1965. Fallodon remained a private station until it was closed in1934.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is more detail than most visitors will want on Fallodon &amp;lt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://disused-stations.org.uk/f/fallodon/index.shtml&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;gt; and on Little Mill &amp;lt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://disused-stations.org.uk/l/little_mill/index.shtml&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today there is virtually no evidence that there was once a station at either of these locations. Nevertheless, I persuaded myself that &quot;&lt;i&gt;Private Stations between Alnmouth and Berwick&lt;/i&gt;&quot; was a decent theme for a ride. I ended up covering 21 miles (which bumps my average ride up a bit). The route was quiet, pretty and within my capabilities. The weather was almost ideal. And as an added bonus some of the villages I passed through had put out coloured bicycles to encourage me along. I suspect they will be leaving them in place for tomorrow&#39;s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Tour-of-Britain-2019/Stage3.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tour of Britain&lt;/a&gt; </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/3439808232884115698/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=3439808232884115698' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3439808232884115698'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3439808232884115698'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/09/private-stations.html' title='Private stations'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_UIwIesIBo/XXVLi4FTH4I/AAAAAAAAAps/N7IILxKnaZY_YUdHDnSxUTr0Zu_AEC7oQCLcBGAs/s72-c/48700103243_19b59f2b12_z.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-2816393845371607888</id><published>2019-09-03T20:46:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2019-09-04T09:02:33.932+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Tyne crossings</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mx5DmUyACWE/XW621U1nVhI/AAAAAAAAApU/Dcw59nQ-2ko3IGyy6yC6RJsanM6oenoYQCLcBGAs/s1600/48672782447_10bf28072c_z.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;640&quot; data-original-width=&quot;426&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mx5DmUyACWE/XW621U1nVhI/AAAAAAAAApU/Dcw59nQ-2ko3IGyy6yC6RJsanM6oenoYQCLcBGAs/s320/48672782447_10bf28072c_z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;213&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Newcastle is famous for the bridges, but there are other ways to cross the Tyne. Here&#39;s a list, displayed outside the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel at Wallsend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today I cycled three of these crossings. My main objective was to ride through the Cyclist&#39;s Tunnel. That crossing has just been re-opened to connect Jarrow and Wallsend. The other two that I rode were the Millenium Bridge between Gateshead and Newcastle and the ferry between North Shields and South Shields.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Connecting these crossings are NCN72 (Hadrian&#39;s Cycleway) along the North Bank of the Tyne, and NCN14 along the South Bank (South Tyne Cycleway and part of C2C) . I haven&#39;t ridden on NCN14 before, and the last time I rode along this part of NCN72 was over ten years ago (May 2009). At that time the demolition of the Swann Hunter shipyard was under way, and I was struck by the contrast between that significant symbol of industrial decline and other, more positive, signs of investment in new housing, new factories, and new offices.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because it follows the banks of a major river the route is fairly flat. The engineers seem to have capitalised well on past industrial infrastructure, and subsequent development. So much of the route is traffic free, and all of it seems to be well-used. The signage for the tunnel hasn&#39;t quite caught up with developments yet, I had a bit of trouble finding the the ferry pier in South Shields, and I missed a coupe of signs hidden behind greenery. But in general the route is very easy to follow. I passed at least &lt;strike&gt;two&lt;/strike&gt; three cycle workshops, and there are a few nice refreshment stops (though these are concentrated in relatively few places). There was more graffiti, litter, flytipping and over-grown greenery than I expected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhM-zbdxw-0/XW7CtgrP7eI/AAAAAAAAApg/8z7cuz_Fo6cC8LPLFaErA6sUNQj_OsvPACLcBGAs/s1600/48672611031_c5e0effb7b_k.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1066&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhM-zbdxw-0/XW7CtgrP7eI/AAAAAAAAApg/8z7cuz_Fo6cC8LPLFaErA6sUNQj_OsvPACLcBGAs/s320/48672611031_c5e0effb7b_k.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;If pretty scenery appeals then you had better look elsewhere. This is a route with a complex history, and some striking contrasts. Today, in a ride of 32 miles, I&#39;ve seen a wide variety of commercial, industrial and residential areas. Not to mention Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum (at the end of Hadrian&#39;s Wall); and the remains of a monastery that was once one of Europe’s most influential centres of learning and home to the Venerable Bede. And several different ways of crossing the Tyne. So not pretty, but plenty to reflect on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/54.9752/-1.5623&amp;amp;layers=C&quot;&gt;https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/54.9752/-1.5623&amp;amp;layers=C&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/54.9752/-1.5623&amp;amp;layers=C&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/2816393845371607888/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=2816393845371607888' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/2816393845371607888'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/2816393845371607888'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/09/tyne-crossings.html' title='Tyne crossings'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mx5DmUyACWE/XW621U1nVhI/AAAAAAAAApU/Dcw59nQ-2ko3IGyy6yC6RJsanM6oenoYQCLcBGAs/s72-c/48672782447_10bf28072c_z.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-834424918185367529</id><published>2019-08-22T18:56:00.004+01:00</published><updated>2019-08-22T18:59:13.335+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Whittingham to Netherton</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGbVksqC7fI/XV7Trs6eP3I/AAAAAAAAApA/7ixZ45i5PNsW8SEuYc0avcePbeZ8dpyrwCLcBGAs/s1600/WhiitinghamNetherton.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;872&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;174&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGbVksqC7fI/XV7Trs6eP3I/AAAAAAAAApA/7ixZ45i5PNsW8SEuYc0avcePbeZ8dpyrwCLcBGAs/s320/WhiitinghamNetherton.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I covered sixteen miles this afternoon, crawling westwards up the Aln Valley from Whittingham to Netherton, then flying back via Alnham (where the River Aln begins). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was a gentle climb out, with a steady headwind pushing against me. As I set off a local warned &quot;&lt;i&gt;There&#39;s rain coming down the valley&lt;/i&gt;&quot;. There was indeed, but until I reached Netherton it just threatened. Drizzle started as I turned back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the way back I was confident about my route. Over-confident, because I didn&#39;t check the map at a key junction. That muddled things a bit. Nevertheless the gentle descent, aided by a tail wind, meant that things went a lot more quickly.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unco-operative weather: but that didn&#39;t detract from the scenery at the head of the Aln Valley. The County Council has been out surfacing minor roads. Some of these were still pock-marked and covered in loose gravel, but others are now lovely and smooth. All were wonderfully quiet: I passed a post van, a couple of tractors, a lorry and about half-a-dozen cars. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/834424918185367529/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=834424918185367529' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/834424918185367529'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/834424918185367529'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/08/whittinghm-to-netherton.html' title='Whittingham to Netherton'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGbVksqC7fI/XV7Trs6eP3I/AAAAAAAAApA/7ixZ45i5PNsW8SEuYc0avcePbeZ8dpyrwCLcBGAs/s72-c/WhiitinghamNetherton.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-1211230866374291535</id><published>2019-08-18T21:34:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2019-08-18T22:48:41.584+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Rock on</title><content type='html'>After over-reaching myself on Thursday I covered an unambitious eighteen miles today. It was a minor variation on my standard loop. There were a couple of light showers, a blustery wind, and heavier traffic than usual for back roads on a Sunday afternoon. Nothing remarkable though: all went well, and various numbers have shifted slightly in the right direction.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/1211230866374291535/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=1211230866374291535' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1211230866374291535'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1211230866374291535'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/08/rock-on.html' title='Rock on'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-105007204579614148</id><published>2019-08-16T16:16:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2019-08-17T23:50:03.310+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Yesterday I rode to Scotland</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sng2-o1cWTU/XVbCBCDCLCI/AAAAAAAAAo0/Ad3KIJHvqjofp2X1dQ1YEsZ91T0F4AEzQCLcBGAs/s1600/48545568287_b7fbcf34f5_z.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;640&quot; data-original-width=&quot;426&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sng2-o1cWTU/XVbCBCDCLCI/AAAAAAAAAo0/Ad3KIJHvqjofp2X1dQ1YEsZ91T0F4AEzQCLcBGAs/s320/48545568287_b7fbcf34f5_z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;213&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Yesterday I rode to Scotland. That&#39;s not as impressive as it sounds, because I started from Etal. However, on a round trip of more than 30 miles, I reached the marvellous &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unionbridgefriends.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Union Chain Bridge&lt;/a&gt;, and rode across to pay a ceremonial visit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From Etal I first headed east, beyond Bowsden to Lowick Mill. A strong following wind helped me up the climb. Then I turned north towards Ancroft. There followed a long stretch into a strong headwind, which wasn&#39;t a lot of fun. Then the drop down into Horncliffe and the River Tweed went more easily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By now I was running late and getting tired. I skipped a planned stop at the Honey Farm, and when I reached Norham I called home to say that my return would be later than intended. The scenery was lovely on the final leg south to Etal - but it was hard work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In summary, I&#39;ve discovered (nicked) a great route for a fitter cyclist. It&#39;s almost entirely on quiet rural back-roads. There&#39;s very little traffic. The rolling landscape makes for variety, and offers some terrific distant views. There are memorable highlights at the Union Bridge across the River Tweed, at Norham Castle, the path along the banks of the River Till near Etal, and at Etal itself. Yesterday a strong wind didn&#39;t help, but I&#39;ve learned an important lesson about my own limitations: I hit them at less than 30 miles. For now. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/105007204579614148/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=105007204579614148' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/105007204579614148'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/105007204579614148'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/08/yesterday-i-rode-to-scotland.html' title='Yesterday I rode to Scotland'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sng2-o1cWTU/XVbCBCDCLCI/AAAAAAAAAo0/Ad3KIJHvqjofp2X1dQ1YEsZ91T0F4AEzQCLcBGAs/s72-c/48545568287_b7fbcf34f5_z.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-7005132863657086935</id><published>2019-08-13T19:43:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2019-08-13T19:45:38.113+01:00</updated><title type='text'>...and this is where I turned back</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ws-mU6L-7g/XVMCXjX9phI/AAAAAAAAAoo/9f6MBV3cUI8S085AAo8E_GSs6NzaoiycACLcBGAs/s1600/48529365747_2576d0a91a_z.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;480&quot; data-original-width=&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ws-mU6L-7g/XVMCXjX9phI/AAAAAAAAAoo/9f6MBV3cUI8S085AAo8E_GSs6NzaoiycACLcBGAs/s320/48529365747_2576d0a91a_z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Weather and various commitments have kept me away from the bike for a couple of weeks. I had some ideas for an adventurous return, but it seemed more important to get back into a routine. So I ended up picking a familiar route. What made the outing special was the mix of people I met.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suspect the break in the rain contributed to a good number of cheerful cyclists, joggers, and walkers. In addition a group of young lads wanted me to stop so that they could show off their cycling tricks; a couple of police teased me for chickening out of riding through the flood; and a mother leaped to rescue her child&#39;s buggy, as it trundled towards the harbour edge (she had forgotten to put the brake on).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bottling the flood meant that I turned back slightly earlier than I had intended, so at the other end I overshot a bit, to make up the planned 14 miles.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/7005132863657086935/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=7005132863657086935' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/7005132863657086935'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/7005132863657086935'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/08/and-this-is-where-i-turned-back.html' title='...and this is where I turned back'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ws-mU6L-7g/XVMCXjX9phI/AAAAAAAAAoo/9f6MBV3cUI8S085AAo8E_GSs6NzaoiycACLcBGAs/s72-c/48529365747_2576d0a91a_z.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-7690916944623553655</id><published>2019-07-28T19:37:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2019-07-28T19:37:04.278+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Nothing remarkable</title><content type='html'>Today I covered a smidgeon short of 18 miles (imperial), or about 28 kilometres (metric). I tried a couple of minor tweaks to my standard circuit. One avoids a hilly bit of road&amp;nbsp; and the other just offers a change of scenery. With a drop in temperature and no wind to speak of, my average speed was slightly better than last time. Nothing remarkable, but quite satisfying.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/7690916944623553655/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=7690916944623553655' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/7690916944623553655'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/7690916944623553655'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/07/nothing-remarkable.html' title='Nothing remarkable'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-4962375154249907445</id><published>2019-07-21T23:13:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2019-07-21T23:24:51.972+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Small beginnings</title><content type='html'>Today&#39;s ride was 21 miles out beyond Embleton (with a following wind), and back (with a head wind). That&#39;s the end of two months back on the bike. I&#39;ve had sixteen outings. My average ride has risen to almost 14 miles for a total distance of 222 miles. My Eddington number is currently 11. It&#39;s a start.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/4962375154249907445/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=4962375154249907445' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/4962375154249907445'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/4962375154249907445'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/07/small-beginnings.html' title='Small beginnings'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-33832597697659939</id><published>2019-07-16T21:16:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2019-07-16T21:27:29.072+01:00</updated><title type='text'>River Till</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-fewIdnR-A/XS4sui9SWtI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/E_bXC8bq3xsdFDrXjeCOAGL9vQ5PTEQpwCLcBGAs/s1600/RiverTillNCN68.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1298&quot; data-original-width=&quot;885&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-fewIdnR-A/XS4sui9SWtI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/E_bXC8bq3xsdFDrXjeCOAGL9vQ5PTEQpwCLcBGAs/s320/RiverTillNCN68.png&quot; width=&quot;218&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The plan today was to stick the bike on the back of the car, and try part of NCN68 a bit further north than the section that I rode a few weeks ago. However, as I drove north the sky went dark and there was a heavy shower of rain. Instead of stopping near Ford, and getting soaked as I worked north, I thought it better to carry on driving until the rain stopped, then work south.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The rain had pretty much stopped by the time I reached Norham. From there I followed NCN68 south, to Etal then back. It was a nice ride, with a particularly lovely section following the bank of the River Till.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a few days time I&#39;ll complete my first two months back on the bike.  Fourteen miles today takes the total distance past 200 miles. That doesn&#39;t sound much, but the air was humid and the landscape crinkly enough to make it feel like more. And the extended journey meant that I got home later than I planned, but as content as I hoped (and I didn&#39;t get soaked).</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/33832597697659939/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=33832597697659939' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/33832597697659939'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/33832597697659939'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/07/river-till.html' title='River Till'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-fewIdnR-A/XS4sui9SWtI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/E_bXC8bq3xsdFDrXjeCOAGL9vQ5PTEQpwCLcBGAs/s72-c/RiverTillNCN68.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-3626299636204922464</id><published>2019-07-14T20:02:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2019-07-14T20:04:57.360+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Littlemill limekilns</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GwQUsw_1AM/XSt4uPK-OfI/AAAAAAAAAoE/yLzM50ULH0ArT2jTMWMDUE3dmK4XOCLAACLcBGAs/s1600/48283115926_2841dff8a0_k.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1066&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GwQUsw_1AM/XSt4uPK-OfI/AAAAAAAAAoE/yLzM50ULH0ArT2jTMWMDUE3dmK4XOCLAACLcBGAs/s320/48283115926_2841dff8a0_k.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;A pleasant ride today, passing this massive structure on the way to Embleton. This is one of the largest 19th century limekilns in the country. They built it next to the railway, so that lime could be loaded directly from the kiln onto wagons, and it remained in service for about a century - until shortly after World War II.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I settle into this loop as a fairly regular ride it seems to be getting easier. Is that because it&#39;s becoming more familiar, or because I&#39;m getting stronger? I have no idea, but it was a pleasant afternoon, and another seventeen miles bumped my Eddington number for 2019 up by one. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/3626299636204922464/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=3626299636204922464' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3626299636204922464'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3626299636204922464'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/07/littlemill-limekilns.html' title='Littlemill limekilns'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GwQUsw_1AM/XSt4uPK-OfI/AAAAAAAAAoE/yLzM50ULH0ArT2jTMWMDUE3dmK4XOCLAACLcBGAs/s72-c/48283115926_2841dff8a0_k.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-4569631713131132104</id><published>2019-06-30T20:23:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2019-06-30T22:58:49.242+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Breamish Valley</title><content type='html'>&lt;a data-flickr-embed=&quot;true&quot; href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/petereed/48162199512/in/datetaken/&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; title=&quot;Breamish Valley&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Breamish Valley&quot; src=&quot;https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48162199512_2a976fe438_n.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;script async=&quot;&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot; src=&quot;//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;This beatiful valley &lt;span class=&quot;st&quot;&gt;in the Northumberland National Park is &lt;/span&gt;crossed by NCN68.&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;m out of practice, so the gentle climb up the valley against a steady headwind was hard work.&lt;br /&gt;But the return felt like flying. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/4569631713131132104/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=4569631713131132104' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/4569631713131132104'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/4569631713131132104'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/06/breamish-valley.html' title='Breamish Valley'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-1457837807381140829</id><published>2019-06-27T13:25:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2019-06-27T13:29:46.298+01:00</updated><title type='text'>I haven&#39;t posted anything on cycling for over seven years.</title><content type='html'>&lt;a data-flickr-embed=&quot;true&quot; href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/petereed/47849108932/in/datetaken/&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot; title=&quot;NCN-1&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;NCN-1&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; src=&quot;https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47849108932_c980272396.jpg&quot; width=&quot;375&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;script async=&quot;&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot; src=&quot;//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;I have now.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/1457837807381140829/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=1457837807381140829' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1457837807381140829'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1457837807381140829'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2019/06/i-havent-posted-anything-here-on.html' title='I haven&#39;t posted anything on cycling for over seven years.'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-1877196403987582247</id><published>2015-09-25T11:39:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2015-09-26T16:40:41.688+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Lidar data</title><content type='html'>I&#39;m not sure what it is going to be used for, but the Lidar data recently opened up by the Environment Agency is remarkable. Here&#39;s central Alnwick, hillshaded in QGIS, using 1m DSM elevations downloaded from &lt;a href=&quot;http://environment.data.gov.uk/ds/survey#/download?grid=NU11&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQRJSyNkW18/VgUif2g2aFI/AAAAAAAAAkE/Uq7rNsHMlRQ/s1600/AlnwickCentreShade.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;226&quot; src=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQRJSyNkW18/VgUif2g2aFI/AAAAAAAAAkE/Uq7rNsHMlRQ/s320/AlnwickCentreShade.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;Edited: 26/9/2015&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks to Chris for the comment and pointers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There&#39;s more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If sea levels continue rising at 3.2mm p.a. Alnwick will look like this by 20,000 a.d. Thankfully our local pub will still be above the waves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-oVHO_yGAk/VgaXb0JalII/AAAAAAAAAkU/tdJsrTI94tU/s1600/AlnwickFlooded.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;235&quot; src=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-oVHO_yGAk/VgaXb0JalII/AAAAAAAAAkU/tdJsrTI94tU/s320/AlnwickFlooded.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And this is what I reckon the duke can see from the top of Alnwick Castle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IR5nfZ8dsEU/Vga8ZAgYrOI/AAAAAAAAAks/m1Z4m-R90Is/s1600/AlnwickDukeViewShed.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;287&quot; src=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IR5nfZ8dsEU/Vga8ZAgYrOI/AAAAAAAAAks/m1Z4m-R90Is/s320/AlnwickDukeViewShed.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/1877196403987582247/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=1877196403987582247' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1877196403987582247'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1877196403987582247'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/09/lidar-data.html' title='Lidar data'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQRJSyNkW18/VgUif2g2aFI/AAAAAAAAAkE/Uq7rNsHMlRQ/s72-c/AlnwickCentreShade.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-5200993260845133460</id><published>2015-08-23T09:26:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2015-08-23T10:19:32.991+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM retail survey: Conclusions-2</title><content type='html'>This picks up from previous posts to consider more specifically what tools might help contributors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The examples are rudimentary – stuff I&#39;ve assembled for my own use, rather than robust tools for the wider community. If they have any value I hope it will be as prototypes for something more polished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Missing data&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are about 385,000 retail properties in England that are missing from OSM, and the obvious way to help contributors is to point out where they are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To help achieve the most rapid improvement across the whole country I have tried to find dense retail concentrations that haven&#39;t been thoroughly mapped yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/lsoaplausibility.kml&quot;&gt;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/lsoaplausibility.kml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are the biggest concentrations of unmapped retail property in England and Wales: about 1,000 of them, each with an average of 100 missing retail outlets across an area of under 2 sq. km.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;ve used a mix of Food Hygiene Data, Non-Domestic Rates, population data, and various other statistics to identify concentrations of retail outlets at a local level. I&#39;ve done this for England and Wales. The same basic technique should work in Scotland because similar data is available, but the structure of the census geography, and data on non-domestic rates for Scotland is quite different, so the process needs tweaking, and I haven&#39;t got round to that yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My formula for estimating the number of retail premises at a local level can probably be improved, but it will never be perfect. At this stage I don&#39;t think it is good enough to reliably identify areas that are almost complete, because that needs more precision. But I think it is good enough to flag up areas that are far from complete. Contributors who are looking for significant concentrations of missing retail outlets should be able to do a quick check on the area. If it still looks empty on the map, they can head there with a reasonable expectation of adding enough new retail outlets to make the trip worthwhile.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Feedback based on local knowledge would be welcome, to help refine this a bit more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Helping contributors to find nearby concentrations of missing retail outlets is one way to quickly increase the overall volume of data. A different starting point is to assume that thorough retail coverage in some areas has a higher value to data users than adding missing shops elsewhere. On that basis we may want to encourage contributors to concentrate first on mapping areas which we think have the highest potential value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/settlementplausibility.kml&quot;&gt;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/settlementplausibility.kml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This example picks out a limited number of smaller towns and cities where OSM data might have high value (e.g. to students or visitors).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Areas coloured:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;blue already contain more than 75% of my estimated number of retail outlets&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;green contain 50-75% of my estimated number of retail outlets&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;orange contain 25-50% of my estimated number of retail outlets&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;red contain less than 25% of my estimated number of retail outlets&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each area is intended to cover a manageable size: one where a few contributors should quickly be able to bring retail content up to an impressive level. Larger cities are excluded on the basis that they justify a more systematic approach. My list is &amp;nbsp;bit arbitrary – it is intended to cover a mix of different towns of roughly similar size, distributed across the country. Are these really the areas where OSM retail data is likely to have most value? I doubt it, but that might be a useful discussion point in its own right. For each suggestion of a settlement that should be added, please feel free to suggest one that should be removed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can only assess how useful these estimates might be in areas that I know fairly well. Feedback on any unexpected results would be useful: to better understand where the technique can be improved.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Feedback to contributors&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All contributors deserve to see the results of their work. But not all retail information is rendered on the standard map. And in my view it never can (and shouldn&#39;t) be. So to encourage contributors I would like to see a decent alternative to the standard map which shows more complete retail information.&amp;nbsp;When I want to check specific content of the database I use either a data extract, Overpass, or the “Map Data” overlay on the standard map view. I&#39;m happy to do this, but for many contributors (and particularly for novices) none of these techniques are particularly user-friendly. I suspect this is beyond my own technical capabilities, but there are examples (based on various data extracts) that illustrate the kind of thing that can be done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://openpoimap.org/&quot;&gt;http://openpoimap.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mijndev.openstreetmap.nl/~peewee32/paard/ruiterpadenOSM.html&quot;&gt;http://mijndev.openstreetmap.nl/~peewee32/paard/ruiterpadenOSM.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Data collection&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When mapping retail areas there will normally be some shops already recorded in OSM, which need checking. Alongside other existing features such as road junctions, these also provide reference points for adding new data. When surveying retail premises, it&#39;s handy to have a crib sheet to hand, on which to collect notes of any changes, which shows the current state of the data. This needs to show every relevant feature in the database, including some which won&#39;t be rendered on the standard map.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Below is an example generated (automagically, with some rather clunky SQL) from OSM data for Winchester High Street (the pedestrian part). It starts at the western (top) end.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzQeJ_0Y8XDfVG5KbWI1MXA5ZWs/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzQeJ_0Y8XDfVG5KbWI1MXA5ZWs/view?usp=sharing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;ve set this up to collect any shops, amenities and offices within 25 metres of the highway centre line, and display them in order. This simplistic approach only exhibits the most basic information, and includes more features than I would really want: including shops beyond each end of the central line, up side streets, and occasionally from a nearby street running parallel. But it&#39;s easy enough to cross out any unnecessary entries. To allow for some additions there&#39;s an additional spacer inserted every 20 metres (roughly twice the width of a conventional shop front). I find sheets like this speed up the data collection process and make it easier to add notes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Consistency checks&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I hope I&#39;ve made a clear case that across most of the UK adding missing retail data is a higher priority than cleaning up tagging inconsistencies. However, this isn&#39;t true everywhere, and pointers to inconsistencies could help contributors to clean local data.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some basic consistency checks are easily carried on Overpass:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;amenity=pharmacy &amp;amp; dispensing=no: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEc&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;shop=cafe: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEg&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;name=Argos and shop not = catalogue: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEW&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;shop=fast_food: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEV&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;amenity=optician: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEl&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEl&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;shop=supermarket without building tag: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEp&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;shop=unknown: &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEr&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;some basic spelling mistakes (shop tag includes upper case or space): &lt;a href=&quot;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEs&quot;&gt;http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/aEs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But this isn&#39;t ideal for finding all quirky data within a local area, and finding more complex inconsistencies sometimes involves extensive processing that isn&#39;t really practical interactively. Overpass isn&#39;t the ideal solution here, but it is possible to do more crunching on a data extract. Here are some examples. Unlike Overpass, anything here that is fixed won&#39;t be quickly updated in the overlay (some of these quirks are already fixed, which could get annoying). Note that, for the sake of simplicity, this overlay only contains some of the features in the UK that exhibit these quirks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/retailquirks.kml&quot;&gt;http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/osmembed.html?kml=http://www.reedhome.org.uk/Documents/KML/retailquirks.kml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/5200993260845133460/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=5200993260845133460' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/5200993260845133460'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/5200993260845133460'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/08/osm-retail-survey-conclusions-2.html' title='OSM retail survey: Conclusions-2'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-6008917477608304215</id><published>2015-08-12T10:29:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2015-08-13T17:13:34.675+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Conclusions-1</title><content type='html'>OSM has thrived by bringing together a community with diverse interests, and aligning their efforts behind a common purpose. In thinking how best to improve retail coverage it seems useful to consider how different groups with different interests and different skills will be able to contribute.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most obvious question for the community is how the existing tools might be improved. But I am not going to start there. Instead I will begin with how contributors might view the priorities - because that will determine which tools will be of greatest help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My starting point is based on findings from the survey:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;In a some localised areas retail data in OSM is the most comprehensive retail data that is generally available. Because OSM data has a degree of structure it should be capable of supporting certain types of structured search that are extremely difficult to achieve in any other way. These are the areas where the data will be of greatest value to end users and hence of greatest interest to application providers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We are still a long way from being able to offer comprehensive retail data across the whole of the UK. In the foreseeable future this means that most viable applications based on OSM data are likely to have a local focus, rather than aiming for national coverage. So far only a few areas have been really thoroughly mapped. One priority is to increase the number of thoroughly mapped areas.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Elsewhere, whatever issues data users find with the consistency and accuracy of UK retail data in OSM, the impact of those issues is small in comparison to the amount of retail data that is missing from OSM. Another priority is to reduce the volume of missing retail data.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;To address missing data, I assume the community needs to expand the number of contributors, as well as encouraging existing contributors to add more basic retail data. We need to ensure that the process of collecting and contributing data is both satisfying and productive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most contributors have only a limited choice of where to map. The question we need to help them with is &lt;b&gt;how &lt;/b&gt;to make the biggest impact in their local area. Some contributors have more choice of where they map. The question we need to help them with is &lt;b&gt;where &lt;/b&gt;they can make the biggest impact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If OSM is going to provide a decent platform for viable applications based on retail data, then the priority is to bring more areas of the UK up to a standard that compares with the best. OSM data doesn&#39;t have to be complete in order to be the best available source of retail data in a well-defined area: but it should be getting near complete. In towns and smaller cities individual contributors can quickly make an impact, by bringing retail data up to a good standard across a well-defined area. In an ideal world they might chose a location that would most interest potential application providers – perhaps a university town, or a city that attracts a large number of visitors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;d like to think that contributors who want to improve retail data will start by assessing how retail coverage currently stands in their chosen area. For a rough idea, they can examine the standard map, or for more precision they can compare the number of shops in the OSM database with an estimate of how many there should be. There are various ways to get that estimate, but that&#39;s a separate question which I&#39;ll defer for now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If local coverage is currently under 25%, then this part of the map is still close to being a blank canvas. OSM data is far from providing the best source of retail data, and there will still be gaps in some of the most commonly mapped features, such as post-offices and pubs. The first priority is to make a start, develop technique, and demonstrate progress to encourage others. For a contributor&#39;s own motivation, they should begin with whatever interests them personally. This probably includes retail outlets that they are familiar with (i.e. ones that their family, friends and neighbours use regularly). Beyond that, major retail premises, such as supermarkets, banks and larger high street stores are relatively easy to tag, and are all properly rendered on the standard map. Their relatively large scale helps to build visibility. To help raise awareness add any retailers with a high public profile. This could include any well-known local specialists, those who advertise heavily, those who regularly feature in the local paper, or take an active part in the local chamber of trade.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If local coverage is around 25-50% then a fair number of shops will appear on the standard map, but there will still be plenty that are missing. Quite often some retail categories will have been well covered (pubs often seem to appear first), while others still have to be added. The priority now is to build momentum. The quickest results will be achieved in densely occupied retail zones such as the central shopping area and larger retail parks. Complete coverage is still some way off, and trying to include everything at this stage will slow things down. It is more important to include major outlets, and a representative sample of outlets that are of high public utility, and widespread interest. It seems to me that this should include retailers that cater for a broad section of the population – both their daily needs (convenience stores, post offices, pharmacies, take-aways, cafés, pubs), and more significant purchases (electrical goods, clothing, furniture, etc.). Others will have better insight into those catering for specific groups of customer (visitors, students, etc.), and in some towns these groups will be particularly important.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Once local coverage reaches around 50-75% then OSM data is providing some of the most complete retail data that is generally available. The standard map will contain a good number of shops – particularly in the town centre. But anyone familiar with the area will still find it fairly easy to spot shops that are missing. Particularly outside the main shopping areas there will be shops scattered across residential and commercial areas that haven&#39;t been added. &amp;nbsp;Now is the time for contributors to work towards something approaching complete coverage. Missing shops are likely to be the more specialised, smaller and more quirky independent retailers, shops outside the central retail core, in suburban shopping parades, and corner shops in residential areas.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Over 75% coverage means that locally OSM is capable of providing some of the most comprehensive retail data that is generally available. Contributors will find it increasingly time-consuming to deal with the remaining gaps, and the more difficult categories are the most likely to have been left aside. Now is the time to include them. This is also the time to verify that existing data is up to date and consistent. There will be opportunities to add value with information that will be of use to different types of data user. This might include features such as wheelchair access, ATMs, non-standard opening times, specialist services, etc. Beyond this, contributors have &amp;nbsp;choice. They can continue to add unreasonable levels of detail, that will never be used. Or better, broaden the scope of their survey into neighbouring towns and villages.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If this is broadly how things work, then I&#39;d suggest the following priorities to help contributors:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Firstly, contributors are encouraged by seeing the results of their work. Currently the standard map is the main source of such feedback, but it doesn&#39;t show all retail outlets, and it doesn&#39;t render all retail characteristics that contributors add. It is unrealistic to expect the standard map to render everything, so I&#39;d like to see a different way of showing contributors the results of their work: one that doesn&#39;t depend on adding increasing detail to the standard map.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Secondly, for areas where retail data is relatively thin, contributors who have some choice of where to map may benefit from guidance on where and how they can make the biggest impact. Tools that highlight areas where there is a substantial amount of missing retail data could save them time. Suggesting areas where retail data could be of high utility may influence their choice of where to map.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Thirdly, retail data generally has to be collected by survey, and there is a lot missing. Tools that help contributors collect data in the field (i.e.&amp;nbsp;on the high street) will make the process more satisfying and help to speed the process&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;And finally, once &amp;nbsp;retail data in an area is relatively complete, the emphasis will change from improving coverage to improving consistency and adding value. Bulk edits won&#39;t help much, but tools that highlight inconsistencies and quirks in retail data will help contributors identify issues and improve quality.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/6008917477608304215/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=6008917477608304215' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6008917477608304215'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6008917477608304215'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/08/osm-retail-survey-conclusions-1.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Conclusions-1'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-8028602295554813560</id><published>2015-08-02T11:51:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2015-08-02T11:51:50.372+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part: 12a</title><content type='html'>Retail outlets in OSM are represented in different ways.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHzeKuXIW5g/Vb3rW727GVI/AAAAAAAAAjs/tZKn8QGtDVE/s1600/retailrepresentation.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;181&quot; src=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHzeKuXIW5g/Vb3rW727GVI/AAAAAAAAAjs/tZKn8QGtDVE/s320/retailrepresentation.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Very few shops have been added as a relation. Around two-thirds are a node, and one-third an area (almost always a closed way, occasionally as a relation between multiple ways).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Larger types of outlet (supermarkets, motor trade outlets, petrol station, furniture showrooms, etc.) are more likely to be recorded as an area (with around 50% in that form); while smaller outlets such as post-offices, and pharmacies more likely to be recorded as a node (around 85% in that form).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In effect, about a third of retail features are represented only by their location. In around two-thirds of cases there is more information on the geometry. The most common ways of representing the geometry of a retail outlet are&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;as an area which represents both a shop and a building&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;as a node or area that represents a shop, and lies within an area that represents a building&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These two cases are equally common in the data. In the real world, some shops are always going to be closely associated with a specific building, while others are always going to be perceived as a facility that happens to be located within a particular building. So it is reasonable to expect data users to find both of these approaches acceptable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tagging indicates that almost all (87%) of areas that have been marked as a retail outlet are equivalent to a building footprint - i.e. they hold both a &quot;shop&quot; tag and a &quot;building&quot; tag. Among the remainder, some areas are tagged to represent landuse, and a few represent road surface, but most others carry no indication of what physical feature the area represents (i.e. no relevant tag added alongside “shop” or some type of “amenity”). The proportion of contributors who have used an area to represent landuse varies by the type of retail. &amp;nbsp;In the case of petrol stations, for example, it is 3%, and in the case of garden centres it is almost 25%.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When a retail outlet is drawn as a closed area, with a “shop” tag, but no other indication of what that area represents, it is most likely that the area is intended to represent a building. A random check suggests that this is what contributors normally intended, but renders cannot be certain, so the most likely outcome for retail features mapped as an area, without a “building” or “landuse” tag is that these features will not be rendered at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where landuse is specified on a retail area it is normally “retail” (76% of cases). Of the other generic urban landuse terms, “commercial” represents 16%. The remainder are mostly more specific terms such as “landuse=plant_nursery”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of the retail outlets that do not have their own area defined, and are represented only by a node, just under half are contained within a (separately defined) building. In most cases (75%) the type of building is not defined further (“building=yes”), and in 10% the building is described as a retail building.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are a couple of thousand retail buildings containing at least one shop. The biggest clusters of retail nodes within such buildings represent individual outlets within large shopping centres (e.g. the St James Centre in Edinburgh). However, these only account for a small proportion of the total. &amp;nbsp;Most buildings that contain shops only show a single shop node, and it is common for a single building to contain only a few retail outlets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In around 20% of cases, the retail node within a building is the only retail feature within that building. It might be assumed in this case that a single shop occupies the whole building, but renderers cannot be certain whether there are other, unmapped shops within the same building. Their only safe option is to render both building and shop, and place the node in the position marked.&lt;br /&gt;Although we can safely assume that almost all retail outlets should exist within a building, something over a third of all retail outlets in the database have no representation of a building associated with them. This is an indication of areas where building data is likely to be incomplete, but the information is of little value otherwise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some large retail outlets are made up of numerous different components: petrol stations and garden centres are common examples. For petrol stations there is relatively clear guidance on how the various components should be mapped. Guidance is less comprehensive when it comes to garden centres.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;ve found 3,772 examples of “amenity=fuel” in the UK data, of which 70% are mapped as nodes, and 30% are areas. To map a service station as a node is simply to indicate the location. To map it as an area suggests that the contributor is at least aiming to provide more detailed visual information for rendering. Adding further detail on the products and services available, and detailed mapping of routes through the forecourt suggest that the contributor is aiming to support more sophisticated applications for more demanding users. To function properly, viable applications that can handle such complexity will require some consistency in the way that petrol stations are described.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My interpretation of the mapping guidance for petrol stations is that:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;the building in the forecourt should be tagged as “amenity=fuel”: this guidance is generally followed, and is the approach in around 75% of cases where the petrol station has been mapped as an area. In around 3% of cases the area marked as “amenity=fuel” is also tagged to indicate retail landuse, which suggests it covers the whole site. In around 2% of cases it is also tagged as a shop, which suggest that it is intended to represent a building. However, renderers and applications cannot be certain that either is what the contributor intended. In around 20% of cases there is no indication from the tagging what the “amenity=fuel” area represents. Inspection suggests that in most cases it is the paved area around the pumps&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;the area around the pumps should be mapped as an area of highway: in practice this approach is only used in around 2% of cases, although there are a few more cases where the forecourt area is tagged as “amenity=parking”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;use the shop tag alongside “amenity=fuel” to indicate other retail formats within the petrol station, such as a kiosk, or convenience store: this guidance is not generally followed – a shop tag is only used in 10% of petrol stations marked as an area, and only 5% of those marked as a node. Some of these petrol stations may truly have no other retail facilities, of course, but experience suggests that there are not many fuel outlets these days that only offer &amp;nbsp;fuel&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;the routes through the forecourt should be mapped as one-way service roads: (this I&#39;ve not measured)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;any canopy should be mapped as “building=roof”: (this I&#39;ve not measured)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;add a node for toilets as an amenity: because fuel is treated as an amenity in the tagging, there is little problem in tagging coexistence of a petrol station with with retail formats that are tagged as a shop, but there are potential issues around how best to tag co-existence with other common amenities. This guidance helps with adding toilets, but there is no guidance yet for other common amenities, such as a café&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;there is no guidance yet on how to map the wider extent of the site – which may include customer parking, children&#39;s play areas, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The result is that rendering for some petrol stations presents a reasonable interpretation of the different components on the ground, but this is too unusual, and the underlying data is too inconsistent to be of further use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Representing the perimeter of a complex retail outlet would provide geometry information that would be particularly useful for data users. This would offer a mechanism for aggregating different components within the same facility that have been mapped separately (such as identifying a petrol station with toilets and a cafe) . However, for contributors there is confusion over how best to do this. The community is probably nearest to consensus on &quot;landuse=retail&quot;, or &quot;landuse=something more specific&quot;. However, this approach isn&#39;t widely adopted. In any case, it is virtually useless for anything more than rendering, because it loads the &quot;landuse&quot; tag with more than one meaning. Data users are not able to distinguish between cases where the &quot;landuse&quot; tag defines the outline of a specific outlet, and cases where it encompasses a wider area and more retail outlets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In summary, the largest gap in the information on the geometry of retail premises is a lack of any information on the footprint for around two-thirds of retail features. In around 4% of cases there is some basic information on footprint, but data users will face considerable difficulty in interpreting what it means.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where there is information on retail geometry it can help to identify gaps in data, particularly for building footprints.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The database also contains information on some more complex retail footprints, but this is not presented in a consistent way, and the various components are not sufficiently well-integrated for applications to make use of the information (other than basic rendering). There is some guidance for contributors on mapping more complex retail features, but this is not widely followed, and I have found no feedback mechanisms to encourage more consistent tagging of &amp;nbsp;complex cases.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/8028602295554813560/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=8028602295554813560' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/8028602295554813560'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/8028602295554813560'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/08/osm-retail-survey-part-12a.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part: 12a'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHzeKuXIW5g/Vb3rW727GVI/AAAAAAAAAjs/tZKn8QGtDVE/s72-c/retailrepresentation.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-1914579926025738860</id><published>2015-07-31T11:51:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-31T11:58:23.247+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part-12</title><content type='html'>I see that most readers of these posts come from outside the UK. I hope the information is of some interest and use to others, but I should probably emphasise that this is just a survey of UK retail data on OSM. The structure of the retail industry differs from place to place. The UK, for example, has a relatively high proportion of retail turnover through large retail chains: i.e. fewer small retailers than France, and fewer mid-sized retailers than Germany. It would be interesting to know whether similar patterns of OSM data are found elsewhere, or whether there are differences that we can all learn from.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After the most basic information on the location and type of shop, the most common (and for many data users, the most useful) supplementary information in OSM is the name of the retailer. Some form of name is provided for around 90% of retail premises, but the proportion is lower for certain types of outlet. Most UK Post Offices, for example, do not have a name tag.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Names will probably be most useful to the data user because they allow searches for a specific retailer. In the UK, understanding the name of the chain may carry relatively high value, because the name often gives a clear idea of the format and range of goods on sale (most people have an idea of what to expect in a branch of Argos, even if the tagging of shop type is inconsistent).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Names are also a useful characteristic when analysing retail data. Where chains have multiple similar branches, this provides a vehicle for checking tagging consistency across a chain, and information can be extracted on OSM coverage of the larger chains.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are numerous variations in the way names are provided by contributors. These fall into several groups:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Variation in capitalisation: Aldi / ALDI, &amp;nbsp;Asda / ASDA, Spar / SPAR, Lidl / LIDL, Pets at Home / Pets At Home&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Variations in the use of abbreviations: Co-op, Co-Op / Co-operative, M&amp;amp;S / Marks &amp;amp; Spencer / Marks and Spencer, Toni&amp;amp;Guy / Toni &amp;amp; Guy / Toni and Guy, B&amp;amp;Q / B &amp;amp; Q / B and Q&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Variations in the use of a possessive, with or without apostrophe: Sainsbury / Sainsbury&#39;s / Sainsburys, Wilkinson / Wilkinsons / Wilkinson&#39;s, McColl / McColl&#39;s, Jewson / Jewsons, Maplin / Maplins&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Variations in the use of a definite article: Co-operative Food / The Co-operative Food, Money Shop / The Money Shop, Body Shop / The Body Shop, Carphone Warehouse / The Carphone Warehouse&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Variations in spacing: WHSmith / WH Smith / W H Smith, Kwik Fit / Kwik-Fit, One Stop / One-Stop / OneStop, Phones 4U / Phones4U, TK Maxx / TKMaxx&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Including or omitting the location of the branch in the name: “Tesco, Swansea Marina”, “Batley Tesco”, “Tesco Barnstaple”, “Tesco Extra, Hartlepool”, “Tesco - Biggin Hill Express”, “Tesco (Greenock)”, “Tesco Rugeley Superstore”, “Tesco Ystrad Mynach”, “Tesco Extra (24hr) Maldon”, “Tesco South Tottenham Superstore”, and many, many more.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Different names for different formats within a chain are a slightly different issue. Tesco, Tesco Metro, Tesco Express and Tesco Extra can all be considered valid names for different retail formats used by Tesco. Similarly, Sainsbury&#39;s and Sainsbury&#39;s Local. These cannot really be considered variations in the same name. There is evidence, though that they are not used consistently, so “Tesco” is sometimes used as a synonym for the various different formats (and at other times it isn&#39;t).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is difficult to put a firm number on how many times all these different kinds of inconsistency occur, &amp;nbsp;but it certainly runs into thousands (i.e. between 1% and 10% of mapped shops). So they are likely to cause some data users a degree of frustration. However, &amp;nbsp;similar patterns recur, and some names are particularly prone to certain variations. With varying degrees of effort data users who place a high value on standardised names will probably be able to find ways to work round many of the differences that are most important to them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occasionally the name will appear as the value in the &quot;shop=&quot; tag, but this is very rare. Various other tags are used to hold different types of name: primarily “name”, “operator”, and “brand”. &amp;nbsp;In around 4% of cases the contributor has provided a name, plus details on the operator, brand, or both, and in less than 2% of cases they have provided information on the operator, or brand, but not the name of the outlet. There is some inconsistency in the way that “operator” and “brand” are used, which will make life a bit difficult for data users.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Data users who ignore “operator” and “brand”, and use just the “name” field will lose information from around 6% of recorded retail outlets. However, there are certain sub-sectors where the operator or brand tag are more widely used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the case of petrol stations, for example, both are used, but both the brand of fuel and the operator are scattered quite widely across the name, operator and brand tags. For car showrooms contributors normally use the name tag to show the name of the outlet, but it is not uncommon for the name tag to show the car manufacturer. In around 11% of cases the manufacturer appears under brand, but in some cases it appears under operator. This inconsistency in the use of names could be a lost opportunity to provide additional information to data users, but it is difficult to know how much of a problem it will really give them. Anyone who wants to search for a Volkswagen Dealer, for example, will need to search for “VW” or “Volkswagen”. If they are capable of doing that on the name tag, then they will be able to search the name, brand and operator tags almost as easily. If they go to this amount of effort, they will currently pick up around 30 VW dealerships in the UK. This is well short of the true figure of around 200. Again, missing data is a bigger problem here than inconsistent tagging. Sensible end-users who want to find a VW dealer will use the manufacturer&#39;s dealer search rather than OSM data.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For most types of retail there is no major issue with misuse of the “brand” tag. On the whole it is used consistently for car dealerships and filling stations, and little used elsewhere. There is, though, some confusion around tagging of convenience store names. In the UK these are often independently owned and operated, but trading under a well-known national franchise. Examples include SPAR, Londis, Costcutter, Premier Stores and Nisa. Together these represent around a third of the convenience store sector in the UK, so they have a significant presence, but none of the various combinations of “name”, “operator” and “brand” really captures the business model. As a result the way they are tagged is quite inconsistent (roughly 80% of the time the franchise is tagged as “name”, roughly 13% as “operator”, and 6% as “brand”).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Address details are attached to about a third of retail properties in OSM, but only 15% have a postcode, and the proportion with a complete street address is in the region of 5-10% (depending on what components a user requires in order to regard the address as complete).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contact details (web site, or phone) are provided for around 10% of retail properties, although for certain types the proportion is higher. For restaurants and bars, for example, the proportion with contact details is around 20%, and for estate agents around 25%. Is is more common to find a web site than a phone number, and comparatively rare to find both. In the case of restaurants, for example, 15% are tagged with a web site, 10% with a phone number, 5% with both, and 80% with neither. Restaurants have a higher level of coverage for contact details than most retail sectors on OSM, and yet, out of 60,000 restaurants in the UK, OSM has contact details for just over 2,000. This looks long way from being a set of information that is viable enough to attract data users.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Information on accessibility (“wheelchair=”) is provided for around 4% of retail properties, with a higher proportion for cafés and restaurants (7%) and for supermarkets (8%). Where wheelchair information is provided the value is “yes” in 63% of cases, but “no” in 20% of cases, and “limited” in 16% of cases.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Information on opening hours is provided for under 3% of retail properties. The types of outlet that fare better than average for this information are an odd mixture: Supermarkets (but not Convenience Stores), Bars (but not Pubs), Pharmacies (but not Post Offices) and Bicycle Shops. Cafés and Restaurants rate only slightly higher than average.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s worth looking more closely at an example where the opening hours have been provided more often than average, and where they could play an important role in any feasible application. If I wanted to find a pharmacy near to home, that is open on a Sunday afternoon, then the nearest pharmacy where I can check “opening_hours” on OSM is nearly 50km away (and as it happen, it isn&#39;t open on a Sunday afternoon). There are four pharmacists within 100km that OSM tells me are open on a Sunday afternoon, but only one of them shows a phone number. This is potentially an application area where the tagging structure is ready to support a viable application. In London, and a few other towns and cities contributors have been diligent in adding sufficient detail to make a search viable (Stoke on Trent, Norwich,...). &amp;nbsp;But across most of the country, it doesn&#39;t look to me as though the data content is anywhere near ready to attract users to this type of data.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In summary, OSM has the potential to support more sophisticated searches of retail data than a simple location search, in the sense that data structures are in place to hold much valuable information. Where these are used, they are used fairly consistently. However, in most cases coverage of supplementary data is an issue. There is a considerable way to go before the supplementary data is sufficiently complete and consistent. The first priority is probably to work towards more consistent naming. Beyond that, at present, the potential applications for this data are hypothetical, and it is too early for an informed debate on priorities.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/1914579926025738860/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=1914579926025738860' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1914579926025738860'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/1914579926025738860'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-12.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part-12'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-6748887340569238013</id><published>2015-07-27T11:00:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-27T11:16:42.695+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part-11</title><content type='html'>The occupants of a retail premise will change over time, and as a result we should expect retail data in OSM to continually evolve as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of the retail data within OSM is less than 5 years old, so the chances are that the bulk of this is still more-or-less current. Around 5% of the data is 5-years old, and 2% is 6 years old. A growing proportion of this older data could now be inaccurate, but across the country it is likely that the proportion of data that is out-of-date will only represent a few percent of the total.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In some places (e.g. Islington, Leeds, and Sheffield), more than 10% of shops were added to the database over five years ago. In parts of Kent more than 30% of the shops were added more than five years ago. So there may be a case for some local reviews of older data, to update anything that has changed since it was last recorded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In most locations, though, the current priority will still be to add missing data, then later work towards greater accuracy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the longer term, that picture is likely to change. In the last 12 months 28,000 retail properties in England have been edited. That&#39;s 5% of retail properties that have either been added to OSM, or updated. Some of the changes in OSM data over the last year will have been to correct a spelling, or to adapt tagging, and will not have involved a re-survey. But we can&#39;t easily measure how much has been fully updated. So for now, let&#39;s be optimistic, and assume that every edit brings that particular shop up to date.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If nothing changed on the ground, then at this rate it will take more than a decade to approach complete coverage of retail. But the situation on the ground does change. In 2014 the average length of a retail lease was less than nine years, and almost half of retail leases were for less than four years. Retail leases used to be for a longer period, and because of peaks in construction activity in 1990 and 2000 an unusually high number of 25-year, and 15-year leases are currently due for renewal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Not all retail property is leased, leases will sometimes be renewed without change of occupant, and some might carry forward for generations. So I don&#39;t know what proportion of OSM high street data we should expect to change over a year. If only 5% changes then current levels of editing activity are sufficient to maintain existing data, and gradually close the gap of missing data. But if we assume 10% of existing retail premises change over a year then the current rate at which OSM retail data is being edited will not be enough to deliver and maintain complete and accurate data on all retail properties in England.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nationally, perhaps something like 7,000-14,000 entries on the database should be updated each year. Around where I live, the rate of change looks closer to 10% per year, rather than 5%, so I&#39;m guessing a decent estimate of the national picture will be closer to the higher figure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As database volumes rise there will be more to maintain. If contributors concentrate on adding missing retail properties, then by the time coverage reaches about 50%, the existing data will be going out of date as fast as new data is being added. If contributors concentrate on maintaining what has already been added, then they will have no time to add the missing 50% of retail properties. Either way, for the foreseeable future, there is going to be a lot of retail data that is either missing from OSM, or incorrect on OSM.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;If we can wait long enough, other factors might help. A decline in the number of retail premises would also accelerate progress towards 100% coverage, and the chart shows the effect of a 2% reduction in the number of retail properties each year. Even if this is factored in, reaching a worthwhile level of retail cover still looks like a slow process. Too slow.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNujsR8G5Ls/VbYAShMAmAI/AAAAAAAAAjc/h9RT5FwohFo/s1600/RetailCoverageProjected.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNujsR8G5Ls/VbYAShMAmAI/AAAAAAAAAjc/h9RT5FwohFo/s320/RetailCoverageProjected.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is not only individual shops that change. Retail business models also evolve, and over the long term we should expect this to affect the choice of tags. Some formats which once were common on the high street no longer exist (ironmongers into hardware, then homeware). A traditional grocery, or a video rental shop is now unusual.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, perhaps candle shops are returning to the high street (“shop=candle”), and e-cigarettes are a recent arrival. The data on chains of mobile phone shops may be an example of how this process continues. Currently these chains are tagged with a mix of “mobile_phone” (95%), and “electronics” (5%). Perhaps contributors are adapting their tagging, in recognition that an established speciality has now matured, and the offer is starting to evolve as retailers extend into adjacent markets.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/6748887340569238013/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=6748887340569238013' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6748887340569238013'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6748887340569238013'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-11.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part-11'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNujsR8G5Ls/VbYAShMAmAI/AAAAAAAAAjc/h9RT5FwohFo/s72-c/RetailCoverageProjected.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-6187747598592030218</id><published>2015-07-26T19:56:00.004+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-26T22:19:50.496+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part: 10</title><content type='html'>Specialised types of shop offer a narrow range of categories, but provide wide choice within their specialist area. Generalist retailers offer a broad range of product categories, with less choice within each category. Large generalists (e.g. supermarkets) are able to offer both numerous categories and broad choice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We use different terms for a large “supermarket” (with breadth and depth), a small “convenience” store (with some breadth and less depth), and a &quot;butcher&quot; or “newsagent” which we expect to be more more specialised. We expect a newsagent to offer a wider choice of newspapers and magazines than a convenience store, but we would still expect a convenience store to offer newspapers. We expect a convenience store to offer much more than newspapers, and we would be surprised if a newsagent offered nothing but newspapers. We expect a butcher to offer a wider choice of meat than a convenience store. Ours does excellent sandwiches, ready meals, pies, vegetables, and various other items as well. Although the principles are fairly clear, the precise boundaries between retail categories are always going to be difficult to pin down.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a result, it doesn&#39;t matter how clear the definitions are for different terms covering different levels of specialisation. We should still expect some inconsistency in the way that different tags are used. Some retailers have a business model that is closer to the boundary than others, so it is inevitable that there will be a grey area where it is difficult to maintain a consistent boundary. The proper question isn&#39;t whether tagging ought to be consistent. It&#39;s whether there should be more consistency than we find.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To my mind there are several areas where the data does not look consistent enough. This is particularly true in the case of large stores which sell a broad range of goods (the big generalists).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, a data user who searches for “supermarket” and relies on the wiki for the definition, will expect to find “a large store for groceries and other goods” “a full service grocery store that often sells a variety of non-food products as well”. They will assume (perhaps because the wiki tells them) that “stores that do not provide full service grocery departments are generally not considered supermarkets”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In practice they will find results that include a high proportion of outlets that fit this description, including most branches of the major chains that they will expect to find: ALDI, ASDA, Booths, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Morrison&#39;s, Sainbury&#39;s, Tesco, Waitrose, etc. However, they will also pick up a lot of convenience stores, and some stores tagged “supermarket” where few shoppers would expect to find groceries: Argos, Homebase, Matalan, Mothercare, Pets at Home, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I estimate that around 10% of the data that they retrieve will not be what they expect.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Commercial search engines face a similar problem, because &amp;nbsp;smaller convenience stores often call themselves a supermarket, and this is inevitably picked up in their keyword searches. But OSM has a more structured data model. We should expect to perform better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The situation with department stores is even more difficult for data users. The major chains are well covered, but they only represent about half of all retail outlets tagged as a department store. Data users who rely on the Wiki definition will be expecting “a large store with multiple clothing and other general merchandise departments”. They probably won&#39;t expect to pick up Poundstretcher, Argos, Matalan, Pets at Home, Staples, Superdrug, TK Maxx, etc. - but they will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wilkinson&#39;s (Wilko) is a difficult boundary case - with a particularly wide range of different key values for different branches. &amp;nbsp;My own view is that something like “homeware” would be the best description of their format, but only about 2% of contributors agree with me. And in practice, what should matter to data users is not what I think (even when I am right). What has to matter to data users is the consensus that develops across the majority of contributors. And in this particular case there is little consensus. It is difficult for anyone to know whether to consider Wilkinson&#39;s a department store or not. What is even more unsatisfactory for data users is that 25% of Wilkinson&#39;s stores are considered to be a department store, and even though that&#39;s the most popular option, 75% are tagged differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neither of these examples is the result of a problem with the definition of the tags for a supermarket or a department store. The problem is that the same tags are being quite widely used for branches of chains where most contributors prefer an alternative. Good data on department stores and supermarkets is polluted by inconsistent data on other retail formats.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Looking further, the confusion lies partly in representing scale consistently, and partly in representing the degree of specialisation consistently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most specialists offer some categories of product that fall outside their main area of activity. Some position themselves as specialists in more than one area. As a result contributors can find it difficult to draw a consistent distinction between a specialist and a generalist outlet. If they are uncertain about the right specialist term to use, they tend to look for something more generic, and fall back on terms intended for generalists. This isn&#39;t entirely unreasonable behaviour. For a long time, the guidance, when in doubt, is to pick a popular tag that best fits the situation (rather than inventing a new one). Contributors don&#39;t necessarily have an understanding of all the tags &amp;nbsp;in use, and the result is that popular tags that were originally intended to apply to large outlets which offer a broad range are quite commonly used for smaller outlets offering a broad range, and for unusual specialists that are difficult for contributors to classify.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Looking at this another way, we have a choice of terms for shops which offer a broad range. Contributors who find it difficult to pick an appropriate tag veer towards picking one from a higher row in this table - they are the ones that are most widely used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;4&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;page-break-inside: avoid; width: 100%px;&quot;&gt; &lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col width=&quot;41*&quot;&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col width=&quot;72*&quot;&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col width=&quot;72*&quot;&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col width=&quot;72*&quot;&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;thead&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;   &lt;th style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: 1px solid #000000; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0.1cm;&quot; width=&quot;16%&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;     &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/th&gt;   &lt;th style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: 1px solid #000000; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0.1cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Primarily food&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/th&gt;   &lt;th style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: 1px solid #000000; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0.1cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Primarily non-food&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/th&gt;   &lt;th style=&quot;border: 1px solid #000000; padding: 0.1cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Hardware / building materials&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/th&gt;  &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/thead&gt; &lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;16%&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Large generalists&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“supermarket”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“department_store”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0.1cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“doityourself” (or sometimes “trade”)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;16%&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Other generalists&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“convenience”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“general” (rare) or “variety” (for     pound shops)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0.1cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“hardware”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;   &lt;td style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;16%&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Specialists&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#c0c0c0&quot; style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: yellow; color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“bakery”, “butcher”, “cheese”, etc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#c0c0c0&quot; style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: yellow; color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“clothes”, “beauty”, “houseware”,     etc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;   &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#c0c0c0&quot; style=&quot;border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0.1cm; padding-left: 0.1cm; padding-right: 0.1cm; padding-top: 0cm;&quot; width=&quot;28%&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: yellow; color: #999999;&quot;&gt;“garden_centre”, “paint”, etc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One result of tending towards tags for larger generalists is that supermarkets are over-represented in OSM. Industry figures show 6,410 stores in this category in the UK, whereas I found 7,045 (110%) in OSM. Convenience stores, on the other hand are under-recorded. I found 9,717 out of 48,303 identified by the industry (i.e. just 20%).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is obvious from the data that contributors find it difficult to to make a distinction between a supermarket and convenience store. In England and Wales the law on opening hours varies for different sizes of store, with restricted hours on Sunday for those of more than 208 sq. metres (3,000 sq. ft.) So a supermarket of less than 280 square metres (3,000 sq. ft.) would be normally be considered a convenience store, and a convenience store of more than 280 square metres would be considered a supermarket. However, in OSM, at least 9% of outlets marked as a supermarket in OSM (and recorded as an area rather than a node) have a floorspace of less than 280 sq metres. Around one in three of the stores operated by one of the major convenience store chains is tagged as a supermarket. Convenience stores don&#39;t have to offer extended opening hours, we can&#39;t really expect contributors to measure the footprint, and the situation is further confused because some convenience stores describe themselves as a supermarket. The upshot is that almost a thousand convenience stores in OSM are marked as a supermarket. And meanwhile, because convenience stores are generally under-recorded, around 30% of the general grocery sector has yet to be added to OSM.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Changing tack, department stores sell a range of general merchandise, typically including clothing, household appliances, toys and games, personal-care products and garden equipment. Some also sell food, but non-specialised food stores are properly classified as supermarkets. With very few exceptions the major UK department store chains, such as John Lewis, Debenhams, and House of Fraser are tagged correctly as a department store. However, not all retail premises tagged “department_store” comfortably fit the description.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Examples include branches of Argos (normally tagged “catalogue”), TK Maxx and Matalan (normally tagged “clothes”), Poundland (normally tagged “variety_store”, sometimes “convenience” or “supermarket”), Mothercare (normally “baby_goods”, sometimes “clothes”), Wilkinson&#39;s (“department_store” for 25% of branches, plus a wide range of different alternatives).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Wiki describes Do-It-Yourself-stores as being similar to hardware stores, except generally larger, stocking a wider range of products, and targeting customers who are non-professionals working on home improvements, redecorating, gardening, etc. Pure DIY stores are well covered in the database, and consistently tagged. In the case of Homebase, B&amp;amp;Q and Wickes, for example, more than two-thirds of branches are in the database, &amp;nbsp;and well over 90% are tagged as “doityourself”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same is not true of builders&#39; merchants (which according to the documentation are properly tagged as “trade”). Fewer than 10% of Jewsons, and Travis Perkins branches are in the database, and they are tagged with a mix of “doityourself”, “hardware”, and “trade”, with “doityourself” as the most common.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There seem to be two issues here. One is that many trade outlets also serve non-professionals, so their business model overlaps with the scope of “doityourself” (this is accepted in the documentation on “shop=trade”, but contributors are either uncomfortable with it, or simply don&#39;t recognise these as trade outlets). The other issue is that there are different degrees of specialisation in the trade side of the market. Specialists in supplying the trade with building materials, timber, plumbing, bathroom furniture, electrical goods, tools, etc. all seem to be under-recorded, and inconsistently tagged. Again, where there is no clear consensus, contributors have fallen back on common tags such as “doityourself” and “hardware”, that were originally intended for generalists supplying the non-professional, and so are more widely used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Branches of Wilkinson&#39;s and Robert Dyas don&#39;t fit comfortably into any of the most common categories, so they tend to suffer from highly inconsistent tagging (department_store, doityourself or hardware). We could blame contributors, but surely some of the tagging inconsistency shows that there may be a need for:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;more specific options to cover particular retail format that do not comfortably fit the current categories&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;more generic options, so that contributors have an alternative to popular tags intended for large generalists&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/6187747598592030218/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=6187747598592030218' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6187747598592030218'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6187747598592030218'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-10.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part: 10'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-3773808067607122890</id><published>2015-07-25T10:06:00.004+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-25T10:06:46.515+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part-9</title><content type='html'>&lt;h2&gt;False synonyms&lt;/h2&gt;True synonyms add to the confusion, provoke debate, and may discourage some data users, but in practice I suspect “false synonyms” are a bigger problem. By this, I mean tags that are used interchangeably by contributors, even when they are not true synonyms according to the guidelines. Again, we can use major chains to do some cross-checking of whether tags with similar meanings are applied consistently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Almost every major chain of pharmacies has a mix of outlets tagged as “shop=pharmacy” and “shop=chemist”.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Similarly “alcohol”, “wine”, “beverages” seem to be used interchangeably for chains of off-licences and wine merchants, with “alcohol” as the most common of these. The less common “off-licence” is not widely used on retail outlets&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;For chains such as Ladbrookes and William Hill, “bookmaker&#39;” is the most common, but “betting” and “gambling” are also quite common&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is a lot of overlap between outlets that are described by the relatively common “doityourself”, and the less common “hardware”, “building_supplies”, “trade”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;For “mobile_phone” the less common alternatives are “phone” and “electronics”. Tagging &quot;electronics&quot; could be a symptom of an evolving retail format. Phone looks like a false synonym.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The documentation in the wiki makes it reasonably clear that the above are not true synonyms, but contributors have treated them as synonyms in the sense that similar branches of the same chain use a mix of different values. As a result, data users are unable to tell where there is a true difference, and where there is imprecise tagging. In effect data users are being pushed to treat these as synonyms, even though they are documented as having different meanings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are examples of retail formats that contributors have difficulty with. Data users, those who maintain the documentation, and those who advocate changes to tagging need to be sensitive to where these occur. We&#39;ll look in more detail at some common examples shortly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Multi-specialists&lt;/h2&gt;The above are all examples of specialist retailers. Multiple specialities are another area that give contributors a problem. Halfords is one of the most easily identified examples. How best to tag a store that offers both bicycles and car parts? The solutions that contributors have come up with include around 30 different variants:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Choosing just one of the options: “bicycle”, “automotive”, “car_accessories”, “auto_accessories”, “car_parts” and ignoring any other area of specialisation&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Contributing a list of options separated by semi-colons: “bicycle;car_parts”, “car;bicycle” “bicycle; car_accessories”, “motor;bicycle”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Using a more generic category: “doityourself”, “hardware”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The usual way to assign multiple values to a key is a list separated by semi-colons. In practice this is not widely used for shops (less than one in a thousand examples), but there are examples which give an idea of other multiple specialities that are giving contributors problems:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;“hairdresser;beauty”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“kitchen;bathroom”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“greengrocer;florist”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“dry_cleaning;laundry”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“art;frame”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“car;bicycle”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“shoe_repair;key_cutting”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“bicycle;car_parts”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;“tattoo;piercing”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Noticeably, these are all pairs. Happily, there don&#39;t seem to be any long lists of shop types. Contributors recognise that the intention is to record mixed types of speciality shop, not to list all the categories of good for sale.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The limited number of examples mean that these won&#39;t give data users a great problem. If they chose to ignore them they won&#39;t lose much data. If they prefer to break out the list then it won&#39;t give the much difficulty. More importantly, to my mind, contributors are sending signals here about retail formats that they find it difficult to categorise. This could be valuable information for those who maintain the documentation, and those who advocate changes to tagging.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/3773808067607122890/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=3773808067607122890' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3773808067607122890'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/3773808067607122890'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-9.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part-9'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-6776282760674022258</id><published>2015-07-24T10:19:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-24T10:19:42.809+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part-8</title><content type='html'>&lt;h2&gt;Consistency&lt;/h2&gt;One way to assess tagging consistency is to examine differences in tagging across similar outlets of the larger retail chains. Contributors don&#39;t always agree on how to tag similar shops, they don&#39;t always follow the guidelines, the guidelines aren&#39;t static, and they aren&#39;t always consistent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Regardless of what the documentation might say, and the merits of any minority view, in practice data users will have to follow the consensus that has been adopted by the majority of contributors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In principle crowd-sourcing will end up tagging most of a retail chain with the “correct” tag. By examining variations in tagging across a retail chain we can get an idea of the proportion of outlets that have been tagged according to the consensus, and how many fall outside the consensus. Data users will be able to accommodate variations, to some extent, but they won&#39;t be able to accommodate all of them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;In the case of banks, for example, there is very little variation in tagging: 100% of Barclays, &amp;nbsp;HSBC, Natwest, and Lloyds / TSB branches are tagged “amenity=bank”.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In other sectors, Subway doesn&#39;t fall far behind the consistency of banks at 95% tagged “amenity=fast_food”.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;At the other extreme there are more challenging examples. Wilkinson&#39;s seems to be one of the more difficult chains for contributors to classify: “department_store” is the most common choice, but only accounts for 25% of examples. “hardware”, “variety_store”, “doityourself”, “supermarket”, “general”, “convenience”, “household” and “houseware” are also popular. Robert Dyas, with a similar retail format, faces similar difficulties.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In the case of Halfords 42% of branches are tagged “shop=bicycle” (which doesn&#39;t really capture their business format) and the rest use a wide variety of tags.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Argos has 40% tagged “shop=catalogue” and the rest a variety.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In general the most specialised chains tend to be tagged more consistently, and the most consistent tagging of all is found within chains of smaller outlets, with a well-established, widely understood, &amp;nbsp;unambiguous specialisation (“estate_agent”, “funeral_directors”, “hairdresser”, “toys”, “optician”, “laundry”, and “travel_agency”). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Less consistent tagging is found in chains where the specialisation is more ambiguous (“gift”, “catalogue”, “accessories”).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are many shops that are not part of a chain, and we can&#39;t easily assess how consistently they are tagged. But if we assume that the pattern of tagging inconsistencies across retail chains is repeated across the whole of the retail market, then we can get some idea of how consistent tagging might be overall. In practice there tends to be more consistency across larger chains, and less across smaller chains, so results vary according to how widely we cast the net. As a broad indication we should probably anticipate that something in the region of 20% of retail outlets have been tagged with a value that differs from the one that the majority of contributors would choose (and hence the value that data users would have to expect).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some variation is inevitable: retail business models evolve over time, and vary from place to place; different contributors place different emphasis on different characteristics; tagging guidelines change as they are refined. However, if 20% of existing data is tagged with a value different to the one that most contributors would chose, then across England there are almost 30,000 retail premises in the database that data users will find it hard to recognise, and which should perhaps be brought more into line. After the 385,000 missing retail premises, it seems to me that this must rank as the second largest data quality issue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Synonyms&lt;/h2&gt;Many community discussions of tagging inconsistencies revolve around synonyms. The controversy often lies in deciding when different contributors are using different terms to describe exactly the same thing, and when they are using different terms to describe subtle differences.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Any list of synonyms invites debate, but examples that are unlikely to be controversial, and where the difference is more than a spelling mistake would probably include travel_agent / travel_agency, newspaper / newsagent, jewellery / jewelry, and deli / delicatessen. I suspect that most would also count baby / baby_goods, seafood / fish / fishmonger, bathroom_furnishing / bathroom, beauty_salon / beauty, etc. &amp;nbsp;as true synonyms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If this is anywhere near a complete list, then true synonyms do not look like a significant problem across all retail data. Including spelling mistakes they account for fewer than 1% of all shops in the database. However, they represent a higher proportion of data within some categories of shop, and they can account for a significant proportion of the more unusual categories.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The retail categories where synonyms are likely to present the greatest problem are where they account for a significant proportion of an important category. Everyone will have different ideas of what makes a proportion significant, and a category important, so it is worth considering a couple of real examples.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I reckon there are about 2,500 delicatessens in the UK, and I can find just under 500 in the database. Of those, 456 are tagged “shop=deli”, and 39 are tagged “shop=delicatessen”. Any data user who searches for “shop=deli” will miss 39 delicatessens in the database with the “wrong” tag value, and will miss about 2,000 delicatessens that aren&#39;t in the database at all (or at least not with a recognisable tag). Of the two, the bigger problem is surely the 2,000 missing delicatessens.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, some synonyms have a more balanced mix of values. Out of 950 independent fishmongers in the UK, 80% haven&#39;t been recorded at all. &amp;nbsp;Of the 20% of fishmongers that are in the database, 47% are tagged “shop=seafood”, 44% are tagged “shop=fishmonger”, and 9% are tagged “shop=fish”. This is more problematic, because anyone who looks for just one of the values is going to miss about half of the available data. Nevertheless, I suspect that anyone who is thinking of trawling the data for a fishmonger is still going to be scuppered by the 80% that are missing from the database altogether, not the inconvenience of testing for two or three different tag values.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I reckon that even within the more problematic categories the issues with synonyms aren&#39;t difficult to manage. Where data volumes are small, it is not difficult to fix the data. Where data volumes are large, and one value is dominant, then data users who don&#39;t look for a synonym will only lose a small proportion of the data. Where volumes are large and synonyms equally matched then keen data users will go to the trouble of testing for several different values.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Problems with spelling and synonyms are not difficult to fix, but they are relatively small in number, so not the highest priority. The bigger challenge is to achieve greater consistency in the choice of tag for similar shops. The data can provide some pointers on how to do that, but they will wait for the next post.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/6776282760674022258/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=6776282760674022258' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6776282760674022258'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/6776282760674022258'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-8.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part-8'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395883144047931311.post-8997893501896978764</id><published>2015-07-23T18:13:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2015-07-23T23:42:47.685+01:00</updated><title type='text'>OSM Retail Survey: Part-7</title><content type='html'>This material seems to be generating quite a bit of interest, and I&#39;m starting to get questions asking about what it means in practice. We&#39;ll come to that, but first I&#39;d like to consider a different aspect of data quality. So far most of the focus has been on coverage: what proportion of retail features have been added to the database.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Coverage of one common category of shop has not been considered yet, though. In around 1% of cases the intent of the contributor was clearly to indicate that this was a shop that was not in use. These include “shop=closed”, “shop=empty”, and most commonly “shop=vacant”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High street vacancy rates across the UK are currently averaging around 10%. Out of around 50,000 vacant shops, we have data on just over 1,000 (2%). This is one of the lowest levels of coverage that we have identified. We can probably assume that contributors are most active in the most vibrant high streets (i.e. those with fewest vacancies), but this still suggests that vacant shops are badly under-recorded in OSM. It is difficult to say whether that means the missing vacant shops are completely un-recorded, or recorded in a way that is difficult to recognise. Either way they are not readily available to data users. However, that probably doesn&#39;t matter greatly. It&#39;s difficult to imagine many users who would value an application that can find the nearest vacant shop.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;But data quality is not just about completeness. We must also question whether the recorded data accurately represents what is on the ground.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my efforts to uncover as many retail premises as possible I&#39;ve identified over 2,000 different tag combinations. Around 80 of those account for more than 95% of retail premises. The most common 26 account for 85%. Among the 2,000 are around 200 minor spelling mistakes. These represent 10% of the tagging variations, but a much smaller proportion of the data.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My estimate of the number of spelling mistakes is based on calculating the Levenshtein distance between different values of the shop tag. Where there are only one or two differences in spelling between one tag and another, my initial premise is that the less common variant is a spelling mistake for the more common alternative. However, this approach also picks up some correct values of the shop tag, that have to be eliminated manually from the sample (“shop=car” and “shop=card” for example only differ in one character, but are not spelling variations of each other). The approach is bound to miss some more complex spelling mistakes, but hopefully not too many. I think it is capturing the great majority.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Variations in the use of plural and singular forms account for around 60% of these errors; differences in capitalisation for around 8%; and differences in hyphenation and underscores around 6%). The remaining 25% of near matches are more diverse. Overall this approach detected spelling mistakes in around 0.7% of shop tagging.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &quot;proper&quot; values of “shop” that are most commonly misspelled are “card” (cards), “carpet” (carpets), “solicitors” (solicitor), off_licence (off_license, offlicence, off-licence).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Given the controversies over bulk editing, it may be worth noting that&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;the number of retail features in the database which contain a spelling mistake in the shop key is in the order of 1,000 (compared to 385,000 missing retail premises).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;around a third of the spelling mistakes in the shop tag are unique occurrences&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;many spelling mistakes are an unusual spelling of a value which itself is comparatively rare (or a non-standard use of the “shop” tag)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;data users are probably just going to ignore these - the volumes of lost data are too small to justify a lot of effort on their part&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;In other words, it looks as though very few of these cases are suitable for bulk editing: virtually all either need to be checked and fixed manually, or can be more easily fixed manually than with a bulk edit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Examples of spelling mistakes which occur more than a couple of times include:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;4&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;page-break-inside: avoid; width: 642px;&quot;&gt; &lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;col&gt;&lt;/col&gt; &lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Less common&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;value&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Occurrences&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;More common&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;equivalent&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Normal&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;occurrences&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;cards&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;60&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;card&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;77&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;carpets&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;carpet&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;494&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;solicitor&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;solicitors&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;32&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;crafts&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;craft&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;152&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;kitchens&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;kitchen&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;287&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;bathrooms&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;bathroom&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;72&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;antique&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;antiques&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;395&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;game&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;games&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;29&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;chandler&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;chandlery&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;15&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;bookmakers&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;bookmaker&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;1,542&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;opticians&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;optician&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;1,226&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;communications&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;communication&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;14&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;beds&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;bed&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;100&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;tile&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;tiles&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;67&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;window&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;windows&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;35&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;fireplaces&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;fireplace&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;26&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;printers&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;printer&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;25&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;furnishing&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;furnishings&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;23&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;off_license&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;off_licence&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;grocer&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;grocery&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;52&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;estate agent&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;estate_agent&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;1,656&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr valign=&quot;bottom&quot;&gt;  &lt;td height=&quot;9&quot; style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;accountants&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;accountant&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td style=&quot;border: none; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;23&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/feeds/8997893501896978764/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3395883144047931311&amp;postID=8997893501896978764' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/8997893501896978764'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3395883144047931311/posts/default/8997893501896978764'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://tlatet.blogspot.com/2015/07/osm-retail-survey-part-7.html' title='OSM Retail Survey: Part-7'/><author><name>gom1</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07201321705941282416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wLuRG1CVtV0/SZnu0rYiqjI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Pgm3oK4eGPg/S220/CharlesHarper.png'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>


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  		<title>Rework of the OSM Inspector Routing View</title>
  		<link>https://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=522</link>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2019 08:54:48 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Reichert]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Allgemein]]></category>

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  		<description><![CDATA[We recently rewrote the OSM Inspector Routing View. The old views were used quite a lot by mappers to find potential routing errors. Unfortunately, they made use of PostGIS to find nearby, unconnected roads which meant having to import the whole road network into a PostGIS database every day. To make matters worse, the island [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img title="Screenshot of the OSM Inspector Routing view around Landau/Pfalz, Germany" src="/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/routing-landau.png" alt="Screenshot of the OSM Inspector Routing view around Landau/Pfalz, Germany" /></p>
  <p>We recently rewrote the<a href="http://tools.geofabrik.de/osmi/?view=routing&amp;lon=34.71349&amp;lat=-5.17547&amp;zoom=7"> OSM Inspector Routing View</a>. The old views were used quite a lot by mappers to find potential routing errors. Unfortunately, they made use of PostGIS to find nearby, unconnected roads which meant having to import the whole road network into a PostGIS database every day. To make matters worse, the island and duplicate segment detection was implemented using OSRM which also has relatively heavy system requirements, especially if you do not limit yourself to automobile routing. This made us have a closer look at using GraphHopper to generate the routing view.</p>
  <p>The new backend code was implemented from scratch and does not aim to be a one-by-one reimplementation. It uses GraphHopper to read the planet, build up the graph, analyse it and find nearby edges. Our code uses a forked version of GraphHopper 0.12 with the following changes:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>The original GraphHopper lacks some callback functions in its <code>OSMReader</code> class. Our changes allow us to build additional indexes and populate maps mapping from internal edge or node IDs to OSM object IDs.</li>
  <li>The <code>PrepareRoutingSubnetworks</code> class which removes islands from the graph is not extensible but we need to write the edges being removed to a GeoJSON file.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>In addition to forking, we implemented a new routing profile (&#8220;flag encoder&#8221; in GraphHopper speak) accepting any road and ignoring access restrictions. It is used to find duplicated edges, unconnected roads, and islands.</p>
  <p>The backend code is <a href="https://github.com/geofabrik/osmi_routing">available on GitHub.</a></p>
  <p>The new routing view has the following groups of layers:</p>
  <h2>Duplicated Edges</h2>
  <p>These layers show edges which exist twice in the graph. The blue ones are almost always real errors and should be fixed by comparing the tags and history of both ways. The purple ones are locations where two edges have equal geometry and at least one of them is an area. Opinions whether areas should share nodes with neighbouring roads are diverse among the OSM community. Therefore, these cases are shown in a separate layer at high zoom levels only.</p>
  <p>The results of the duplicated edges layer (not involving areas) are similar to those of OSRM. Minor differences are possible where OSRM excluded a road due to access restrictions while our new implementation includes it.</p>
  <h2>Islands</h2>
  <p><img title="Screenshot of the OSM Inspector Routing view in Normal, Illinois, US" src="/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/routing-normal-illiniois.png" alt="Screenshot of the OSM Inspector Routing view in Normal, Illinois, US" /><br />
  The use of GraphHopper allows us to identify routing islands for multiple types of vehicles in one go. The OSM Inspector now provides islands for cars and bicycles using slightly modified version of the original profiles of GraphHopper (we use fewer bits to store the speed because island detection does not take travel times or distances into account). In addition, a layer with islands inaccessible to any vehicle is provided. This layer contains fewer entries in total but those contained are more serious because they are not caused by correct or incorrect access restriction tagging in OSM.</p>
  <h2>Unconnected Nodes</h2>
  <p>Most development time was spent finding a set of unconnected nodes layers with a proper separation of very likely, likely, potential errors and likely false positives. We are grateful to the folks on the <a href="https://forum.openstreetmap.org/viewtopic.php?id=66177">German OSM forum</a> who pointed out many bugs and too high rates of false positives.</p>
  <p>Nodes where a single edge ends but with other edges within 15 meters are assigned to one of 6 priority classes. A distance below 2 meters makes a unconnected node appear in the top layer. The further composition of the layers depends on the road class, the distance, and access restrictions. The priority of unconnected nodes involving private access roads is reduced by 1. Service roads and footpaths get low default levels. In addition, the following rules avoid too many false positives:</p>
  <ul>
  <li><code>noexit=yes</code> and <code>entrance=*</code> make unconnected nodes disappear.</li>
  <li>Nearby edges on different layers/levels are ignored.</li>
  <li>Linear barriers (fences, walls, embankments) are taken into account.</li>
  <li>Unconnected open ends of parking aisles are ignored if they snap to a parallel edge.</li>
  <li>If the distance between the open end node and its snap point on the graph is less than twice as long as the beeline distance, no point is shown.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>The &#8220;snap points&#8221; layer shows the snap points of open ends helping to understand the situation.</p>
  <p>Not all entries in the unconnected nodes layers are mistakes. Often, adding a linear barrier is helpful. The more blueish a point is, the less likely it is a mistake at all. Don&#8217;t feel forced to add <code>noexit=yes</code> to every point the OSM Inspector complains about. You are not mapping for the validator <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.4/72x72/1f609.png" alt="😉" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>16. OpenStreetMap-Hackweekend in Karlsruhe</title>
  		<link>https://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=497</link>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Oct 2018 09:49:22 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[christine]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Allgemein]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=497</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Seit 2012 veranstalten wir zweimal bis dreimal im Jahr ein OpenStreetMap-Hackweekend in unseren Büroräumen. Es wird am Freitag mit einem gemütlichen Abend in der Kneipe eingeleitet. Im Laufe des Abends trudeln die meisten Gäste ein. Viele haben eine weite Anreise hinter sich. Sie kommen aus allen Teilen Deutschlands, und oft ist auch der ein oder [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seit 2012 veranstalten wir zweimal bis dreimal im Jahr ein OpenStreetMap-Hackweekend in unseren Büroräumen.</p>
  <p>Es wird am Freitag mit einem gemütlichen Abend in der Kneipe eingeleitet. Im Laufe des Abends trudeln die meisten Gäste ein. Viele haben eine weite Anreise hinter sich. Sie kommen aus allen Teilen Deutschlands, und oft ist auch der ein oder andere Gast aus dem Ausland dabei.</p>
  <p>Von Samstag früh bis Sonntag abend geht es dann zur Sache. Es wird diskutiert, manchmal auch Flipcharts und Whiteboards vollgeschrieben. Dann wieder ist alles still, weil alle auf ihre Arbeit am Notebook konzentriert sind. Dazwischen unterbrechen wir unsere Gäste mit Pizza, Keksen, Gummibärchen oder Kaffee. Auch den Samstag Abend verbringen wir gemeinsam im Restaurant.</p>
  <p>Aufgrund der Routine, die sich im Lauf der Jahre eingestellt hat, mussten wir dieser Veranstaltung zuletzt nur noch sehr wenig Aufmerksamkeit in der Vor- und Nachbereitung schenken. Die Wiki-Seite ist in zwei Minuten aufgesetzt (Copy und Paste vom letzten Jahr, die Termine werden angeglichen, die alten Teilnehmernamen werden quasi nur pro forma herausgelöscht). Wir recyclen sogar den alten Einkaufszettel.</p>
  <p>Doch unser 16. Hackweekend stellte alles auf den Kopf. Ein zu Martin Raifer leicht dahingesagtes &#8220;wir können uns ja auf dem nächsten Hackweekend darüber unterhalten&#8221; verursachte ein 9-köpfiges Vorbereitungstreffen für die SotM in Heidelberg im nächsten Jahr. Und meine Bemühungen, den Austausch mit den Franzosen zu intensivieren, hatte Früchte getragen. Vincent Privat (aus Toulouse) machte Werbung auf der JOSM-dev-Liste. Sieben JOSM-Entwickler aus ganz Europa (von Österreich, über Polen und Belgien bis Frankreich) meldeten sich an.</p>
  <p><a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Karlsruhe_hackweekendweekend-2018-10_01.jpg"><img alt="Teilnehmer des OSM-Hackweekend Karlsruhe 2018 (Teil 1)" src="/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Karlsruhe_hackweekendweekend-2018-10_01.jpg" width="320" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;"/></a></p>
  <p>Plötzlich war klar, dass die angemeldeten 32 Gäste überhaupt nicht in unser Büro passen würden. Glücklicherweise hat uns Prof. Dr. Günther-Dieringer ganz kurzfristig und unkompliziert einen Raum in der Hochschule Karlsruhe (University of Applied Sciences) vermittelt. Hierfür danken wir ihm alle ganz herzlich.</p>
  <p><a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Karlsruhe_hackweekendweekend-2018-10_02.jpg"><br />
  <img alt="Teilnehmer des OSM-Hackweekend Karlsruhe 2018 (Teil 2)" src="/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Karlsruhe_hackweekendweekend-2018-10_02-1.jpg" width="320" style="float: right; margin-left: 20px;"/><br />
  </a></p>
  <p>Am Ende war das Hackweekend wieder ein großer Erfolg. Auch diejenigen unter den Besuchern, die befürchtet hatten, dass alles nicht mehr so schön gemütlich sein würde, waren am Ende zufrieden. Der Karlsruher und Heidelberger Teil der SotM-Working-Group haben viele Fragen geklärt, den Zeitplan für das nächste Jahr aufgestellt und das Konferenzformat festgelegt. Ein Protokoll wird demnächst auf den Wiki-Seiten der OSMF zu finden sein. Auch die JOSM-Entwickler, die sich teilweise noch nie getroffen hatten, waren sichtlich produktiv und haben endlos Blätter auf dem Flipchart vollgeschrieben.</p>
  <p>Wir freuen uns schon auf das nächste Hackweekend im Februar 2019!</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Download Server News</title>
  		<link>https://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=484</link>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2018 10:16:35 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[fred]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Allgemein]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=484</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[As mentioned two months ago, we have made some changes to our download server at download.geofabrik.de. The publicly available files now don&#8217;t contain user or changeset information any longer (see below for details). You can still get everything that was there before, but files that do contain user information were moved to a server that [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As mentioned two months ago, we have made some changes to our download server at download.geofabrik.de. The publicly available files now don&#8217;t contain user or changeset information any longer (see below for details). You can still get everything that was there before, but files that do contain user information were moved to a server that requires you to have an OSM login.</p>
  <p>The public server continues to be download.geofabrik.de, and the URLs and paths have been unchanged. The new server that requires a login is called osm-internal.download.geofabrik.de, and while it looks largely the same as the public server, the files it offers will have a name component of <code>-internal</code> in order not to confuse them with the public files.</p>
  <p>Here&#8217;s a table that explains which files to get where:</p>
  <table>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
  <td></td>
  <th>public server</th>
  <th>internal server</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td><b>.osm.pbf</b> files for all regions (original OSM data)</td>
  <td>yes, without user data</td>
  <td>yes, with user data</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td><b>.osc.gz</b> files (diff updates)</td>
  <td>yes, without user data</td>
  <td>yes, with user data</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td><b>.osh.pbf</b> files for all regions (original OSM data with full history)</td>
  <td>no</td>
  <td>yes, with user data</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td><b>.osm.bz2</b> files (old XML OSM data format)</td>
  <td>yes, without user data</td>
  <td>no</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td><b>.shp.zip</b> files for all regions (ESRI shape files)</td>
  <td>yes</td>
  <td>no</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
  </table>
  <h2>Update: backward compatibility with Osmosis and older versions of Libosmium</h2>
  <p>The change was originally made on 03 May. Unfortunately osmosis and older versions of osmium, and all programs depending on them (e.g. osm2pgsql &lt; 0.96.0) don&#8217;t work with PBF files lacking metadata fields. They fail to read PBF files which don&#8217;t have any <code>username</code>, <code>user</code> and <code>changeset</code> field set. To work around that, starting 05 May, we&#8217;re now writing empty strings to all <code>user</code> fields and zeros to all <code>user</code> and <code>uid</code> fields. </p>
  <h2>Update: scripted access to extracts and diffs with full metadata</h2>
  <p>OSM extracs and diffs with full metadata are still available but you have to log in with your OSM account.<br />
  For security reasons, it is not enough to pick the cookie out of the developer console of your web browser. The cookie will become invalid after 48 hours and the server will redirect you to authorization form of openstreetmap.org if you send that cookie after it has expired. That&#8217;s why you have to retrieve a new cookie every 48 hours or any other time the server forces you to do so.</p>
  <p>We have published a <a href="https://github.com/geofabrik/sendfile_osm_oauth_protector/blob/master/oauth_cookie_client.py">client program written in Python</a> (read the <a href="https://github.com/geofabrik/sendfile_osm_oauth_protector/blob/master/doc/client.md">documentation</a>) automating the cookie retrieval. The repository containing the client also contains the server software if you are curious or want to use it on your own server providing sensitive data.</p>
  <p>This blog post may be updated as things develop.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Dropping User Information From Our Public Download Server</title>
  		<link>https://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=457</link>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2018 11:03:46 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[fred]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Allgemein]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.geofabrik.de/?p=457</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[On May 1st this year, we&#8217;ll make the following changes to the standard download.geofabrik.de server: all .osm.bz2, .osm.pbf, and .osc.gz files (regional extracts and diffs) will be without user information (no username, uid and changeset fields), and might* have their timestamp fields diluted .osh.pbf files (full history extracts) will cease to be available The general [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On May 1st this year, we&#8217;ll make the following changes to the standard <a href="https://download.geofabrik.de">download.geofabrik.de</a> server:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>all .osm.bz2, .osm.pbf, and .osc.gz files (regional extracts and diffs) will be without user information (no <code>username</code>, <code>uid</code> and <code>changeset</code> fields), and might* have their <code>timestamp</code> fields diluted</li>
  <li>.osh.pbf files (full history extracts) will cease to be available</li>
  </ul>
  <p>The general functioning of the server and all URLs will remain unchanged. We believe that the majority of users of our download server, who use the extracts to populate rendering, routing, or geocoding engines, will not be affected by the changes.</p>
  <p>In case you want to double-check if your software supports the files with missing fields, here are sample files for the UK county of Rutland with user data removed: <a title="osm.pbf file without user, uid and changeset fields" href="//blog.geofabrik.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/rutland-180313.osm.pbf">osm.pbf</a>, <a title="bzip2 compressed OSM XML file without user, uid and changeset attributes" href="//blog.geofabrik.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/rutland-180310.osm.bz2">osm.bz2</a>, <a title="OSM diff (gzip compressed OSM XML) without user, uid and changeset fields" href="//blog.geofabrik.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/015.osc.gz">osc.gz</a></p>
  <p>If you need more test data, you can generate these files on your own using the latest (unreleased) Osmium Tool and the latest (unreleased) Libosmium library. The following Osmium Tool command removes all metadata except <code>version</code> and <code>timestamp</code> fields from a file:</p>
  <p><code>osmium cat -o without-user-data.osm.pbf --output-format pbf,add_metadata=version+timestamp input.osm.pbf</code><br />
  <em>(and similar for .osm.bz2 or .osc.gz)</em></p>
  <p>At the same time, we will introduce a new service, osm-internal.download.geofabrik.de, which will be like the &#8220;old&#8221; download service, offering full history files, regional extracts, and diffs with full user information and un-diluted time stamps. This service will be 100% free of charge like the main download server, but will require an OAuth login with the openstreetmap.org web site and might* also require a click-through user agreement in order to safeguard personal data.</p>
  <p>*) Some details are still being worked out.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<title>field mission in Malawi</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/field-mission-in-malawi/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/field-mission-in-malawi/#comments</comments>
  				<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:00:33 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[geospatial]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[gfoss]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[malawi]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1856</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[In the coming weeks, I will be doing a field mission with the Humanitarian OSM Team. My mission is to assist government and communities to use and adopt open technologies [&#8230;]]]></description>
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  		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">Africa by Alexa Antoinette</media:title>
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  		<title>My daily bike commute challenge</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/my-daily-bike-commute-challenge/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/my-daily-bike-commute-challenge/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2014 11:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

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  				<description><![CDATA[Most of my friends struggle through the daily battle of commuting. Either one is stuck in traffic or is trying to wrestle their way to get to a train, bus [&#8230;]]]></description>
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  			<media:title type="html">snake</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">roacks</media:title>
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  		<title>field notes [2]</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/field-notes-2/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/field-notes-2/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2014 16:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1836</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[Tala ng ilang karanasan mula sa “field”. Wowowee logo, mula sa Wikipedia Dati kong trabaho sa isang pamantasan ang mangasiwa ng mga proyektong pampamayanan sa maraming lugar sa Metro Manila. [&#8230;]]]></description>
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  		<title>Landsat Timelapse</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/landsat-timelapse/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/landsat-timelapse/#comments</comments>
  				<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[extra]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[geospatial]]></category>

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  				<description><![CDATA[I found out about this TIMELAPSE Project today by TIME and Google. And as a map geek and a Landsat fanboi, I find this gem a very good time waster. [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/landsat-timelapse/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">liguasan</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">san_roque_dam</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">semirara</media:title>
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  		<item>
  		<title>Using FieldPapers in JOSM</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/using-fieldpapers-in-josm/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/using-fieldpapers-in-josm/#comments</comments>
  				<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:54:56 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1784</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[I love WalkingPapers for OpenStreetMap editing. I used it a lot in my personal mapping expeditions and during mapping parties. In fact, I think it is one of the most [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/using-fieldpapers-in-josm/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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  			<media:title type="html">maning</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">Screen Shot 2013-05-09 at 7.07.12 PM</media:title>
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  	</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Building contour elevation lines with GDAL and PostGIS</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/building-contour-elevation-lines-with-gdal-and-postgis/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/building-contour-elevation-lines-with-gdal-and-postgis/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:33:44 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[foss4g]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[gdal]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[geospatial]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[gfoss]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[philippines]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[postgis]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[qgis]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1761</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m trying to build a complete contour elevation map for the Philippines. I did a couple of them before using various tools. This time, I&#8217;m trying to explore how efficient [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/building-contour-elevation-lines-with-gdal-and-postgis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">maning</media:title>
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  		<item>
  		<title>Are we really listening to the warnings?</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/are-we-really-listening-to-the-warnings/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/are-we-really-listening-to-the-warnings/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:38:46 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[crisis]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[andap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[flood]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[mindanao]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Pablo/Bopha]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1734</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[The series of map images shows Barangay Andap in New Bataan, Compostela Valley. Barangay Andap was one of the hardest hit community brought about by the massive debris flow deposit [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/are-we-really-listening-to-the-warnings/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">unosat</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">maning</media:title>
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  			<media:title type="html">Screen Shot 2013-01-07 at 4.18.02 PM</media:title>
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  		<item>
  		<title>HOT Mapping for flash flood affected areas in Northern Mindanao, Philippines [repost]</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/hot-mapping-for-flash-flood-affected-areas-in-northern-mindanao-philippines-repost/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/hot-mapping-for-flash-flood-affected-areas-in-northern-mindanao-philippines-repost/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:11:01 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[crisis]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[philippines]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1716</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[I published this article last Jan, 25 2012 in the Humanitarian OSM Team blog. I am re-posting it here a year after Sendong ravaged Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. It [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/hot-mapping-for-flash-flood-affected-areas-in-northern-mindanao-philippines-repost/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">maning</media:title>
  		</media:content>

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  			<media:title type="html">Theos_mapwarper</media:title>
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  	</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) Map Sources</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/typhoon-pablo-bopha-map-sources/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/typhoon-pablo-bopha-map-sources/#comments</comments>
  				<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:11:27 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Crisis]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Pablo/Bopha]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Typhoon]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1695</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[Enhanced infrared satellite images showing the storm at peak intensity and making landfall in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao (Source: Wikipedia, 2012). Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) is currently passing through [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/typhoon-pablo-bopha-map-sources/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
  						
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  			<media:title type="html">maning</media:title>
  		</media:content>

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  			<media:title type="html">Typhoon_Bopha_2012_making_landfall</media:title>
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  	</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>FOSS4G comes to the Philippines</title>
  		<link>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/foss4g-comes-to-the-philippines/</link>
  				<comments>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/foss4g-comes-to-the-philippines/#respond</comments>
  				<pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:14:07 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[maning]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[foss4g]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[openstreetmap]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[foss]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[geospatial]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[gfoss]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[philippines]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[qgis]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/?p=1653</guid>
  				<description><![CDATA[I announced last month the upcoming FOSS4G workshops as a pre-conference activity of PhilGEOS 2012. This happened last week and we are very happy with the outcome of the event. [&#8230;]]]></description>
  						<wfw:commentRss>https://epsg4253.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/foss4g-comes-to-the-philippines/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  						
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title: Mappa Mercia
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summary: OpenStreetMap in the West Midlands
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  	<title>Mappa Mercia</title>
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  	<description>OpenStreetMap in the West Midlands</description>
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  		<title>Drone Imagery from the Seventeenth Century</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2019/06/drone-imagery-from-the-seventeenth-century.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2019/06/drone-imagery-from-the-seventeenth-century.html#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jun 2019 18:03:45 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Prangle]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1565</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[If ever you are visiting the city of Lille in northern France take some time out to visit the basement of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, home to fourteen relief maps of  fortified French cities. These intricately detailed maps (really they &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2019/06/drone-imagery-from-the-seventeenth-century.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If ever you are visiting the city of Lille in northern France take some time out to visit the basement of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, home to fourteen relief maps of  fortified French cities. These intricately detailed maps (really they are scale models and almost works of art in their own right) are a regional collection that was donated to the city of Lille in the 1980s from a larger collection housed in the<em> Hôtel des Invalides</em> military museum in Paris.</p>
  <p>Think of them as the seventeenth century equivalent of aerial imagery collected by drones.</p>
  <p>The collection was originally commissioned by King Louis XIV  in the 17th century as a military information system but quickly became a demonstration of royal grandeur.  Their building continued until the time of the Emperor Napoleon III and continued the tradition of previous centuries particularly  of the 15th and 16th when they were used by Italian military engineers as an aid to  fortification design.</p>
  <p><a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0197.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1562" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0197-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0197-300x225.jpg 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0197-768x576.jpg 768w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0197-1024x768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>  <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0192.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1560" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0192-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0192-300x225.jpg 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0192-768x576.jpg 768w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0192-1024x768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a> <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0188.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1559" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0188-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0188-300x225.jpg 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0188-768x576.jpg 768w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0188-1024x768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p style="text-align: left;">The relief maps are of considerable size &#8211; the map of Lille itself is 18 sq m and stretches across ten tables.  And this is all that remains of the original 60 sq m! Generally the maps are of an extent that the viewer is placed at the range of cannon fire into the centre of a city. Naturally as cannon range improved so the maps got larger in extent.</p>
  <p>The models were built on to  maps drawn from field surveys which were stuck on to the tables with suitable annotation to let the model builders know what went where. The buildings were made from wooden blocks covered in sheets of decorated paper to depict finishes such as stone, brick, wood, tile and thatch. Much more architectural detail was added to the more important buildings. Gardens and fields were represented with coloured silk and trees from wire wrapped in silk thread. The detail is exquisite.</p>
  <p><a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0194.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1561 aligncenter" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0194-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0194-300x225.jpg 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0194-768x576.jpg 768w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0194-1024x768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
  <p>The relief maps have survived the centuries well thanks to loving restorative care and are sensitively displayed and curated. They remain an important part of the history and development of mapping</p>
  <p>If you want to see the real thing you can visit the impressive fortifications of the nearby Lille Citadelle built by the renowned French military engineer Vauban</p>
  <p><a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1564 aligncenter" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle-300x228.png" alt="" width="300" height="228" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle-300x228.png 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle-768x583.png 768w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle-1024x777.png 1024w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lille-citadelle.png 1124w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
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  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Mapping a New Town being developed on a vanished national landmark</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/12/mapping-a-new-town-being-developed-on-a-vanished-national-landmark.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/12/mapping-a-new-town-being-developed-on-a-vanished-national-landmark.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Dec 2018 20:08:31 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Prangle]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1555</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s not often you get the opportunity to map a completely new town from the ground up, so mappa-mercia volunteers (all four of us)  descended on Houlton, next door to Rugby Warwickshire to do just that on a wet Saturday &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/12/mapping-a-new-town-being-developed-on-a-vanished-national-landmark.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s not often you get the opportunity to map a completely new town from the ground up, so mappa-mercia volunteers (all four of us)  descended on <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/52.3568/-1.1874">Houlton</a>, next door to <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=11/52.3804/-1.2737">Rugby</a> Warwickshire to do just that on a wet Saturday 1st December. Houlton is the name for a new town of 6,200  homes that is growing on the site of the decommissioned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Radio_Station">Rugby Radio Station</a>, whose large antenna masts were long a major landmark on the journey north and south along the M1 motorway. Houlton had been marked as a construction site for some time in OpenStreetMap, but a trawl of local news sites suggested it was fast being developed with residents  already moving in &#8211; so time for some mapping action!</p>
  <p>Its name mirrors the name of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houlton,_Maine">Houlton Maine USA</a> , originally the other end of the transatlantic radio telephony and telegraphy circuit which received the very first transatlantic voice broadcast from Rugby Radio Station in 1927.</p>
  <p>First opened by the General Post Office  in 1926, at its height in the 1950s it was the largest radio transmitting station in the world, with a total of 57 radio transmitters, a network of  820ft masts, 27 miles of copper cable in the suspended antennae covering an area of 1600 acres.</p>
  <p>It used so many water cooled valves  that two reservoirs each with a capacity of about quarter of a million gallons of water were necessary  to feed a  heat exchange system.</p>
  <p>Rugby set vast numbers of radio-controlled clocks in Britain  with the National Physical Laboratory&#8217;s time signal -but its strategic significance was the use of VLF transmissions to communicate with Britain&#8217;s submarine fleet</p>
  <p>Technology marches on however and its functions were transferred elsewhere in the early years of the 21st Century and the station&#8217;s physical infrastructure dismantled. All that remains is &#8216;C&#8217; building which is a protected heritage building and will form the nucleus of a new commercial town centre.</p>
  <p>So big is the development that it will take almost 20 years to complete and is <a href="http://houltonrugby.co.uk/">involving multiple development and finance partners</a>. We spotted at least three development groups constructing houses on the site. There&#8217;s already a new primary school on site, together with  a community centre, visitor centre and an excellent restaurant &#8211; the Tuning Fork &#8211; named after an essential frequency tool.</p>
  <p>In fact to walk round the completed section of the town  recording street names is to walk through a historical gallery of names famous in the development of radio: Marconi Close (naturally), Maxwell Road (naturally),  Walmsley  Road(senior Post Office engineer), Hughes Drive (inventor of the microphone and the printing telegraph),  Angwin Avenue (senior Post Office Engineer and first Chairman of Cable &amp;Wireless),  Faulkner Road (senior Post Office engineer), Shaughnessey Way (senior Post Office engineer)</p>
  <p>We decided to survey in a team rather than individually &#8211; it was less efficient but more sociable. We discussed and agreed as we went round that it was better to tag Houlton as a separate town rather than a suburb of Rugby (no objective criteria- it just felt right) and it enabled Rob to explain the  structure of the electricity distribution network. It also enabled us to establish the restaurant as excellent as we had to retreat there mid-morning to escape the cold drizzle and sample their coffee and cake!</p>
  <p>The site is well-provisioned with cycle paths and what will become a network of footpaths along linear parks. What we didn&#8217;t see were any bus stops so it&#8217;s either going to be a car-centric development or there are just not enough occupied homes yet to make it worthwhile to run any bus services.  It was tempting to walk past the open barriers on what was a slack working day to explore more of the road network that is under construction, but we thought it would be prudent to observe the safety warnings- maybe at a later date  we can gain permission to survey beyond completed sections.</p>
  <p>There&#8217;s another large infrastructure project underway, adjacent to Houlton, across the A5 trunk road with a massive expansion of the <a href="https://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/9-000-jobs-on-the-way-with-new-dirft-expansion-near-rugby-1-7171325">Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal</a>.</p>
  <p>Judging by the number of nearly finished homes, the site will be changing rapidly so we&#8217;ll be revisiting at regular intervals to map the progress of the new town. in the meantime anyone who&#8217;s passing and can map will save us work and further demonstrate the power of crowd-sourced mapping  to keep a map up-to-date.</p>
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  		<title>UK Defibrillator Map</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/08/uk-defibrillator-map.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/08/uk-defibrillator-map.html#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2018 09:32:24 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Prangle]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1553</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Over the last few days there has been significant national press attention to a project to create a map of the locations  of public defibrillators. The project is a collaboration between the British Heart Foundation , Microsoft and the NHS.  &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/08/uk-defibrillator-map.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over the last few days there has been<a href="http://www.itv.com/news/2018-08-08/map-of-britains-defibrillators-could-save-thousands-of-lives/"> significant national press attention</a> to a project to create a map of the locations  of public defibrillators. The project is a collaboration between the <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2018/august/the-bhf-joins-forces-with-microsoft-and-the-nhs-to-save-thousands-more-lives-from-cardiac-arrests">British Heart Foundation</a> , Microsoft and the NHS.  One of the pilot areas will be the West Midlands Ambulance Service.</p>
  <p>OpenStreetMap already has a large database of the locations of these devices, and in fact devoted one of our UK Quarterly Projects to the theme. Of course there is a <a href="http://www.flosm.de/en/poimap.html?lat=52.5982629&amp;lon=-2.19260674&amp;r=439424.20&amp;st=0&amp;sw=defibrillator">map to visualise the data</a>. There is also a useful<a href="https://osm.mathmos.net/defib/"> set of tools and information to help mappers</a></p>
  <p>Taginfo returns a total of 1765 defibrillators mapped in the UK in OpenStreetMap</p>
  <p>We sincerely hope the the project speeds its delivery by building on our data and using OpenStreetMap&#8217;s crowdsourcing network of volunteer mappers.</p>
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  		<title>Joy Diversion: Mapping in Manchester</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/06/joy-diversion-mapping-in-manchester.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/06/joy-diversion-mapping-in-manchester.html#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jun 2018 21:07:12 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[RobJN]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1549</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Saturday 19th May saw the UK OpenStreetMap community and Open Data Manchester join forces for an afternoon of exploring central Manchester. Several mappers from the Midlands made the trip and boy, did we have fun! Our hosts had prepared some &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/06/joy-diversion-mapping-in-manchester.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Saturday 19th May saw the UK OpenStreetMap community and Open Data Manchester join forces for an afternoon of exploring central Manchester. Several mappers from the Midlands made the trip and boy, did we have fun!</p>
  <p>Our hosts had prepared some great &#8220;Explorer Backpacks&#8221; and we soon broke off in to teams for our expeditions into the unknown. From the waterways to historic relics, the missions were wide ranging &#8211; we even had a Geiger counter on hand to find the spot with the highest background radiation!</p>
  <p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1550 size-full" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/JoyDiversionManchester.jpg" alt="" width="515" height="679" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/JoyDiversionManchester.jpg 515w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/JoyDiversionManchester-228x300.jpg 228w" sizes="(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px" /></p>
  <p>After soaking up the sun we headed back to Federation House to share our findings before heading for a well earned drink.</p>
  <blockquote><p>Dan S: It was ace, in particular the slightly whimsical mapping trip we did, following psychogeographic suggestions prepared by the Joy Diversion organisers. That was a good way to get new mappers and experienced mappers working together on an equal footing.</p></blockquote>
  <blockquote><p>Samantha: I really enjoyed the event on Saturday. I&#8217;d love to get out and about around Manchester and learn more about the city in general. If anyone else is local and wants to go exploring, to add to the map or otherwise please let me know.</p></blockquote>
  <blockquote><p>Tony Shield: Really enjoyed the ability to meet like minded people and get a deeper understanding of the OSM project. Going out and surveying then placing the information on the map was great. Seeing some of the uses the data could be used for was really interesting.</p></blockquote>
  <blockquote><p>Martyn: Joy Diversion was a great afternoon, I&#8217;ve just updated OSM with the Team Crocodile survey (cycle and car parking, playgrounds, water taxi, footpaths and more). Keep on improving the map.</p></blockquote>
  <p>A big success then! Partnering with Open Data Manchester worked really well. Nice folk and a good opportunity to spread the word about OSM without having to arrange a venue and drum up attendees from scratch.</p>
  <p><small><em>Post content: OpenStreetMap United Kingdom CIC (with minor amends). Local mappers Brian and Rob are Directors of the community interest company, which focuses on supporting OSM in the UK.</em></small></p>
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  		<title>Conflation &#038; Validation: OSM Conflator</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/osm-conflator.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/osm-conflator.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Jan 2018 22:41:06 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[RobJN]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Participate]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1539</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[When Ilya approached the UK OpenStreetMap community about incorporating third party data (Shell petrol stations) into OSM he had already ran the data through his “OSM Conflator” tool. As part of the project he also created a “Community Validation” tool. &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/osm-conflator.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>When Ilya approached the UK OpenStreetMap community about incorporating third party data (Shell petrol stations) into OSM he had already ran the data through his “OSM Conflator” tool. As part of the project he also created a “Community Validation” tool. I decided to take a look at both of these using Asda petrol station data as a test case.</strong></p>
  <p><strong>In a series of posts I will share my experience with conflation and validation. This first post covers just OSM Conflator, with a follow on posts in the coming days covering the Community Validation tool and some reflections on the process.<br />
  </strong></p>
  <h3>Intro to OSM Conflator</h3>
  <p>OSM Conflator is a command-line tool written in Python 3 that compares a third party dataset against OpenStreetMap. It does not directly edit OpenStreetMap but instead gives you two outputs based on what it finds. The first, preview.json, can be loaded into an online tool such as <a href="http://geojson.io/#map=2/20.0/0.0">geojson.io</a> to visualise the differences. The second, a OSM change file, can be opened in JOSM for uploading in to OpenStreetMap. In both cases it assumes the third party data is correct and more up to date than any OSM data it is replacing. As such it is worth using the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Conflator#Community_Validation">Community Validation</a> tool to check the results <em>before</em> uploading.</p>
  <p>For now the third party data must be point (node) data but it can match to both nodes and ways in OpenStreetMap; downloading the most recent data each time you run the script. The matching is initially done by distance and you can set the maximum tolerance (e.g. 100 meters). If the third party data has a unique reference key (e.g. a store ID number) then this can be added to OpenStreetMap the first time you merge the data. The next time you run the comparison, for example if a retail chain has changed their opening hours, then OSM Conflator relies on this reference key rather than having to undertake a proximity search.</p>
  <h3>Inputs</h3>
  <p>OSM Conflator requires two inputs: a profile and the third party data. The profile sets the search criteria and which third party tags should always replace values on matched OSM objects. In the case of the Asda petrol stations the search criteria was for ‘amenity=fuel’ objects within 100 meters. The tags to upload were &#8216;brand&#8217;, &#8216;opening_hours&#8217;, &#8216;website&#8217;, &#8216;phone&#8217;, &#8216;addr:street&#8217;, and &#8216;addr:postcode&#8217;. The data included a unique reference ID so I set the profile to write this to OSM.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <div id="attachment_1542" style="width: 692px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-1542 size-full" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-profile.png" alt="" width="682" height="157" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-profile.png 682w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-profile-300x69.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My OSM Conflator profile file.</p></div>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>The profile is actually created as a Python file but is simple enough that you don’t need any Python experience. If you are however a pro at Python you can add to the profile. Example additions include tag transformations (e.g. reformatting telephone numbers in to ‘+44 &lt;Area Code&gt; &lt;Number&gt;’ format) or even code to download the source data direct from the third party’s website. If like me you are not a Python pro then you will need to provide OSM Conflator with a separate file including the third party data. This must be in a JSON file format.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <div id="attachment_1545" style="width: 605px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-1545 size-full" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-data.png" alt="" width="595" height="103" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-data.png 595w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OSM-Conflate-data-300x52.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Extract of the Asda source data (rows and additional tag columns omitted).</p></div>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Getting the third party data into a JSON file is easy when you know how. Prepare a table like the one above with columns for latitude (lat), longitude (lon) and, if you have it, the unique reference key (id). For the tags you wish to add to OpenStreetMap name the columns according to the standard tag usage within OSM adding ‘tags/’ in front of the column name. To convert your table into a JSON file simply copy and paste the data in to <a href="http://www.convertcsv.com/csv-to-json.htm">www.convertcsv.com/csv-to-json.htm</a> making sure to select “First row is column names” and “Recreate nested objects and arrays” in the options. Copy the output into a blank notepad and save as ‘data.json’.</p>
  <h3>Running the tool</h3>
  <p>With the profile and third party data now prepared the final step is to run OSM Conflate. As noted this is a Python 3 command-line tool. I assume you have already installed this and have also installed ‘pip’ which is a package management system used to install and manage software packages written in Python. With both of these installed go ahead and open a command/terminal window and run “pip install osm_conflate” to install OSM Conflate. Finally to run OSM Conflate using your profile and data file run “conflate -i data.json -v -o result.osm -c preview.json profile.py”. When it has finished running try opening preview.json in <a href="http://geojson.io/#map=2/20.0/0.0">geojson.io</a> to get a visualisation of the results.</p>
  <p>In the next post we will look at how to load the outputs in to the Community Validation tool.</p>
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  		<title>The streets they are changing</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/the-streets-they-are-changing.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/the-streets-they-are-changing.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:52:24 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Prangle]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1533</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[The streets they are a changing &#160; The view along our streets is about to change thanks to the mobile phone and OSM mappers are presented with a vast new challenge. BT are scrapping half of the 40,000 phoneboxes on &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/the-streets-they-are-changing.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>The streets they are a changing</strong></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>The view along our streets is about to change thanks to the mobile phone and OSM mappers are presented with a vast new challenge.<a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/K6.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1536 aligncenter" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/K6-196x300.jpg" alt="" width="196" height="300" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/K6-196x300.jpg 196w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/K6.jpg 520w" sizes="(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px" /></a></p>
  <p>BT are scrapping half of the 40,000 phoneboxes on our streets over the next five years, citing  a drastic drop in useage.  One third of phoneboxes never have anyone make a call from them, and BT measure call volume from all kiosks at a mere 33,000 a day. Phonebox numbers reached their peak in 1992, when there were 92,000 of them.</p>
  <p>Reducing the estate  will save BT £6m a year in maintenance, mostly repairing vandalism and removing graffiti. More than half of phoneboxes lose money and the number of calls is declining by more than 20% per year. However, phoneboxes are still used by people who can&#8217;t afford mobile phones, and in emergencies when mobile phone batteries are dead or there is poor mobile phone coverage ( in many rural and mountainous areas)</p>
  <p>7,000 of the  phoneboxes are the  world-famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_telephone_box">red phone boxes</a> designed in the 1930s by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed  Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Battersea Power Station, and Bankside Power Station (now the Tate Modern).</p>
  <p>Many of the red phoneboxes which have already been decommissioned have been re-purposed  as mini-libraries and art galleries or to house defibrillation machines, information centres, shops or exhibitions.  About 2,400 are preserved by Historic England as Grade II listed buildings.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/47879/removing_callboxes.pdf">The rules of the government regulator Ofcom</a> govern  how BT may remove phoneboxes, and addionally there may be planning regulations from local authorities to satisfy. If there are two kiosks within 400m walking distance of a site, BT is allowed to remove one, as long as there is one left. But if BT seeks to remove the only phone booth on a site, it must inform the public and consult with the local authority which has 90 days to object, which is known as a local veto.</p>
  <p>According to taginfo data there are 18,000 phoneboxes (amenity=telephone) in the UK, so we&#8217;ve managed to map about 50% of them, taking 14 years to do so. So our data is set to degrade over 5 years as the estate shrinks and we need to keep up to date with which ones are being removed (and also of course to map those that are missing!)</p>
  <p>To add to the scale of the challenge  1,000 phoneboxes will be replaced in major UK cities by  new structures called <a href="http://www.inlinkuk.com/">Inlinks from InLinkUK</a>. Each InLink provides ultrafast, free public Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging and a tablet for access to city services, maps and directions.</p>
  <p>The services are free because they&#8217;re financed by large digital screen advertising on the structures.</p>
  <p>As well as the challenge of locating and mapping these structures is the tagging challenge. Which or all of these?</p>
  <p>amenity=telephone</p>
  <p>wifi=free</p>
  <p>internet_access=<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:internet_access%3Dwlan">wlan</a></p>
  <p>advertising=screen</p>
  <p>amenity= device_charging_station</p>
  <p>tourism=information</p>
  <p>Inlinks have been rolled out already in London and Leeds, and are scheduled for Birmingham in 2018. If you want to find the locations they&#8217;ve been provided <a href="http://www.inlinkuk.com/find-an-inlink.html">here</a> by InLink. Because they&#8217;re provided using Google Maps the data is useless for OSM except for using as a guide to go out and map them. So I asked BT, via  Business Development, if they could provide me data that would be suitable for adding to OSM. Here&#8217;s the  astonishing answer:</p>
  <p><strong><em>&#8221; Have heard back from the InLink (and payphone) team and they have a policy position – which is they don’t share locations of either Payphones or InLinks with mapping organisations as it would then make it easy for vandals and criminals  to determine the location of our estate and conduct attacks against it.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
  <p>Quite frankly this is a ludicrous position worthy of the fifteenth century when maps were regarded as military secrets.</p>
  <p>Firstly, it&#8217;s discriminatory. Do they know they&#8217;ve already published an online map of Inlinks? Do they know that for several decades Ordnance Survey have published paper maps showing the location of phoneboxes in mountainous areas for emergency purposes?  Do they know that many local authorities publish online map service using Ordnance Survey data that locates every phonebox with the acronym TCB (for Telephone Coin Box)? Quite where this stands under competition laws is an interesting point, but way beyond our pockets to explore.</p>
  <p>Secondly, it&#8217;s hardly a great method for letting potential customers know where to access the services.</p>
  <p>Thirdly, what&#8217;s the profile of your average vandal? Someone who  is a node on the globalised corporate network and uses online resources and data  tools to ensure they optimise available resources for their campaign of  vandalism?  Why waste time wandering about looking for targets and forfeiting valuable vandalising time? Why waste valuable time going out to vandalise something that&#8217;s already been done by a rival crew? Or is it some antisocial human node with who-knows-what chemicals coursing through their brain, opportunistically trashing their local community because they&#8217;ve got neither the desire or means to travel.</p>
  <p>I suggest BT planners look beyond the sphere of their corporate bubble with its group-think managementspeak and bring some appreciation of the real world (aka commonsense) to bear.</p>
  <p><strong>BT are now promoted to mappa-mercia&#8217;s Hall of Shame, along with West Midlands Fire Service and Severn Trent Water for refusing to provide data on the spurious grounds of protecting publicly visible infrastructure  against attack.</strong></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
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  		<title>Petrol stations with a fixme tag</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/petrol-stations-with-a-fixme-tag.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/petrol-stations-with-a-fixme-tag.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jan 2018 21:49:36 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[RobJN]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Map Improvements]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Participate]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1525</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[As we described when we kicked off this quarters UK project to map petrol stations, recent community validation of third party (import) data has highlighted much outdated and erroneous data within OpenStreetMap :-(. For the Shell import we captured some &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/petrol-stations-with-a-fixme-tag.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As we <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/q1-2018-mapping-project-petrol-stations.html">described</a> when we kicked off this quarters UK project to map petrol stations, recent community validation of third party (import) data has highlighted much outdated and erroneous data within OpenStreetMap :-(. For the Shell import we captured some of this and added it to a &#8220;fixme&#8221; tag. If you have not yet come across this tag then it is one in which OpenStreetMap users can flag something that looks wrong or requires additional information to improve the map.</p>
  <p>It is possible to view petrol stations with a fixme tag by using Overpass Turbo scripts. We have done this already so all you have to do is click <a href="https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/uZD">this link</a> and press run. Results are visual as shown in the example below. There are approximately 130 petrol stations with a fixme tag so with some effort we should be able to review them all. Happy mapping!</p>
  <div id="attachment_1526" style="width: 827px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-1526 size-full" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_fixme.png" alt="" width="817" height="421" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_fixme.png 817w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_fixme-300x155.png 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_fixme-768x396.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 817px) 100vw, 817px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Example result from Overpass Turbo.</p></div>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/petrol-stations-with-a-fixme-tag.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Tracking our progress mapping petrol stations</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/tracking-our-progress-mapping-petrol-stations.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/tracking-our-progress-mapping-petrol-stations.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2018 13:53:41 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[RobJN]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1522</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[When we did the highly successful quarterly project to map schools we tracked the progress using a script that collated data on a daily basis from TagInfo UK. This enables us to see how we are getting on, both in &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/tracking-our-progress-mapping-petrol-stations.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When we did the highly successful <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/UK_Quarterly_Projects">quarterly project</a> to map schools we tracked the progress using a script that collated data on a daily basis from TagInfo UK. This enables us to see how we are getting on, both in terms of total features mapped, but also the split between nodes, ways and relations. We can then produce charts like the one for schools shown below.</p>
  <div id="attachment_1523" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-1523 size-medium" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OpenStreetMap_schools_UK-300x191.png" alt="" width="300" height="191" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OpenStreetMap_schools_UK-300x191.png 300w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OpenStreetMap_schools_UK-80x50.png 80w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/OpenStreetMap_schools_UK.png 517w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">UK Schools mapped in OpenStreetMap</p></div>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>This script was also used on the following quarterly projects up to the end of Q1 2017. Unfortunately I failed to set it up for the following quarterly projects, and worse still, failed to notice that the script stopped running in May 2017. It looks like the reason behind this was a change in the server that we are hosted on causing a 32bit vs 64bit error &#8211; but I&#8217;m no expert!</p>
  <p>The important thing is that I have it up and running again and <strong>have added tracking for petrol stations</strong>. You can view the data by following <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G9KXfp4Ho3fVROO9MxotcYTydl9CEXB_fi5ko2pM5Kc/edit?usp=sharing">this link</a>.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Q1 2018 mapping project: Petrol stations</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/q1-2018-mapping-project-petrol-stations.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/q1-2018-mapping-project-petrol-stations.html#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Jan 2018 22:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[RobJN]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Participate]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1517</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Following a lengthy discussion on the talk-gb mailing list and several false starts, Ilya recently imported UK Shell petrol station data into OpenStreetMap.To confirm the quality of the third party data a brand new community validation tool was developed. Use &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/q1-2018-mapping-project-petrol-stations.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="size-full wp-image-1518 aligncenter" src="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_station.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="337" srcset="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_station.jpg 640w, http://www.mappa-mercia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/petrol_station-300x158.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></p>
  <p>Following a lengthy discussion on the talk-gb mailing list and several false starts, Ilya <a href="https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk-gb/2017-December/021011.html">recently imported</a> UK Shell petrol station data into OpenStreetMap.To confirm the quality of the third party data a brand new <a href="https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk-gb/2017-December/020972.html">community validation tool</a> was developed. Use of this tool highlighted a lot of inconsistency in the way we map &#8211; as such let&#8217;s make petrol stations the quarterly mapping project for Q1 2018.</p>
  <p>According to <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/312331/number-of-petrol-stations-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/">Statistica</a> there are some 8450 petrol stations in the UK. Compare this to OpenStreetMap, where <a href="http://taginfo.openstreetmap.org.uk/tags/amenity=fuel">TagInfo shows</a> that we have mapped 7200. Not bad &#8211; just 1250 more to go! Let&#8217;s see if we can get to the magic 8450 by the end of the quarterly project (or show that the real number is indeed different). This also gives us a great opportunity to review the existing data, updating old tags to reflect on-the-ground change and converting petrol stations mapped as points (nodes) to ones mapped as areas (closed ways).</p>
  <p><em>Image: CC-By-Sa 2.0 <a title="View profile" href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/11162" rel="cc:attributionURL dct:creator">Betty Longbottom</a></em></p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2018/01/q1-2018-mapping-project-petrol-stations.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Birmingham is the Bus Stop Capital of Europe</title>
  		<link>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2017/10/birmingham-is-the-bus-stop-capital-of-europe.html</link>
  		<comments>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2017/10/birmingham-is-the-bus-stop-capital-of-europe.html#respond</comments>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2017 17:23:07 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Prangle]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mappa-mercia.org/?p=1514</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[The city has more bus stops per kilometre than any other city in Western Europe according to an article published in the Birmingham Post. The revelation comes from a press release issued by Transport for West Midlands which is responding &#8230; <a href="http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2017/10/birmingham-is-the-bus-stop-capital-of-europe.html">Continued</a>]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The city has more bus stops per kilometre than any other city in Western Europe according to an article published in the Birmingham Post.</p>
  <p>The revelation comes from a press release issued by Transport for West Midlands which is responding to passenger criticism of  its recent decision to suspend 60 bus stops on major bus routes in a bid to speed up bus journey times.</p>
  <p>There are more than THIRTEEN bus stops per kilometre in Birmingham, which  compares to  to three-and-a-half in Barcelona, two-and-a-half in Paris and less than one per kilometre in Berlin.</p>
  <p>The three leaders according to the data presented are Birmingham (13.5), London (12.6), Manchester (9.9). Budapest is the closest European city, with just over eight.</p>
  <p>It does have to be said that Birmingham and the West Midlands suffer  in comparison to other European cities from not having complementary rapid transit systems such as metro lines and tram lines (there is only one surface metro line in the West Midlands). Our main means of &#8220;rapid&#8221; transit remains buses which is probably why there&#8217;s such a large density of bus stops. Culling the number is an attempt to return the description &#8220;rapid&#8221; to our transit system which has to compete with the congestion from cars.</p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.mappa-mercia.org/2017/10/birmingham-is-the-bus-stop-capital-of-europe.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  	<title>CycleStreets blog</title>
  	<atom:link href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
  	<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog</link>
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  		<title>Our talk at State of the Map 2019: Is the OSM data model creaking?</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2019/09/22/sotm2019/</link>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Sep 2019 13:48:29 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Community]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Developers]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Routing performance/quality]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3423</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[We gave a talk at the State of the Map 2019 conference, the main annual meeting for OpenStreetMap, whose data we use for our cycle routing. Our talk was entitled &#8220;Is the OSM data model creaking?&#8221;. A video of the talk is now online: ﻿ Here are the slides from the talk: Is the OSM [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We gave a talk at the <a href="https://2019.stateofthemap.org/">State of the Map 2019</a> conference, the main annual meeting for OpenStreetMap, whose data we use for our cycle routing.</p>
  <p>Our talk was entitled <a href="https://2019.stateofthemap.org/sessions/DW7WW8/">&#8220;Is the OSM data model creaking?&#8221;</a>.</p>
  <p>A <a href="https://media.ccc.de/v/sotm2019-1038-is-the-osm-data-model-creaking-">video of the talk</a> is now online:</p>
  <p><iframe src="https://media.ccc.de/v/sotm2019-1038-is-the-osm-data-model-creaking-/oembed" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">﻿</span></iframe></p>
  <p>Here are the slides from the talk:</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019cyclestreets.pdf"><strong>Is the OSM data model creaking?</strong></a> (PDF, 16MB)</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019cyclestreets.pdf"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3425" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019.png" alt="" width="599" height="337" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019.png 884w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019-150x84.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019-300x169.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019-768x432.png 768w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sotm2019-711x400.png 711w" sizes="(max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px" /></a></p>
  <p>OpenStreetMap was designed to enable ordinary people to create open geodata that anyone can use and maintain easily. Traditional GIS concepts such as layers are dispensed with in order to make editing simple and accessible. In the same way that the web would never have taken off if HTML were not so accessible and tolerant of mistakes, this simplicity in OSM has meant a low barrier to involvement.</p>
  <p>However, as OSM is becoming more widely used in the mainstream, the need for accuracy and quality is becoming more and more important. Cyclists need detailed turn data to enable high-quality routing that takes full account of safety. Satnav companies, need lane data, which is difficult to represent accurately. Pedestrian routing is barely in its infancy and high quality routing for people walking or using wheelchairs is hard to achieve.</p>
  <p>At its root, OSM tries to represent spaces as flows (lines). This results in fundamental compromises and inaccuracies. What is good for routing is not always good for cartography, and vice-versa.</p>
  <p>For instance, a street containing cycleways with pavements either side is usually represented as a single line with attributes. However, it is extremely challenging to represent properly all the parts of the street, and in general people simply don&#8217;t bother: a single line with large numbers of attributes is unwieldy to edit (even when hidden by editor GUIs), and just as challenging for a router to interpret. Continual changes in the width of a street cannot be easily represented without segmenting the street heavily and creating a mess. Temporary disappearance of lanes makes editing complex. Routing ultimately ends up as a lowest common denominator result.</p>
  <p>The alternative method of representing this same street is as a series of individual lines. But this is equally problematic. In this model, the street loses its coherence as a single entity &#8211; humans think of it as a street with multiple uses (walking, cycling, driving, trees). Where people have done this, attributes such as street names need to be kept in sync, and in practice separate pavements often fail to have names attached. Concepts such as the ability to cross from one side of the road to the other (or even switch lanes) are not modelled, with the result that a router may take the user to the end of the street then back down. And cartography ends up showing a series of parallel lines which looks messy and does not match the human perception of a street.</p>
  <p>The bicycle tagging page on OSM provides a perfect demonstration of the current problem: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Bicycle It shows the complexity of representing many common scenarios, with increasingly incomprehensible tagging combinations. No router implements anything like all of this, and even expert OSM contributors would shy away at bothering to add this data.</p>
  <p>Cycleways indeed are a good general example of inconsistent tagging. Cycleways separate to a road are sometimes tagged as an attribute of the street and sometimes as a separate geometry. What about a hybrid/stepped cycle lane of the kind seen in Copenhagen &#8211; is that a cycle lane or a cycleway? Do lane counts include cycle lanes or not? How is obstructive car parking represented? Is the one-way indication applicable to the cycle lane on the road? And so on.</p>
  <p>Another example is junctions. Should traffic signals be treated spatially (i.e. represent the location of the traffic heads), or should they be treated linearly so that routing works properly? How should the linear model work accurately when there is only a single geometry for multiple directions? Have a look at the roads around the Arc De Triomphe in Paris &#8211; it is completely impossible for a routing engine to work out exactly how many signal delays should actually be attributed based on the presence of the marking of traffic signals in the data: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/48.87391/2.29536</p>
  <p>This talk will discuss these cases, and provide a starting point for discussion on what should be done to improve the situation. As people are ever keener to add more detail to the map, and as more and more mainstream users look to OSM, we have to ask whether the current model is arguably creaking too heavily. Is there a way that we can represent spaces as a set of interconnected flows in some way?</p>
  <p>The speaker, Martin Lucas-Smith, is one of the developers of CycleStreets, one of the earliest and most established dedicated cycle routing engines. As such, he has spent many years considering the kinds of tradeoffs represented by the current OSM data model.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>TfL Cycling Infrastructure Database</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2019/05/10/tfl-cid/</link>
  		<comments>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2019/05/10/tfl-cid/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2019 16:01:11 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Community]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3413</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Transport for London (TfL) have created a new database of cycling infrastructure, containing 240,000 assets, covering all of Greater London. This is proposed to be released as open data. This groundbreaking database contains every cycle infrastructure asset within Greater London, including assets on and off-carriageway. The assets surveyed are: cycle parking; signals; signage; traffic calming measures; [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://tflcid.cyclestreets.net/"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3417" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking-300x202.png" alt="TfL CID" width="300" height="202" align="right" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking-300x202.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking-150x101.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking-768x517.png 768w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking-594x400.png 594w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_parking.png 862w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
  <p><a class="external text" href="https://tfl.gov.uk/" rel="nofollow">Transport for London (TfL)</a> have created a new database of cycling infrastructure, containing 240,000 assets, covering all of Greater London. This is proposed to be released as open data.</p>
  <p>This groundbreaking database contains every cycle infrastructure asset within Greater London, including assets on and off-carriageway. The assets surveyed are: cycle parking; signals; signage; traffic calming measures; restricted points (e.g. steps); advanced stop lines; crossings; cycle lanes/tracks; and restricted routes (e.g. pedestrian only routes).</p>
  <p><i>“The world’s first Cycling Infrastructure Database will be the most comprehensive database of cycling infrastructure ever collected in London. Over the past 18 months, TfL has amassed data on every street in London, cataloguing almost 146,000 cycle parking spaces, 2,000 km of cycle lanes and more than 58,000 cycle signs and street markings. This information will be released as open data alongside a new digital map of cycle routes, will make journey planning and cycle parking much easier, as well as offering valuable information to TfL and the boroughs for planning future investment in cycling.”</i></p>
  <p>TfL is keen to make this available to the <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/">OpenStreetMap</a> community under a compatible open license, to ensure maximum use of the CID. TfL is also potentially willing to consider tool development to help facilitate sensitive merging in of this data. OpenStreetMap is the street data on which CycleStreets is built, so the better data available to OSM, the better our routing can become.</p>
  <h3>Demonstrator map</h3>
  <p>We&#8217;ve created a <strong><a href="https://tflcid.cyclestreets.net/">demonstrator map</a></strong>, <b>for the purposes only of evaluation</b> by the OSM community at this stage.</p>
  <p>This demonstrator map contains only <b>one of the 25 areas</b> that have been surveyed.</p>
  <p>We are specifically seeking comments on data quality and usefulness of this data from the OSM community. Initial analysis by CycleStreets is that the data is of excellent quality, and very suitable for conflation into OSM, to increase both comprehensiveness and metadata quality.</p>
  <p><a href="https://tflcid.cyclestreets.net/"><img class="size-full wp-image-3415 alignnone" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track.png" alt="TfL CID" width="100%" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track.png 860w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track-150x102.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track-300x203.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track-768x520.png 768w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/tflcid_cycle_track-591x400.png 591w" sizes="(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px" /></a></p>
  <p><b>Usage notes:</b> The controls on the right of the map allow the different feature types to be selected. The OSM layer (available at zoom level 19+) also provides a live feed from the OSM API, to enable quick comparisons. The two photos of each asset are in the process of being supplied; those already available and cleared in GDPR terms are included in the popup.</p>
  <p>It is stressed that at this point, no permission is given for re-use of the data in any way, but TfL strongly intends to make this available in future. All 25 areas would be covered in the final data release, not merely the one shown currently in the demonstrator map.</p>
  <h3>Feedback</h3>
  <p>Feedback is very strongly encouraged, as soon as possible.</p>
  <p>Please do discuss the data and related aspects noted above on the <a class="external text" href="https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb" rel="nofollow">talk-gb mailing list</a>.</p>
  <p>Feedback and questions can also be <a href="/contacts/">e-mailed</a> us.</p>
  <p>We are happy to provide any clarifications, which will be added to this page, as a central repository of information about the project.</p>
  <h2>More detail</h2>
  <p>We&#8217;ve set up a new <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/TfL_Cycling_Infrastructure_Database"><strong>TfL CID project</strong> wiki page</a> on the OpenStreetMap Wiki.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
  			<wfw:commentRss>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2019/05/10/tfl-cid/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
  		</item>
  		<item>
  		<title>Android app beta programme</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/08/31/android-app-beta-programme/</link>
  		<pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2018 16:04:21 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Developers]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Mobile]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3391</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[You can now sign up as a beta-tester for our Android app, simply by opting into the beta programme in the Google Play Store. This enables you to get the latest improvements and give feedback before they are released officially. We&#8217;re currently making lots of changes to the app (thanks to the great work of [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can now sign up as a beta-tester for our Android app, simply by opting into the beta programme in the Google Play Store. This enables you to get the latest improvements and give feedback before they are released officially.</p>
  <p>We&#8217;re currently making lots of changes to the app (thanks to the great work of our devs Oliver Lockwood and Jez Higgins), with lots of bug-fixes, improvements, and a new design coming.</p>
  <p>The app is <a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/android/">open source</a> and we very much welcome new contributions of code, bug reports, etc.</p>
  <h3>Install our Android beta app</h3>
  <p>1. On your phone, go to the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.cyclestreets">CycleStreets page in the Google Play Store</a>.</p>
  <table class="lines">
  <tbody>
  <tr>
  <td width="250">2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and find the &#8220;Become a beta tester&#8221; box, and click on &#8220;I&#8217;m in&#8221;:</td>
  <td><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3393" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1-169x300.png" alt="" width="169" height="300" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1-169x300.png 169w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1-84x150.png 84w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1-576x1024.png 576w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1-225x400.png 225w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup1.png 720w" sizes="(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td>3. This will then show &#8220;Beta sign-up in progress&#8230;&#8221;:</td>
  <td><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3394" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2-169x300.png" alt="" width="169" height="300" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2-169x300.png 169w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2-84x150.png 84w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2-576x1024.png 576w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2-225x400.png 225w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup2.png 720w" sizes="(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td>4. After, when you click &#8220;Install&#8221; at the top of the page, that will install the beta app:</td>
  <td><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3395" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3-169x300.png" alt="" width="169" height="300" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3-169x300.png 169w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3-84x150.png 84w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3-576x1024.png 576w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3-225x400.png 225w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup3.png 720w" sizes="(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /></td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
  </table>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p>Note that this will replace the released version of the app with the latest beta version.</p>
  <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3398" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup4-169x300.png" alt="" width="169" height="300" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup4-169x300.png 169w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup4-84x150.png 84w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup4-225x400.png 225w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/betasignup4.png 447w" sizes="(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /></p>
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  		<title>PhD studentship with University of Leeds: Towards data-driven policy development: the case of London’s built cycling infrastructure</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/05/08/phd-studentship-with-leeds/</link>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2018 12:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Research]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3363</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[An exciting PhD studentship opportunity which we are involved in, cross-posted from the Data Analytics and Society Centre for Doctoral Training website. Deadline: 3rd June 2018. Towards data-driven policy development: the case of London’s built cycling infrastructure In 2013, £913m of funds was allocated over 10 years for investment in London’s cycling infrastructure. Much of this — [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>An <a href="https://datacdt.org/projects/le25/">exciting PhD studentship opportunity</a> which we are involved in, cross-posted from the Data Analytics and Society Centre for Doctoral Training website. Deadline: 3rd June 2018.</em></p>
  <p><img class="wp-image-3369 size-medium alignnone" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/leedscdt-300x47.png" alt="" width="300" height="47" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/leedscdt-300x47.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/leedscdt-150x24.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/leedscdt.png 608w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
  <p><strong>Towards data-driven policy development: the case of London’s built cycling infrastructure</strong></p>
  <p>In 2013, £913m of funds was allocated over 10 years for investment in London’s cycling infrastructure. Much of this — including guided quietways, protected cycle superhighways and London’s crossrail for the bike — opened in summer 2016. The chief objective: to make cycling ‘a normal part of everyday life  […] something people hardly think about […and] something everyone feels comfortable doing’ (Greater London Authority 2013).</p>
  <p>Traditionally, attempts to evaluate such interventions might rely on survey data describing changes in *claimed* behaviour or high-level data from Automatic Traffic Counters describing infrastructure occupancy. The former are often expensive to collect and suffer from numerous (well-documented) biases and the latter are too high-level to capture more subtle changes in behaviour.</p>
  <p>This project will instead use new, large-scale observational datasets – from London’s bikeshare, underground and bus network, from route planning services (CycleStreets.net), user-contributed and social media data —  to describe changes in city-wide cycling behaviours pre- and post- the intervention. Crucially, it will identify rich detail around the impact of current investment on behaviour and contribute quantified estimates, under uncertainty, around the impact of future investment.</p>
  <p>Applications are welcomed from those wishing to develop expertise in statistical model building, geospatial data and information visualisation.</p>
  <p><em>Start Date: </em>October 2018<em><br />
  Lead Supervisor</em>: Roger Beecham (University of Leeds)<br />
  <em>Other Supervisors</em>: Robert Aykroyd, Robin Lovelace, Stuart Barber<br />
  <em>Partners</em>: University of Leeds<br />
  <em>External partners</em>: CycleStreets.net</p>
  <p><a href="https://datacdt.org/projects/le25/">Read more and apply online here.</a></p>
  <p><img class="alignnone wp-image-3365 size-thumbnail" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/ersc-150x126.png" alt="" height="150" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/ersc-150x126.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/ersc-300x251.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/ersc.png 442w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p>
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  		<title>DfT cycling data for research/OpenStreetMap use &#8211; as GeoJSON</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/05/07/dft-cycling-data-for-osm/</link>
  		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2018 21:11:41 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Local Authorities]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3384</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[A techie post, about some cycling data which may be of use to people researching cycling. Back in 2011, we were involved in a project to convert some newly-collected cycling data from the UK&#8217;s Department for Transport for use in OpenStreetMap. The data was originally collected for the DfT&#8217;s Transport Direct project (which has since [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>A techie post, about some cycling data which may be of use to people researching cycling.</em></p>
  <p>Back in 2011, we were involved in a <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/England_Cycling_Data_project">project to convert some newly-collected cycling data</a> from the UK&#8217;s Department for Transport for use in OpenStreetMap.</p>
  <p>The data was originally collected for the DfT&#8217;s Transport Direct project (which has since ceased operation), which was an early attempt to create a government cycle journey planner, launching on almost the same day as CycleStreets itself. In order to ensure that taxpayer value for this expensive (£2.4m) dataset was not lost as Transport Direct fell into disuse, CycleStreets successfully encouraged the DfT to release the data openly and to do so in a way which would encourage use in OpenStreetMap. We helped with that process, and data for cities started to be merged in from 2011.</p>
  <p>The data consists of the cycle network as of 2011 in each city of over 30,000 people. This does however <em>not</em> represent all cycle infrastructure &#8211; only where signage is present. Additionally, collection included the Sustrans NCN network.</p>
  <p>Since that time, things have moved on. OpenStreetMap has become the go-to datasource for cycling data internationally. GeoJSON has become the de-facto format for open geographical data. Similarly, Github has become the de-facto location to distribute open data like this.</p>
  <p>As part of a project we have been working on with Leeds University, the <a href="https://www.cyipt.bike/">Cycling Infrastructure Prioritisation Toolkit (CyIPT)</a> (which we will report on soon), we needed historical data from 2011, and this DfT data was a perfect candidate.</p>
  <p>Accordingly, we have taken the opportunity to recover the data from 2011, and convert it to GeoJSON and republish it, in the hope it might be useful for some people. It is an OpenStreetMap-orientated version of the data published on data.gov.uk. As such it is subject to OSM licensing conditions.</p>
  <p><a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/dft-england-cycling-data-2011"><strong>DfT England Cycling Data 2011</strong></a></p>
  <p>We would stress that, for almost all uses, CycleStreets instead <strong>strongly</strong> recommends downloading data from <strong>OpenStreetMap</strong>, which is topographically routable and is maintained and has far greater geographical coverage. Moreover, the cycle network has changed from 2011-18. However, the data in this repository contains attributes on each geometry which remain often more detailed than OSM. Accordingly, the data is most useful for research purposes and for <strong>manual merging into OSM</strong>, which is encouraged.</p>
  <p><a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/dft-england-cycling-data-2011">Full details</a> about the data are given in the README which can be found on the main repository page.</p>
  <p><em>Coverage:</em></p>
  <p><a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/dft-england-cycling-data-2011"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3385" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/coverage.png" alt="" width="535" height="659" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/coverage.png 535w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/coverage-122x150.png 122w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/coverage-244x300.png 244w" sizes="(max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px" /></a></p>
  <p><em>Example area &#8211; Cambridge:</em></p>
  <p><a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/dft-england-cycling-data-2011"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3386" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cambridge-1.png" alt="" width="690" height="680" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cambridge-1.png 690w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cambridge-1-150x148.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cambridge-1-300x296.png 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cambridge-1-406x400.png 406w" sizes="(max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px" /></a></p>
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  		<title>Intern vacancies Summer 2018</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/04/11/intern-2018/</link>
  		<comments>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/04/11/intern-2018/#comments</comments>
  		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2018 12:06:15 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Developers]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Vacancies]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3299</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[CycleStreets is seeking one or more paid interns to work on a variety of projects this summer. About CycleStreets CycleStreets is a social enterprise based in Cambridge, working to help get more people cycling by the provision of information on cycle-friendly routes, and various tools for use by cycle advocacy groups. We are best known for our journey [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>CycleStreets is seeking one or more paid interns to work on a variety of projects this summer.</p>
  <h3 class="p1">About CycleStreets</h3>
  <p><img class="diagram alignright right wp-image-3375" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/internship2018.png" alt="" width="350" height="400" align="right" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/internship2018.png 620w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/internship2018-131x150.png 131w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/internship2018-263x300.png 263w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/internship2018-350x400.png 350w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /></p>
  <p class="p1">CycleStreets is a social enterprise based in Cambridge, working to help get more people cycling by the provision of information on cycle-friendly routes, and various tools for use by cycle advocacy groups.</p>
  <p>We are best known for our <a href="/">journey planner</a>, aimed at finding practical cycle routes in urban environments. To do that effectively requires collating data from a variety of sources and configuring a routing engine to make the same decisions a knowledgeable cyclist would make to find a route to their destination. We are aiming to provide the highest quality cycle routing in the world that tries to &#8216;think like a cyclist&#8217;.</p>
  <p>Our bike routing is used by our own <a href="/">website</a> and apps, as well as in a range of <a href="/mobile/">third-party apps</a> (such as <a href="https://citymapper.com/">Citymapper</a>, <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2016/12/18/bike-hub-app-relaunched/">Bike Hub</a>, London cycle hire apps, etc.), as well as a variety of transport companies (SDG, Virgin East Coast, mxdata, Traveline Wales/Scotland, etc.). It is also being used for <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2015/12/19/bristol-msc-research/">academic research</a> and transport planning, e.g. the <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2016/12/21/propensity-to-cycle-tool/">Propensity to Cycle Tool</a> and <a href="https://www.cyipt.bike/">CyIPT</a> projects.</p>
  <p>The website also includes our <a href="/photomap/">Photomap</a> &#8211; around 80,000 user-contributed photos of cycling related infrastructure from around the UK and beyond. These are used by activists to promote good practice and highlight problems to avoid in future. The Photomap also powers Local Authority websites such as the <a href="http://www.urbancycleparking.org.uk/">Urban Cycle Parking</a> website for TfL. Further tools that present <a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/">transport data</a> that affects cycling are also in development.</p>
  <p>CycleStreets also manages <a href="https://www.cyclescape.org/">Cyclescape</a>, a geographically-based discussion forum increasingly used by cycling campaign groups across the UK.</p>
  <p>With our limited resources given over to focussing on keeping the core services up-to-date and responsive several areas have been left lagging and with work to do. We have a powerful API suite, but the front-end website and apps do not currently reflect its abilities in design and UI terms.</p>
  <h3>A wide range of potential development areas</h3>
  <p>Although improvements to our main codebase &#8211; the website &#8211; is our ideal focus, we&#8217;re happy to see work on any of our projects &#8211; routing engine, mobile apps, Cyclescape, etc.</p>
  <p>The codebase for the main website is a rich collection of page-generation code, database procedures and webpage classes, system configuration scripts, and a low-level routing engine implementation &#8211; all written in commonly used mainstream languages. The codebase has been reorganised thanks to help from a previous year&#8217;s intern. This codebase primarily consists of over 200 PHP classes, using traditional inheritance/loading techniques, arranged as a fairly purist MVC structure. Much of the core functionality has been converted to a <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/api/v2/">public API</a> (with over 40 calls in total) that powers the website and third-party apps/sites.</p>
  <p>Much of <a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/">our code is on Github</a> and we are trying to get the main website there too.</p>
  <p>Some specific areas which we would welcome help with (though this is not exhaustive) include:</p>
  <p><em>1. System coding and refactoring</em></p>
  <p>Ours is a large codebase, with large amounts of functionality. There is always plenty of development that can be done throughout the system. Our previous intern&#8217;s work on refactoring was particularly beneficial and further work can be done; new functionality is also very welcome.</p>
  <p><em>2. Overall website design, including integration with mobile</em></p>
  <p>There&#8217;s an opportunity to update how CycleStreets presents itself to give the service a &#8216;personality&#8217; &#8211; particularly on mobile. Here we&#8217;re mainly thinking about the look and feel but also what can be done with it. The codebase can serve webpages based on templates, and these are ready to be used by responsive stylesheets that will work on a variety of screen widths. Developments in this area could provide a major benefit to users on mobile In general, we are aiming to unify our various interfaces into a single implementation.</p>
  <p><em>3. Usability</em></p>
  <p>Interaction with the journey planner works smoothest on desktop but there is a lot of scope for improving mobile interactivity. Interaction of the journey planner with the map is one area that needs work, but there a lot of small things that would help such as, for instance prompting users&#8217; frequently used locations when they search.</p>
  <p><em>4. Cycle route quality</em></p>
  <p>Changes to the cycle routing engine are perhaps beyond the scope of a summer intern, unless you are starting from a more advanced base of knowledge. A major challenge is how to know if the suggested cycle route is good &#8211; and whether changes to input data or configuration parameters produce a better route or not. Ideas and developments of the testing regime could make a significant difference to route quality.</p>
  <p><em>5. Elevation data</em></p>
  <p>The routing engine takes into account the cost of hill climbing and that depends on accurate elevation data. There&#8217;s scope for adding to our library of data provided by countries such as Australia and Finland.</p>
  <p><em>6. Geocoding</em></p>
  <p>Maintaining an up-to-date way of translating text into a location has proven quite a distraction over the years. We&#8217;d really like to get on top of this issue and resolve it once and for all. It&#8217;s quite a well-defined isolated project, primarily involving sysadmin and code integration work.</p>
  <p><em>7. Work on our mobile apps</em></p>
  <p>If you have skills in Java for Android or Objective-C/Swift, we would also be willing to consider work on these also. The apps have been created by colleagues rather than the two of us who will be running the internship; accordingly we can&#8217;t provide training on the actual programming languages, but things like code structure and UI would be possible to be covered. A new design has been created and is almost ready to be implemented.</p>
  <p><em>8. Bikedata site</em></p>
  <p>We&#8217;ve been working to get lots of public data on our new Bikedata site. There are many ideas for development here &#8211; new layers, new features, graphing, visualisations, API improvements, etc.</p>
  <h3>About the internship</h3>
  <p>This is an opportunity to get involved with a live and dynamic project that faces continual resource challenges. The successful candidate will have a choice of which projects to work on based on their own preferences and ideas. We&#8217;ll provide supervision and work together to define goals and help solve problems.</p>
  <p>As an intern, you will be a proper part of the CycleStreets team, as a fully-paid employee over the summer period, with daily training and co-working.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2015/10/01/patrick-reports-back/">Read about how our previous intern, Patrick, found the process.</a></p>
  <p>The intern will be hired as an proper salaried employee. Our intern(s) will earn £400 per week, are regarded as part of the team from day one, and the internships last for 10 weeks. We will also come to a flexible arrangement regarding working locations and/or expenses for public area working to ensure that the successful employee is never out-of-pocket.</p>
  <p>The paid internship will be based in Cambridge (UK). This is because we feel it is important that there is daily contact as this is aimed to be a two-way process providing lots of training.</p>
  <p>As our two current employees work mainly from home, we&#8217;ll expect the intern to find their own workspace as we cannot provide an office environment. We&#8217;ll meet with you to discuss and plan your work schedule and ideas at internet cafés or meeting rooms in Cambridge, as well as online.</p>
  <p>We are not expecting someone with many years of development experience, as such a person would be in a stable job, and the salary level is not intended to reflect this. What is more important to us is someone with the right mindset, a fast learner, who can work at a good rate. Being an internship, this will be a two-way arrangement, with us helping give the student knowledge of working in a large codebase and the challenges this brings – though we do want someone who is a self-starter.</p>
  <h3>How to apply</h3>
  <p>To apply, all we need is your CV and a covering letter, <a href="/contacts/">sent via e-mail</a> by the end of <strong>Monday 30th April 2018. </strong>Your covering letter should explain your interests, and include some thoughts on our site (such as a critical analysis, max 1 page), and point us to any code you have written (public code on Github is always a good sign). Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.</p>
  <p>We will contact all applicants by the end of Tuesday 1st May.</p>
  <p>Interviews will take place on either 2nd/3rd May, according to your availability.</p>
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  			<wfw:commentRss>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2018/04/11/intern-2018/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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  		<title>Every GB road collision &#8211; mapped</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2017/10/01/every-road-collision-mapped/</link>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:06:14 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[API]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3280</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[As campaigners for getting more people cycling, a crucial issue for us is safety of our streets. Safer streets means more people cycling &#8211; as places like the Netherlands and other European cities show. Every year, the Department for Transport issues a massive data release, detailing every reported road collision in Great Britain, what vehicles [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignright wp-image-3289 size-medium" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/filter-142x300.png" alt="" width="142" height="300" align="right" /></p>
  <p>As campaigners for getting more people cycling, a crucial issue for us is safety of our streets. Safer streets means more people cycling &#8211; as places like the Netherlands and other European cities show.</p>
  <p>Every year, the Department for Transport issues a massive data release, detailing every reported road collision in Great Britain, what vehicles were involved, and the outcome in injury terms. Known as STATS19, the data contains around 60 pieces of information for every collision &#8211; whether slight, serious or fatal. This is excellent work by the DfT who collate this.</p>
  <p><a href="https://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions/">We&#8217;ve plotted every collision</a>, and made available the full details, on a map on our new Bikedata website.</p>
  <p>The data for 2016 has just been released &#8211; we got it online within a few hours of its release.</p>
  <p>The site is a beta &#8211; the two things we want to improve are removing the jumpiness of the icons, and dealing with the question of how to show large numbers of collisions when zoomed out &#8211; currently a limit is applied. Zooming in shows all.</p>
  <p><a href="https://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions/"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3286" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/collisions-e1506813096296.png" alt="" width="600" height="423" /></a></p>
  <p>Since the data was first made live, we&#8217;ve fixed a few issues. The latitude/longitude values in the original data were incorrect, so we&#8217;ve reprojected these from the northings/eastings values which are the original data. Some data in London was also misnumbered, which the DfT have corrected after we pointed this out. Our interface also was not filtering correctly for car occupants &#8211; now fixed.</p>
  <p>For every collision, you can click to get full details &#8211; available openly without charge.</p>
  <p><img class="alignnone wp-image-3287 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/draw-e1506814250605.png" alt="" width="354" height="250" /> .  <img class="alignnone wp-image-3288 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/report-e1506814312538.png" alt="" width="170" height="250" /></p>
  <p>Behind every one of these is a human story:</p>
  <div class="twitter-tweet">
  <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
  <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Behind that wee purple star, massive costs for NHS, 8 operations, 6 months sick pay, permanent mobility/anxiety probs &amp; lots of grief/pain <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/72x72/1f621.png" alt="😡" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
  <p>&mdash; Kirsty Lewin (@KirstyLewin) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirstyLewin/status/914219899538591746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
  </div>
  <p>Users of the site are finding that the visual display enables patterns to be spotted &#8211; such as the way that the typical British roundabout design fails cyclists:</p>
  <div class="twitter-tweet">
  <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
  <p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is incredible. Every driver-bike incident in the UK 2005-2016 mapped. Roundabouts are terrible for cyclists, turns out. Data at <a href="https://t.co/yRhStvpvIW">https://t.co/yRhStvpvIW</a> <a href="https://t.co/l8ktNe3dX6">pic.twitter.com/l8ktNe3dX6</a></p>
  <p>&mdash; Kat Young (@KEYoung29) <a href="https://twitter.com/KEYoung29/status/913898194496622592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
  </div>
  <p>as do junctions more generally:</p>
  <div class="twitter-tweet">
  <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
  <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just checked my local area and cycling route. Every accident is at a junction or roundabout. Every single one without exception.</p>
  <p>&mdash; Kevin Lynch (@aikiwolfie) <a href="https://twitter.com/aikiwolfie/status/914210543552143360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
  </div>
  <p>We&#8217;re now working to add new comparison facilities &#8211; we want to bring out the policy implications hidden in this data.</p>
  <p>For instance, how do different Local Authorities compare? What happens when streets are upgraded to add safe, segregated infrastructure? How can we most easily demonstrate that allowing two-way cycling in one-way streets is a perfectly safe improvement.</p>
  <p>We&#8217;ve also wanted for a long time to link these to newspaper reports and are considering methods to enable people to do that.</p>
  <p><a href="/feedback/">Let us know</a> what you&#8217;d find useful.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<title>Developers &#8211; need cycle parking in your app? Use our Cycle parking API</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2017/08/29/cycle-parking-api/</link>
  		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2017 14:05:24 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[API]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Developers]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Mobile]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3262</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[This is a post for app developers. So it contains some techy stuff which probably won&#8217;t be of interest to our cycle routing users. Knowing where you can find cycle parking as a cyclist, especially in cities, is helpful in avoiding theft, as well as helping keeping busy streets tidy. By providing information on where [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This is a post for app developers. So it contains some techy stuff which probably won&#8217;t be of interest to our cycle routing users.</em></p>
  <p>Knowing where you can find cycle parking as a cyclist, especially in cities, is helpful in avoiding theft, as well as helping keeping busy streets tidy.</p>
  <p>By providing information on where cycle parking exists, developers of apps can easily help people find cycle parking before they even reach their destination.</p>
  <p>CycleStreets provides a <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/api/v2/pois.locations/">Cycle parking API</a> as one of the points of interest (POI) types that can be retrieved in our extensive <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/api/">cycling API suite</a>. Developers can embed this in our app &#8211; either by making realtime calls or obtaining the data en-batch using the CSV export mode.</p>
  <p>You can see an <a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/cycleparking/">example implementation</a> on our new Bikedata website:</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/cycleparking/"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3265 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleparking-1-e1504014605866.png" alt="" width="601" height="296" /></a></p>
  <p>The API provides the following data:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Locations of all cycle parking in the UK and other areas that we support (much of northern Europe and various cities around the world &#8211; contact us if you need other areas)</li>
  <li>Whether the parking is public or private</li>
  <li>Number of bikes that can be parked (where data is available)</li>
  <li>Details of whether the cycle parking is covered, what type of stands, etc. (where data is available)</li>
  <li>The location of the entrance point rather than the centre point (for larger installations, where data available)</li>
  <li>(Coming soon) Large areas of parking to be available as areas rather than (entrance) point</li>
  </ul>
  <p>By default, all locations (whether public or private) come through, but you can specify a filtering option (as <a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/cycleparking/">seen in the Bikedata example</a>) if you wish.</p>
  <p>We perform a range of pre-processing to enhance the raw data:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>If the location is on private land, but the parking itself is not marked as such, we pre-process the data to mark it as private</li>
  <li>For larger installations such as <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/74187/">cycle parks</a>, we use the entrance point as its location, rather than the centre-point</li>
  <li>We convert data defined as either points or areas into a unified set of points</li>
  </ul>
  <p><a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/74187/"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3266" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cyclepark-e1504015502778.jpg" alt="" width="601" height="202" /></a></p>
  <p>This data is all possible thanks to the power of OpenStreetMap. We regularly import OSM data, perform a range of processing on it (e.g. convert locations on private land into private POIs, determining entrance points, etc.), and turn this into an indexed API.</p>
  <p>Our API is a flexible, robust and well-maintained interface (it has been running since 2010). If you need a Service Level Agreement, or are likely to require high volumes of requests, we can also provide the API on a contractual basis.</p>
  <p>To get started, just <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/api/apply/">obtain an API key</a>, and set your application to make API calls to the <a href="https://www.cyclestreets.net/api/v2/pois.locations/">POIs API</a> and render the GeoJSON response on your map.</p>
  <p>If you would like to request any enhancements to the API, to cover your use-case, do <a href="/contacts/">get in touch</a>.</p>
  <p>Also, if you have any existing cycle parking data, we are happy to provide advice on how to make it available.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<item>
  		<title>Turn cost factors &#8211; for safer and less wiggly routes</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2017/07/01/new-turns-algorithm/</link>
  		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2017 12:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[si the pie]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Research]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Routing performance/quality]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3228</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[Urban cycle routes can often be very circuitous because they have to work around one-way systems, tunnel under major roads, use paths across parks and short links connecting residential areas. For many years now, CycleStreets has included the cost of making each turn in the overall process of choosing a practical cycle route. The model [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Urban cycle routes can often be very circuitous because they have to work around one-way systems, tunnel under major roads, use paths across parks and short links connecting residential areas.</p>
  <p>For many years now, CycleStreets has included the cost of making each turn in the overall process of choosing a practical cycle route. The model used so far has been basic &#8211; counting 7 seconds for a left turn and 11 seconds for a right turn. That&#8217;s helped reduce their wigglyness, but we&#8217;ve long known of the limitations of applying that model equally to all junctions.</p>
  <p>In particular, experienced cyclists know that right turns (in the UK case) from busy roads are to be avoided. So one of our objectives for routing quality is to avoid unnecessary right turns.</p>
  <div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/90255/cyclestreets90255-size500.jpg" alt="Turning cyclists" width="500" height="375" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Different strategies for making a turn</p></div>
  <p>We&#8217;ve developed a more comprehensive set of criteria for assessing the cost of making a turn.</p>
  <p>The new model takes into account the types of road on the approach to the junction, the likely traffic volumes, the right of way, turn angles, speeds and gradients.</p>
  <p>We&#8217;ve built tools to help us assess the impact of these new costs on route choice and when ready we shall be rolling out this new model into the live routes suggested by CycleStreets.</p>
  <p>This blog post gives a brief overview of the model.</p>
  <h3>Junctions</h3>
  <p>CycleStreets measures cycle routes by totalising these two components:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>the cost of riding along each street</li>
  <li>the cost of turning at each junction.</li>
  </ol>
  <p>The best cycle route between any two points is the one with the minimum total cost.</p>
  <table>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
  <th>Cost factor</th>
  <th>Route type</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td>Time</td>
  <td>Fastest</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
  <td>Volume of traffic</td>
  <td>Quietest</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
  </table>
  <p>Because the total cost measure includes the cost of turning at each junction, the routes produced are already likely to contain fewer turns than they would otherwise.</p>
  <p>As mentioned in the introduction, the cost model in use is a simple one that is applied equally to all junctions.</p>
  <h3>Existing cost model</h3>
  <p>The current model of turn costs uses basic physics to estimate the time added to a journey by slowing down to pass through a junction, and accelerating back up to speed afterwards. It is assumed that a rider starts braking evenly from 10 metres before a junction, and accelerates away afterwards reaching full speed after 20 metres.</p>
  <p>When a full stop from a speed of 12.5mph is required, the total time added is six seconds. If the rider can maintain some momentum by slowing only to a walking pace the total time added is reduced: only 3 seconds.</p>
  <p>Where the turn is bear left or right then the slow down model applies, but when there&#8217;s a sharper turn, the stop model applies with bigger delays.</p>
  <p>The model includes a small extra factor to account for expected waiting time &#8211; slightly more for turning right than turning left.</p>
  <p>But that&#8217;s it, and that is currently applied to all junctions regardless of the type of roads involved.</p>
  <h3>New cost model</h3>
  <p>The new model takes into account the road types at a junction.</p>
  <p>For example, at a junction between residential roads where there is not much motor traffic it is safe to assume that in general the cyclist will not have to come to a full stop to make any kind of turn and that they can maintain their momentum. This means that those types of junction will have little impact on the journey cost.</p>
  <p>Where a minor road meets a major road, the issue of right of way has to be considered. When turning left or right from a side road the rider does not have priority and so must give way to other traffic until there is a gap. For such turns there is a waiting time to be considered. The waiting time is likely to be higher for bigger roads.</p>
  <p>Making good estimates of the waiting time for turns between different types of road will improve the quality of the recommended fastest routes.</p>
  <p>By using a related measure, right turns onto busy roads (in the UK case) can be avoided when considering the quietest route.</p>
  <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3249" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns1-150x113.jpg 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns1.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3250" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns2-150x113.jpg 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/turns2.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
  <h3>Legibility</h3>
  <div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/location/13479/"><img src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/13479/cyclestreets13479-size500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Right for Newmarket 6 miles on roads, or left on National Cycle Network route NCN51, 15 miles.</p></div>
  <p>Junctions can make routes complicated, but what does help is good sign-posting. Routes that are clearly marked are usually helpful to most cyclists passing through an area.</p>
  <p>Where a junction is on a marked cycle route, the cost factor can be made very low for sticking on the route and punitive for leaving it. The result of such a scoring scheme would be &#8216;sticky&#8217; routes.</p>
  <div id="attachment_3242" style="width: 459px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-3242 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/Clerkenwell-to-St.-Pauls-e1499980166813.png" alt="" width="449" height="405" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The fastest route between Clerkenwell and St. Paul&#8217;s is shown as the red line. The green route demonstrates the effect of adding an expensive (i.e. unrealistically high) turn cost at every junction, except for those that lie on the stations circular cycle route.</p></div>
  <h3>Current status</h3>
  <p>A significant part of this work has been modification of the A* algorithm to enable direction-specific node delays. This has been running stably now for some time. The key issue remains tuning this to give realistic values for each junction scenario.</p>
  <p>The new model for applying turn costs at junctions takes into account a wide range of factors. Current versions of CycleStreets routing are building these factors into the model, but they are not yet being used in live routing.</p>
  <p>We&#8217;re at the stage now of creating a series of tests to ensure a smooth transition to this new model as we finalise the calibration of the new cost factors.</p>
  <p>We are grateful for funding which has enabled us to undertake the research and development in this area.</p>
  ]]></content:encoded>
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  		<item>
  		<title>Bikedata beta &#8211; data for cycle campaigners in one place</title>
  		<link>https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2017/06/11/bikedata-beta/</link>
  		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jun 2017 22:58:59 +0000</pubDate>
  		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Martin]]></dc:creator>
  				<category><![CDATA[Local Authorities]]></category>
  		<category><![CDATA[Open data]]></category>

  		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/?p=3211</guid>
  		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve been working on a new website, Bikedata (working title), providing cycle campaigners around the UK with a &#8216;one-stop shop&#8217; for data that helps them in their work. Today we announce the open beta of the site &#8211; ready for you to try out, but we know there are bugs. Collision data Helping campaigners campaign [&#8230;]]]></description>
  				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;ve been working on a new website, <a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/">Bikedata</a> (working title), providing cycle campaigners around the UK with a &#8216;one-stop shop&#8217; for data that helps them in their work.</p>
  <p>Today we announce the open <strong>beta</strong> of the site &#8211; ready for you to try out, but we know there are bugs.</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3215 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/bikedata-e1497220560634.png" alt="" width="600" height="453" /></a><br />
  <em>Collision data</em></p>
  <h3>Helping campaigners campaign</h3>
  <p>Getting more people cycling means improving the infrastructure on our streets so that everyone, whatever ability or level of confidence, is able to cycle easily and safely.</p>
  <p>To achieve this, <a href="https://www.cyclescape.org/groups">cycling campaign groups around the country</a> work daily to make the case for cycling. They look at traffic consultations, propose changes to the highway, scrutinise planning applications, and work with local people and their local council to achieve these improvements.</p>
  <p>Getting changes on the ground involves both a solid factual case for improvements as well as making an emotional case. For instance, reducing speed limits to tame traffic relies on having good access to collision data to demonstrate that there is a problem.</p>
  <p>Thanks to our <a href="https://www.outlandish.com/projects/outlandish-fellowship-2016/">Outlandish Fellowship</a> and some kind follow-on funding, we&#8217;ve been working on Bikedata, which is now ready as a beta site. (Beta means there are some problems we know about still but it&#8217;s good enough to start making public.)</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/trafficcounts/#14/51.5173/-0.0976/mapnik" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3218 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/trafficcounts-e1497221474893.png" alt="" width="600" height="326" /></a><br />
  <em>Traffic counts</em></p>
  <h3>Data to make campaigning easier</h3>
  <p>The site gives you direct access to UK data for:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Collisions</li>
  <li>Planning applications</li>
  <li>Traffic counts</li>
  <li>Cycle theft</li>
  <li>Trip length (from CycleStreets journey planner)</li>
  <li>Problems reported by cyclists</li>
  <li>Photos (72,000+ images) for campaigning</li>
  <li>Cycleability ratings of every street and path</li>
  <li>Campaign groups around the UK</li>
  </ul>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/cycleability/#17/51.51076/-0.10414/mapnik"><br />
  </a><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/cycleability/#17/51.51076/-0.10414/mapnik" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3217 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleability.png" alt="" width="601" height="483" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleability.png 601w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleability-150x121.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleability-300x241.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px" /><br />
  </a><em>Cycleability ratings</em></p>
  <p>In most cases, you can use filtering controls to show what you want to find. For instance, you can filter collision data to showing serious/fatal collisions at junctions. Or, perhaps you&#8217;d like to see all the reported places where cycle parking is needed:</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/photomap/#11/51.5043/-0.0851/mapnik"><br />
  </a><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/photomap/#11/51.5043/-0.0851/mapnik" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3216 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleparking.png" alt="" width="663" height="402" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleparking.png 663w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleparking-150x91.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/cycleparking-300x182.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px" /></a><br />
  <em>Cycle parking problem locations &#8211; filtering in action</em></p>
  <p>You can enable multiple layers at once. Our aim with this in the future will be to enable various correlations, e.g. showing how high pollution and traffic levels in an area might result in low levels of cycling.</p>
  <p>You can also (again in most but not all cases), draw over an area to filter for that. Some layers also have an export facility enabled, so that you can easily obtain a spreadsheet of the same data as the map is showing.</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions/#15/51.5089/-0.1143/mapnik"><br />
  </a><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions/#15/51.5089/-0.1143/mapnik" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3220 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/areadrawing.png" alt="" width="632" height="506" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/areadrawing.png 632w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/areadrawing-150x120.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/areadrawing-300x240.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px" /></a><br />
  <em>Area drawing, to obtain an area for export</em></p>
  <p>What layers do we want to add next?</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Pollution</li>
  <li>Taxi data (Cambridge only at this stage)</li>
  <li>Census trip data</li>
  <li>School travel data</li>
  <li>&#8230; and more!</li>
  </ul>
  <h3>Next steps</h3>
  <p>We&#8217;re on the lookout for funding to enable us to develop this further. We&#8217;ve achieved everything you see with under £7k of funding, so think how much further the site could go.</p>
  <p>Things we want to do include:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Change the UI so that it automatically &#8216;tells a story&#8217;</li>
  <li>Add more data layers, e.g. pollution and accessibility analysis</li>
  <li>Add charts to show change over time, &#8216;telling a story&#8217;</li>
  <li>Add heat map views of several layers</li>
  <li>Enable comparisons between Local Authority areas</li>
  <li>Add a proper design and interface &#8211; the current UI is essentially a prototype</li>
  <li>Enable more filtering controls</li>
  <li>Ensuring all data is up-to-date, e.g. collision data needs an update</li>
  <li>Add permalink URLs to enable all views to be persistent; currently this is only partially working</li>
  <li>Fix oodles of bugs and inconsistencies</li>
  </ul>
  <p>If you&#8217;d be interested in supporting any of the above developments, please do <a href="/contacts/">get in touch</a>.</p>
  <p>Also, code contributions are very welcome &#8211; the <a href="https://github.com/cyclestreets/bikedata">code is open source and on Github</a>, and should be very easy to start working on, so let us know if you need advice, or just submit pull requests!</p>
  <p><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions,cycleability/#18/51.53063/-0.12198/mapnik"><br />
  </a><a href="http://bikedata.cyclestreets.net/collisions,cycleability/#18/51.53063/-0.12198/mapnik" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone wp-image-3221 size-full" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/hostile.png" alt="" width="531" height="389" srcset="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/hostile.png 531w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/hostile-150x110.png 150w, https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/hostile-300x220.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 531px) 100vw, 531px" /></a><br />
  <em>Lots of collisions, and the cycleability of the road is marked as low: 40%</em></p>
  <h3>Thanks</h3>
  <p>Thanks again to <a href="https://www.outlandish.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Outlandish Co-op</a>, without whose funding and support would not have enabled us to get this project off the ground.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.outlandish.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignnone" src="https://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/outlandish-300x88.png" alt="" width="300" height="88" /></a></p>
  <h3>Lastly&#8230;</h3>
  <p>What should we call the site? Let us know your ideas!</p>
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