On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:17:02 -0500, Yaakov Nemoy wrote: [...] >>> If you're looking to become a consumer, there are a few options, but >>> they all rely finding a way to get the topographical data in the >>> database first. [....] >>> Try lobbying your local wildlife agency that publishes this data to >>> participate in OSM. Once the data's there, you'll need a tool that can >>> display it for you on a MID or similar device. If such a tool exists >>> that is open source, we can look at including it in the spin, of >>> course. [...] > To make this data useful to us, it needs to be readable by an Open > Source tool. [....] >>> It's a hobby, you have to at least start somewhere ;) >> >> Precisely. Where? Is there already a site for true beginners? Or >> might I perhaps best wait for the new spin, and work from that? >> >> I'm strictly a user of Fedora (who wouldn't know a line of code >> if it bit me), but not a completely clueless one -- I've been running >> it since it was RH7. That might be worth a little bit. > > So far, it's been nice talking to you about the possibilities of a Geo > Spin. I'm still not clear what exactly you're looking to do. What is > your goal here? Are you looking to get involved more in OpenStreetMap? > Editing OpenStreetMap? Using OpenStreetMap? Using Fedora? Testing OSM > tools on Fedora? None of the above. I want to be freed of M$, while still doing the private mapping I've been doing. That is, go out with a GPS into an area that already has good machine-readable topo data;record my personal waypoints, tracks, and routes; upload them into the machine on which I already have the public data; and thereby produce a good map, to scale, showing where my locations are with respect to locations of more general interest. Here's one example : the US Forest Service has built a network of nice trails (for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking) in an area quite near here. There are only sketch maps of these trails, and the USFS budget seems to me unlikely to extend to upgrading them in my time.Maybe I can do it for them, and hand it to them on a plate, by way of thanks for their trail-building. Also, the fount & origin of these trails is a large pond near the highway, which also has parking, latrines, picnic, fishing, and wildlife watching facilities, and on and on. All the area within a certain radius of the pond is off-limits to hunting, naturally enough; but its boundary is marked only along a road. I want to find and mark the rest of the boundary, so that, when I'm hunting off-trail (as most hunters mostly do), I'll see the boundary and turn away rather than cross it inadvertently. Here's another example : I want to find and map game trails, for two reasons. First, if one happens to lead from near where I am to near where I want to be, it's usually second only to a human trail (if any) for ease of travel. Second, I want to watch places where game trails cross, and get to places to watch from without walking on the trails and leaving my scent, but also without scaling cliffs nor swimming lakes. I trust you can see that adding such data to public maps would only crud them up with data most users wouldn't want. > Since you're not involved in running mapping parties, sadly, i have very > little for you to do for the time being. My initial goal is to provide > media a Mapping Party organizer can use to get participants up to speed > very quickly. I'm not sure you fit this description. No, I'm afraid not. I can try taking a few copies of the Geo spin to the first installfest after it's ready, and hope to generate or uncover interest that way. If there is any group, or one forms, I can invite it to meet here. > Nevertheless, i've > published a kickstart file, and will publish directions shortly on how > to use it. If you would like to test it, i would be more than glad to > hear about your reactions. (Honestly, if you've been using Fedora and > RHL this long, it won't look much different to you, it's just a Fedora > desktop with a few extra applications installed.) I only just got around to reading what a kickstart file is -- and I guess I missed something. I don't see you can have a kickstart file before the spin is finished ... Anyhow, yes, I took a look, and I do indeed have some of those packages; yum is installing the others now -- with some trepidation on my part, since they include gpsd and gpsdrive. >>> One of the first targets i have in mind is Windows users who show up >>> at a Mapping Party. The goal is to provide something they can use out >>> of the box to participate. There will be people there familiar with >>> the Gnome Desktop anyways, so they will be able to show the >>> participants where to find applications and tools. >> >> Hmmm ... I heard of these yesterday for the first time; I'll >> have >> to try to find out if any are scheduled hereabouts. Is there a central >> listing, like the one for LUGs? Google seems to get a lot of >> adventitious hits. > > http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Beginners%27_Guide > http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Current_events > http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/FAQ > http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Getting_Involved Thanks! I'll go look at those some more. -- Beartooth Staffwright, PhD, Neo-Redneck Linux Convert Remember I know precious little of what I am talking about. -- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines
