Adding Public POIs

[nounours]

1. We do plan on allowing users to add public POIs in a coming update to help fill in missing data. This will likely be independent of OSM data because we want to allow things like ratings, reviews, and photos which OSM doesn’t support.

This is a very good idea. I already dreamt about this a long time. Maybe we can brainstorm about this?

a. Fill in POIs: This would be perfect! Just create a point, select the category, enter name and other infos. This is saved offline obviously. And then sync it with OSM.

=> I do not see a reason why this should be not put back to OSM. You take all your data from OSM. If you create your sepearate dataset, you will soon be dead. Why? => Even if growing, the userbase of PE is much smaller than OSM. Imagine, sometime later, the same POI gets added to OSM. So you will have it twice on the PE map? Or do you want to filter it? What if the POI in PE was a bit displaced? You can you tell that it’s the same? And what if the POI closes? It will probably fast be removed from OSM, but not from PE …

b. ratings, reviews: this is great. I often thought, I would like to read it, or to write a review if I really like a restaurant. I really wonder why this does not exist in a Wiki-Project. Wikivoyage states clearly that it does not go this way. But there should be such a project. Maybe we should find out if there are such plans? Maybe initiate it (sounds like a tough one). But again: I really doubt if the user base of PE is big enough to this on it’s own (even if here, I think there are no technical obstacles).

c. Photos: This would be very cool. One thing I always thought: would it be possible to add a satellite image layer (of course, this is a memory headache. But maybe you could allow for download of another source, for a restricted area)? 2nd thing I really, really would like to see in PE are pictures from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage. This picture base is very fast getting better and would really already give a good idea about a place. (or see this website, it uses directly pictures from wikicommons https://tools.wmflabs.org/wiwosm/osm-on-ol/commons-on-osm.php).

Then there is the project “openstreetview”. Which sounds interesting, but has (last checked for than a year ago) very few data yet. But is there a reason not to store images from PE there? So the workflow could be: Make a picture on the iPhone => correct the location in PE => save pic & location & description locally => upload it to the OpenStreetViewServer when online again => PE shows (a selection?) of StreetView images.

So just some first thoughts, hope we can developpe on this in the future.

cheers, nounours.

[XOMTOR]

@nounours

Re: a. Fill in POIs:

Yes, yes and yes. I believe the Android app OsmAnd+ offers direct uploading/contributing to OSM. This could set PE apart in the iOS ecosystem since I don’t believe there’s an app that does that on this side. Besides, if you take data from OSM to use, any changes made should be put back for all to have access to.

Re: b. ratings, reviews

I wonder if they could somehow leverage Yelp.

Re: c. Photos

Taking and storing photos in the app seems like a good idea but having the ability to upload them to a central repository…yikes, that could get messy quick if human nature is anything to go by. 😉

[nounours]

@XOMTOR
There is an iPhone-App which is rather great for adding POIs: “PushPin”. I used it sometime, but it has one BIG disadvantage: it’s only online. Though, even if I’m home and have not to worry about data charges, it’s slow, and I do not use it. So, being in PE for walking around, I’m too lazy to switch to PushPin to do the edit. So I normally place a Pin in PE, and then edit OSM at home with JOSM. But having the exact functionality of PushPin into PE, this would be really great. I don’t know if technically one can take over code, maybe make a joint venture with push pin to put the two apps together? Just a thought .. n.

[craig4wd]

Yes – Pocket Earth should update OSM. I travel a bit and use a combination of Google Maps, TripAdvisor but Pocket Earth is my goto app. I often find things missing in PE and don’t have the time, bandwidth or memory to make updates to OSM. I would happily add to PE while I’m using it though and if this could update OSM I think you would have a good solution.

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