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DesignGoals.md
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OpenStreetMap, being a crowdsourced map project, requires constant maintenance: map data becomes out of date, mappers make mistakes, mapping conventions are refined over time. While there are tools that allow anyone to inspect the quality of the map data through a variety of lenses, the mapping community also needs a tool that exposes mapping defects as actionable tasks for the crowd to resolve in a organized, systemic manner.
Because no such tool existed at the time, I created MapRoulette in 2012. (Mailing list announcement.)
Even though other tools with similar purpose exist today, MapRoulette remains unique in its purpose, which is to give volunteer OSM mappers of all abilities small but meaningful mapping tasks that are created by their peers.
Before we go any further into goals for the future, it is crucially important to remember this purpose and set a strict baseline of core features that serve MapRoulette's purpose. Nothing can be subtracted, and anything we add needs to serve this core feature set.
Before we dive into design goals for the next stage of MapRoulette, it is important to set a strict baseline: what defines the MapRoulette at its core.
The beating heart of the MapRoulette application is the task page. This is where mappers get all the information and tools they need to complete a task:
- Clear, concise task instructions
- A map showing the location of the task and any relevant OSM features
- Completion buttons
Localization
Since its inception, MapRoulette has been a self-contained application with a mission to bring meaningful mapping tasks to the OpenStreetMap volunteer mapping community. We will not stray from this mission, but we will expand on it to meet the needs of a much richer ecosystem of interconnected OSM tools.
We will define MapRoulette as a platform rather than (just) an application.
- Enabling and encouraging two-way integrations between the MapRoulette API and other systems in the OpenStreetMap ecosystem, including the core OpenStreetMap infrastructure, will be central to the MapRoulette platform.
- MapRoulette will strive to be a central repository for QA signals in all of OSM, to be used across applications
- The MapRoulette Application will not disappear or fundamentally change.
We aim to be a reliable and trusted participant in the OpenStreetMap community.
- A commitment to openness that goes beyond publishing source code
- We will put the needs of the volunteer community first
- "Design by committee"