https://openstreetmap.org/copyright | https://openstreetmap.org |
Copyright OpenStreetMap and contributors, under an open license |
https://openstreetmap.org/copyright | https://openstreetmap.org |
Copyright OpenStreetMap and contributors, under an open license |
Also the phone number isn't in +44 format and the note is being abused for advertising. Maybe there could be a slogan tag invented, for the latter.
My guess is that it is, at best, an office, and at worst what Google would call a service area business with no physical presence, i.e. a place that no-one ever goes to for business reasons, except the employees, and which is not permitted on Google maps.
The house exists, but the business failed the notability test for looking far too anonymous: I mean it's just looks like a house with the number 2 from the outside.
That sounds like the sort of service area business that would be rejected for Google Maps. Unfortunately, though, I'm not aware of a notability test for OSM, so the houses number is in, even if it is only mapped early to declutter the notes.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of anything equivalent to the Google service area business rules, that would allow one to take down a "local_knowledge" mapping on OSM, although I would have rejected it as not verified if it were requested in a note, and all I found was the door number..
The rule that would allow this to be taken down on Google Maps is the "presence" rule under https://support.google.com/mapmaker/answer/2642650?hl=en Note that it is the lack of access to the public which is the clincher for eliminating this on Google (although both Google and Bing are actually littered with them).
Really OSM could do with a rule on this, as, as more businesses become aware of it, more will seize the opportunity to map themselves.
In the mean time, I would be tempted to add a note something like "service area business with no public access or signage".
The equivalent OSM guideline is verifiability, isn't it? http://wiki.osm.org/wiki/Verifiability "a tag/value combination is verifiable if and only if independent users when observing the same feature would make the same observation every time"
That wiki page is more about subjective quantities, i.e. things that cannot be repeatably measured given all the information. One could argue that if one knocked at the door, the identity of business would be the same every time.
The Google rule is really about only mapping information that a map user would want to know, so someone running a business from their home which no customers visit is out, but one which is routinely visited by customers, is in, even if it isn't visible from the outside, because customers may want to know how to reach it.
Whilst I'd close a map note as not verifiable, without knocking on the door, I tend to assume that something actually mapped as local knowledge is correct unless there is evidence to the contrary.
If we don't allow local knowledge that can only be verified by door knocking, we have no hope of mapping most residential post codes, as it is unlikely that more than one active mapper knows them by legitimate means. That information is still verifiably true as you will always come up with either unknown, or the same postcode.
Vefifiabilty in OSM is very different from in Wikipedia, because they have very different positions on oriiginal research.
I think a notability concept really is the better way of handling this, and I note there have been many proposals for one. Google's rule is basically a notability one.
Whilst house numbers are one of the things that OSM could do well (apart from NPLG, the other maps seem to use address interpolation and can have big errors), I'd also like a rule for map notes that allowed isolated house number notes to be unceremoniously resolved with no action. I've actually surveyed an mapped the odd isolated house number just to declutter the notes, which, unfortunately, rewards the person who added the note, but would preferred to just cancel the note.
I come from a slightly different angle here: largely because I could only verify the location from the road, but not the business: I don't know if it was a "work-from-home" businesses or not.
However, for any business, I at least suggest it should not be overly promotional, as to arouse concerns about spam. We already had to deal with people who add bitcoin-accepting businesses with no physical location, and "man with van" nodes with mobile numbers. Therefore, the notability concept should, for starters, apply to businesses, just to see how it goes.
No further comments for 2 years, no business was visible when I passed and there must be better places for discussions than individual map notes. I have mapped other buildings along this stretch and therefore propose closing this note.
Makes sense to me.