OpenStreetMap
Survey = "No freaking way" or Mapping parts of the world no-one else wants to map, Part 2: HMP Sudbury, Derbyshire, UK
Posted by Rovastar on 7 September 2014 in English.Sometimes you come across empty spaces on the OSM map.
People map what things that they have an interest in and that is all fine. It is what map the map what is is today. We have railway enthusiasts, walking enthusiasts, cycling enthusiasts, theme park enthusiasts, etc and they pound the streets and tweak with aerially imagery with crazy details and map what is on the ground.
However others things do get neglected. What about the things that nearly everybody has little interest in? Things that people are unlikely to visit (and totally undesirable to visit) in your social circles and do a detailed survey. Things that serve major functions of society, that are signposted prominently on the ground and all we have are blank wiki stub pages about the amenity because the OSM community we care so little. Things that Google even have user reviews about.
What do we do about those?
Well on a trip out today I saw a road sign showing directions for one of these such features and it wasn’t on the map. Just a vast empty space.
So in the spirit of embracing social diversity (who knows I might even win the annual OSM diversity award…) I mapped (without a survey and any inside knowledge about to must stress) it from aerial imagery in detail. Mapped a vast area all the buildings, car parking areas, footways, sports pitches, etc. Maybe we (but not me) could have a mapping party there to get more on the ground details…
It was, if you haven’t guessed by now, a prison.
It is what we in the UK oxymoronically call an “Open Prison” and is here: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/52.89470/-1.76528 For anyone that wants to look. (I know we should not link to Google but what a great review. https://plus.google.com/111913605620881754283/about?hl=en ;) )
Up next to update that blankest of blank wiki page. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity%3Dprison Capacity, classification, sex of inmates, offering executions on site, etc.
And maybe even go through a list of all the UK prisons and map them.
Discussion
Comment from SimonPoole on 7 September 2014 at 22:12
Well
http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/47.43305/8.47328
and
http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/47.03250/7.54160
… I would actually be surprised if we had an unmapped prison here.
Comment from Rovastar on 8 September 2014 at 11:49
Well…I think my rather tongue in cheek points still stand. Obviously there are some/many prisons mapped however I imagine few are be richly mapped. Even in those examples of well mapped ones there is no addresses, contact, many missing features, duplicate prison tags, etc.
Comment from Vclaw on 8 September 2014 at 19:48
I noticed a few prisons in Scotland are taking part in Doors Open Day. So you could get a free tour around inside. They probably won’t allow cameras or electronic devices etc, but you could still look and see what’s there for mapping.
Unfortunately I missed the open day for my local prison this year. But I’ll try and get to a few other interesting buildings, and see what I can add to OSM.
Comment from Sanderd17 on 8 September 2014 at 20:54
Some years ago, I amused myself mapping the different barriers: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/51.20708/3.19124&layers=D
Btw, a “doors open” day for prisons? Sounds like a bad idea. Sounds Belgian in fact :D