OpenStreetMap
Pierre Parmentier is an engineer in construction. He first worked on construction sites and projects in Africa, the Middle East and South America. Then in Belgium. Currently, as freelancer, he participates in industrial projects in different countries of the world. Everything what has to do with mapping, orienteering and fortifications are his hobbies. And many other subjects ! He maps under the name foxandpotatoes.
How did you get to know OpenStreetMap?
That was in 2009. I completed the highway network in the Sonian Forest. Then, everywhere I stayed, where I went, where I worked, like in Saint-Quentin, in Montmédy, traveling, on vacation, around Brussels, I completed the data. I also call upon my memory of living overseas.
Do you use OpenStreetMap?
OpenStreetMap helps me to prepare travels and to locate points of interest. For editing, I use JOSM and validation tools like Osmosis and OSM Inspector. As GPS, I have a Garmin Etrex 20 and I use OsmAnd+ with my smartphone. I also started to ‘play’ with uMap.
How do you map?
I am a rather isolated contributor. I never had the opportunity to attend a mapping party. I work mostly on places I know. But with validation tools, I can do more distant corrections.
What do you map?
I work mostly on basic data like highways, buildings, the UrbIS import, addresses and shops. Occasionally, I added roadside trees, hydrants, AED, pedestrian crossings, post boxes.
Why do you map?
What motivates me is the passion for maps, the desire to understand the landscape and my environment. When I see a forested embankment in the countryside, I imagine immediately the railroad passing by. Mapping leads to many questions: history, geography, semantics. That’s what interests me! But also participating in a worthwhile project is important for me.
What is your biggest achievement as mapper ?
Nothing in particular. We are like ants and each contributor adds his small piece. And each contribution deserves respect!
What are your ideas about expanding the OpenStreetMap community?
I think we should focus on what OpenStreetMap can make a popular tool for the one that moves, including people outside of major cities. Adding bins and lighting, is of course included in the project, but it should come later. Yes, we could add, for example, all the underground networks, useful in public works, but this should not be a priority for now. Furthermore, it is unfortunate that in Belgium, we are not a real ASBL-VZW with a legal personality. Such an organisation will increase our visibility and we could turn to the press and the media more easily. We have for example seen how OpenStreetMap France has become in recent years a public actor with a considerable weight. I also think we should prepare and distribute paper leaflets explaining the nature of the Belgian project. The brochure is available in Dutch; it must only be adapted and also prepared in French and English.
What is in your view the greatest strength of OpenStreetMap?
The greatest strength of OpenStreetMap is to be free. Opportunities to use and reuse are endless. Look at all those ideas and applications that are popping up everywhere, such as the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Waymarked Trails, the Geschichtkarten. All this is very stimulating!
What are the largest challenges for OpenStreetMap?
OpenStreetMap must take advantage of the current trend to put everything on maps, to go graphical. It is a quite recent phenomenon.
How to do stay on top of news about OpenStreetMap ?
I read the mailing lists Talk-be and Newbies.
Do you have contact with other Mappers ?
No, very little, but I have met contributors in Leuven, Gent and Brussels, at the FOSDEM and at ESI.
To conclude, is there something else you want to share with the readers?
To the Belgian contributors, I say ‘Hats off to you’. To the user of our data, I would say … join us and become a contributor
Discussion
Comment from Super-Map on 4 March 2015 at 08:53
Bonjours escada,
Pour ma part, j’ai entendu parlé du projet des son lancement… mais je ne m’y intéressais pas à ce moment là, j’étais plus jeune, je travaillai dure pour m’acheter des choses, pour me faire plaisir entre autre, comme un VTT… J’aime la “technologie” et pas seulement. J’apprécie également Internet qui est une formidable source de connaissances, un outil de travail, mais un “outil a double tranchant” (comme bon nombre de technologie, il y a le côté Jedi et le côté obscure de la force…)… Un jour, j’ai une nouvelle fois entendu parlé d’OSM et je me suis dis “pourquoi pas”. Lorsque l’on connaît le potentiel du projet, on se doit de “mapper” en respectant le travail de ceux qui l’ont créé et qui ne cesse d’évoluer… Alors pourquoi faire une “map” alors que Internet regorge de cartes?… Pour les mêmes raisons que vous venez de citer et parce que c’est motivant lorsque l’on y a “goûté”, il faut faire des recherches, acquérir une certaine autonomie et cartographier avec une précision que d’autres cartes ne permettent pas, par exemple dans une forêt, si on aime la randonné, on peu la “mapper”…
However, one more time, when we have the competences for that (if we are an adult), we have the obligation to do that “correctly” we have several forensic tools for that… Everybody do a mistake, but, everybody can repairs the mistake of the other, that the “Force side” of this project. I have no reel purpose, except improve “the map”, I give no money for that, but I like it. As you know that, certainly, the money do not the “happiness”, nevertheless we need money if we want to live in this “dangerous world”. The human race have his JEDI SIDE and in the same time, THE DARK SIDE….
Happy mapping project.
P.S.: everybody have the right to improve the work of the other, but nobody have the right to destroy the work of the other, this is available in a “computer scientist”… You know, where I live.