Dear UNMISS GIS,

you have deleted a lot of data from OSM claiming that this data was “confidential” and your “property”.

I have the impression that the data you have deleted was properly surveyed on the ground by our volunteers, and as such your “property” claims are void.

I will check with the volunteers who have added this data to OSM. If the data was taken from a publication of yours in violation of copyright then we will remove it; otherwise it will remain in OSM.

You cannot simply delete information from OSM that you do not want to be public if this information is freely available to people on the ground. Doing so is vandalism in OpenStreetMap. If you are performing these actions in the course of your job then you are also subject to our “organised editing policy” which means that you have to discuss your plans with the community before you act.

I have restored the information you have deleted. Please refrain from continuing or repeating any deletions. I will get in touch with you after I have ascertained the source of the information in OSM. Until then, the data will remain.

Best regards
Frederik Ramm
OSMF Data Working Group