[geo-discuss] Free geo-data: what next?

Fri Nov 24 16:41:03 UTC 2006

Hey up,

Coming to this fairly naive, but a couple of points / questions:

1. In continuing the campaign in the UK, would it be good to collect concrete
instances of where access to data would make a big difference? In the abstract,
the subject is not very accessible to people we might lobby.

Example: I manage (fairly badly!) www.cohousing.org.uk - a joomla-based site. I
plan /want to upgrade in the new year to a system that will allow users to
submit their postcode and, from this, see who's nearby to form groups.

The case for free data is clear: co-housing's a 'good thing' both socially and
environmentally, but there's no way on God's Earth the cohousing network can
afford geo-data. (My only option is to quietly scrape the google maps api and
hope no-one notices...!)

Now, there must be other cases in the voluntary and community sector. Can we
collect them and store them somewhere? We can then go to people in power and
say, 'look what the current state of affairs doesn't allow - it's madness, and
it puts the voluntary and community sectors at a great disadvantage in
comparison to wealthy organisations.'

2. I'm just starting a PhD at Leeds Geog dept; I'm going to be creating
java-based local economy mapping apps - again, geo-data will be vital to make
it useable. I say this coz I'm wondering quite how I can direct my energies to
help this campaign. What's next? If I wanted to try and get some support in the
department for, say, a lobbying exercise, what angle should I take? Can we form
a national position and provide some docs for folk like me to download, and use
to harrass their departments?

Right, waffle over. Damn, I hate people like me who just write vague, open
question e-mails...!

Cheers,

Dan

-- 
'You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something,
build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.' - R. Buckminster
Fuller