ika-chan
(Sharks with laser beams attached to their heads!)
1
A number of posts regarding disruptive and questionable edits by the now-former mapper Map-Finder were spun-off to this dedicated thread (from here) on 8 May 2024. Map-Finder was originally suspended on 23 April 2024 for abusive behaviour towards Spaghetti Monster in response to the removal of construction lines tagged as pipelines.
Since then, a number of users (me included) have come forward with evidence of further behavioural misconduct. These include:
Adding notes that seem to imply that Map-Finder “owns” the ways (source)
Aggressive behaviour in response to concerns raised about Map-Finder’s work, with Map-Finder often asserting that they are always right, and that anyone who disagrees with Map-Finder’s work are “stalkers”. (source, source, source)
Creating useless no U-turn relations, despite being implicit in Greece and therefore a matter for the routing software (source, source)
Mapping of roads separated only by hatched lines as a dual carriageway, despite the fact we have tags for such scenario (see also: this, this)
Removing name labels from settlements (according to what @jimkats told me, please elaborate if you can)
Tagging most of the toll motorways with toll=no, despite the fact that toll=yes applies to ways to and from the toll booth (source, report)
The original message now follows:
Guys, I just removed notes on motorways that seem to imply that Map-Finder “owns” the ways. From the history of an affected way, for example (version 21):
PLEASE RESPECT THE ALLIGNMENT & THE SYMMETRY OF THE LANES. It has be made by GPX tracks. If you want to make any change please contact me before.
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project: while I and Map-Finder have strong albeit passionate views on the way we should map Greece, neither of us “own” the right to map Greece however we like. In addition, the GPX tracks are not always accurate, especially inside tunnels.
ika-chan
(Sharks with laser beams attached to their heads!)
3
I have uncovered more misinformed mapping by Map-Finder: based on Way History: Αττική Οδός (601734050) | OpenStreetMap, the editor decided to declare most of Attiki Odos as untolled, despite the fact that toll=yes applies to ways to and from the toll booth. In doing so, many drivers risked being unwillingly tricked into paying tolls to access a way that isn’t tolled.
I don’t recall toll roads being tagged like what Map-Finder did: I thought we should tag them like in this example: that is, a segment of road has toll=yes if the all possible routes to get there require paying a toll beforehand.
Honestly, I’m shocked Map-Finder indeed did such things (as mentioned in the block message). I also had issues with him (very briefly, he wouldn’t really accept most times he did mistakes), but I would never suspect he would reach that point. I really wonder what made him act like that against SomeoneElse. I would guess at first his account got hacked, but since the block message states the usage of Greek language, I would suspect that’s indeed him.
The strange issue is that he deleted his account, so now we can’t trace his edits easily. Wth happened the last few weeks…
You weren’t the only one who was surprised - people on IRC / Matrix thought exactly the same. Unfortunately, the private messages we’ve received at the DWG don’t suggest they’re going to back down and do what they were requested to do.
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ika-chan
(Sharks with laser beams attached to their heads!)
6
We can still trace Map-Finder’s changesets via OSMCha, inputting user ID 9221753 in the filter form.
I saw his last edits before he started the war and I think I know what happened…it’s all about those imaginary circular underground pipelines, isn’t it? I asked him about that in 2020, and he told me he uses them as a measure to keep the motorways “ways” (that is, both directions) in same distance from each other, to avoid getting moved unintentionally due to imagery misplacement. He should indeed find a better way to do that rather leaving those on map, even if they would be supposedly “invisible”…
Map-Finder was problematic right from the start. I had many issues with him from day 1 he joined the community.
I am sure that @ika-chan remembers that.
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ika-chan
(Sharks with laser beams attached to their heads!)
10
[Side note: I think we have to spin-off posts relating to Map-Finder’s recent conduct from here to a separate thread, due to the huge impact the incident had on the Greek community.]
Although the mapper’s conduct was not the reason why I stopped contributing to the map every single day, their behaviour severely affected my ability (and probably many others) to try and positively improve the map of Greece.
I sense a long-term miscommunication and misunderstanding.
This is, as SomeoneElse said in the block aswell, a collaborative project. Collaborations tend to have issues, but because we all have a common goal here, to improve the map data as best as possible for everyone to use, issues need to be addressed as civilized as possible.
Many people in OSM unfortunately tend to forget that and simply try to be on their own without giving room for much, or any at all, communication, which leads to issues with not only the local community, but with the international community and the project as whole. People should never forget that they are not alone on this place.
Ξέθαψα μια παλιά συζήτηση/διαφωνία με τον Map-Finder του 2019. (για όποιον έχει όρεξη και περιέργεια)
Έτσι απλά για να πάρετε μια ιδέα
(διαβάστε όλο το νήμα)
