While researching UK military bunker tagging for the UKBOTA amateur radio
programme, I found that bunker_type=observation (64 uses) and
bunker_type=observation_post (10 uses) are both in use in the UK, but not
consistently for the same structure type.
bunker_type=observation is the one with wiki documentation, defined as “a
reinforced structure primarily used for observation and directing
firepower… distinguished from command posts by being a lot smaller and
only operated by a few soldiers” — a good fit for genuine WWII-era surface
observation posts. observation_post has no wiki page.
I reviewed all 74 tagged nodes/ways individually (name, description,
linked heritage records where present):
43 are explicitly Cold War Royal Observer Corps monitoring posts (1955–68
nuclear fallout monitoring bunkers) — a structurally distinct thing from a
WWII observation post, currently squeezed into the same tag.
11 are genuine WWII-era surface observation posts (e.g. Fort Henry at
Studland Bay, North Berwick Law).
5 are edge cases I don’t think fit a clean 2-way split (details below).
15 have no identifying data in OSM at all — outside the scope of this
proposal, would need field verification.
Proposal:
Keep bunker_type=observation for genuine WWII-era surface observation
posts (already documented, no change needed there)
Add a new bunker_type=roc_post value for the Cold War underground ROC
monitoring posts, with a wiki page
Deprecate observation_post — its ~10 existing uses get sorted into one of
the two above per-node, not bulk-assumed
Five edge cases I’d like input on before drafting a wiki page:
Keep bunker_type=observation for genuine WWII-era surface observation posts (already documented, no change needed there)
Add a new bunker_type=roc_post value for the Cold War underground ROC monitoring posts, with a wiki page
Deprecate observation_post — its ~10 existing uses get sorted into one of the two above per-node, not bulk-assumed
Five edge cases I’d like input on before drafting a wiki page:
- Two nodes are named “WW2 Royal Observer Corps Building/Post” — the ROC did WWII-era visual aircraft spotting from surface posts, which predates the
underground Cold War monitoring posts this proposal calls roc_post. Does this need its own value, or fold into observation since it’s structurally a WWII
surface post regardless of who staffed it? - One node tagged “ROTOR” — a distinct 1950s radar programme, not an ROC monitoring post. Probably needs its own tag entirely rather than being folded
into either bucket here? - One “Command Bunker” tagged as observation — likely just a mistagging that should be bunker_type=command?
- One generically named “Observation post” with no other detail — how should genuinely undated/unidentifiable existing nodes be handled?
Happy to do the actual retagging once there’s consensus — wanted to check the approach here first, per general import/retagging guidelines.
Thanks,
Chris