That pretty much says it all. Also fully agree with Escada.
And can’t help suspecting that the big ‘silent majority’ who didn’t say a word to this yet sees it the same way - it’s so completely outlandish, not even worth wasting time discussing.
This would be a GIANT project. And OpenstreetMAP does have as main target MAPS, which is already a GIANT project in itself. Dropping both together into the same pot doesn’t make sense to me, it’s different things, and most of all, data size getting way too big. Even now, the current size of offline maps is already staggering for many people and their mobile phones. And wouldn’t be surprised if such a trade directory would even be ten or a hundred times bigger as some street nodes and building outlines.
Please, keep maps as maps, and trade directories as trade directories!
Besides, I don’t believe either such a directory would be possible with any reasonable accuracy by volunteers. On one hand due to the incredible mass of data alone, half the stuff would always be wrong and if a shop database is so unreliable it’s useless anyway. And on the other, when I see how much nonsense gets mapped even today it makes my hair stand on edge. And third, if shop competition kicks in and MONEY can be earned, they’d manipulate like crazy, as was already mentioned too.
Sure to a certain extent it’s great if the maps contain some additional details which need not always be 100% strictly map related, as long as they add useful information, but please without blowing up the database so extremely.
And what’s next? Once crossed that line, you can then toss the whole world into it, there will be no limit anymore. Which offices offer which services in all details, health stuff and doctor and equipment details, public transport up to the tiniest details and all prices and seat class etc., and just about every bit of information on the planet.
That may not be your vision, but if OSM would not be “map centered” anymore, why should it stay “map+trade centered” ever after?? Taking away it’s definition is like opening a flood gate.
As much as I’d really love to have access to such a detailed trade directory, and do hope that OSM will contain more shop details too (to a certain extent), but such a GIANT super detailed trade directory is just plain not the job of OSM. And it couldn’t work in this organisation anyway.
Instead I’m sure there’s some much better way of crosslinking separate databases and apps in a flexible way, with OSM just providing what’s its job - showing the streets and positions of the shops.