Why is this site file centric intead of POI data centric?
|
15 years
|
I'm new to POI Factory and something struck me about this site right away that, for right now, I see as a serious design flaw. All of the POI data on this site seems to be contained in files and separated out manually. Why is this site not centric around the POI data itself? I see a post for Rest Areas "Combined" and I see posts for Rest Areas broken out by state, some files for Interstates and some for non-Interstate. This is all unnecessary labor by members shuffling this data around to different files and posts if the site just stored all of the POIs in a database and then users can set whatever kind of filtering they want (i.e. "On Interstate", "Rest Area", etc.) for the site to kick out a custom file of POI data, be it CSV, GPX, KML, etc. on the fly. Let a database server do all of this work. 
Since I'm a newbie here, tell me I'm missing something and that the way it is now is better somehow.
Simplicity is the key to security and accuracy
The original POI files would be left alone, so your existing POIs would work the same as before. The files would be used to populate the database.
The database could be used to generate POI files that are not available today. For example, one can generate a POI file that contains all the coffee shops within 50 miles of a location, or all POIs in a city or state. A POI file could be generated for all traffic cameras for a city. You would load that file and set the alert like you would with the RLC files today.
A database could open up new groupings of POIs that are not available today, using data we already have. How they are grouped would be up to our imagination and needs. It could be pretty cool.
If a database were built as you envision, what would my incentive be as a file maintainer to maintain something I no longer had pride in? All this chatter about building databases that would combine the work of many into custom files overlooks the fact that every file here with the exception of the cameras is built and maintained by volunteers.
You may have some maintenance that would continue done by those that would submit corrections, but the incentive to scrub web sites and extract the information to build a poi in the first place would be taken away. It seems you are quick to take but slow to give and that is what makes this site so good. It is populated by a large number of people that are willing to share.
For anyone to be able to add to a poi file other than the Maintainer, would open the files to vandalism and inaccuracy. The system we are using now (a single maintainer) works because a good maintainer will verify every community members submission before editing the POI file.
Even the camera Files are submitted by the POI-Factory community and are both Validated and assembled by Miss POI.
Want to create a data base?
Download all the files and create one for yourself to use. Then use the new flag to see what files you need to update for your own data base.. That would solve the problems of those that want a DB, and if you like then share you code with others that want a the same.
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.
Burgerking and McDonalds files
Both of the files that you mention include the address,city and state.