Hello everyone, Some questions about the OSMap-Wikimedia collaboration ;

*Where is the active place ?*

- the meta:OpenStreetMaphttp://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap#OpenStreetMap_and_Wikipediaseems inactive, so... - where is the active place/page where OSMap-Wikimedia collaboration is working ?

*Strategy.wikimedia.org initiative take the lead ?:* The Strategy wiki is becoming more active, and have a nice forms to fill for technology requests. I added a request of OSMap-Wikimedia collaboration to create an " Encyclopedic OpenStreetMaphttp://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal:Encyclopedic_OpenStreetMap".

You can also copy the Encyclopedic OpenStreetMap request page, to create an other Graphics/OSM relate requesthttp://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Call_for_proposals#Graphics.

By the way, maybe the (inactive?) meta:OpenStreetMap page may be move to this strategy wiki ? Do you agree ?

*Currently on Wikimedia and Commons:* We are currently, on wikipedia, working in a really archaic way to create and manage maps. We work in JPG, PNG, SVG, file by file, duplicating images. Our countries lay out is netheir reliable, neither updatable. Google moved to a Web 2.0 way of mapmaking, OSM too. OSM open today to the wikimedia an efficient, and soon or later NEED web 2.0 way to manage maps (and eventually scheme drawing as well).

*Reuse more OSM technologies for wiki maps...* In addition of the currently planned OSM "Road maps" integration, several other innovating technologies from the *Web 2.0 SVG OSM project* may actually be reuse for* encyclopedic purposes*. I here think mainly about : Collaborative map creation-improvement and multilanguage labelling by wikipedians ; expansion of OSM to the 7 major Wiki Map Style (w:WikiProject Maps/Conventionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Wikipedia:WikiProject_Maps/Conventions; StyleEditor ); GIS topographic maps ; specific linguistic layers (thus avoiding drawing duplicata, easing drawing update, easing internationalisation/translations).

*...and encyclopedic schemes:* But OSM also open the path for web 2.0 technical schemes drawing, SVG and online editing allowing, again, to create linguistic label layers (English labels layer ; German labels layer ; ...) without duplicating the subject's drawing (and possible mistakes), thus easing update and corrections.

*Your opinions :* I will soon fill several such proposals on the Strategy wiki for those possible paths, but I would be happy to received your feedbacks :

1. your global opinions on thoses paths, 2. your opinion on the* feasability* of this ideas in the next years (delay) : _ OSM integration to wikipedia ? _ OSM expansion to 7 major wiki styles ? (with wiki icons, edit by wikipedians) _ OSM getting a function "create SVG scheme online" (collaborative tool) ? 3. is the Greenspun money still available and is it possible to link it to OSM collaboration project to expand its objectives ? 4. other proposal ?

*Obstacles:* This will, for sure, need programmers working hard, in collaboration with OSM ones, to expand the set of tools available, or to adapt OSM to wikipedia/wikimedia encyclopedic graphic needs. Considering the huge task, a strong top-to-bottom leardership is need, and when considering the expertise need (programing, SVG-XML knowledge), founding may equally be need to achieve such view.

*Founding ?* The now virtually death Greenspun project have about 20.000 US$ which HAVE TO BE USE to *"Improve illustration on wikimedia projects on the vectorial SVG side"* may maybe help such OSMap-Wikimedia collaboration. Does anyone tryed this way ? Is this money still available ? any information ?

*End:* I launch here several innovating graphic-relate ideas. I sincerely think are them to be both *need* -to increase our graphic reliability and identity- and technically *feasible*. My own opinion is that, anyway, we [wikimedia] will have to move to those*web 2.0 graphic technologies sooner or later *, in the next few years. Since we can start the move toward those technologies now, since *our job* as 'experts' is to make advised choices to save human work force in order to do more (research of efficiency) : let's start now to walk on this path of encyclopedic graphism 2.0 : encyclopedic, collaborative, SVG (scalable), easily maintainable and translatable.

Hoping your answers,

Regards,