Local Usage of OpenStreetMap: blackcountryhistory.org

posted in: Uncategorized | 0

It’s always good to see the hard work you’ve put in surveying and editing being put to good use. I came across www.blackcountryhistory.org recently whilst researching listed buildings in Wolverhampton. As you can see it uses OpenStreetMap as the default map base layer – correctly attributed as well! The website is a collaboration of the museum and archive departments of all the councils in the Black Country – that’s Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. It’s aim is broadly to provide a digital gateway into their vast reserves of historical material.

The website introduces the Black Country as:  “an area located just to the west of Birmingham right at the heart of the UK. It lies between the towns of Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton and is noted for its industrial past. It is so named because of the concentration of coal mining and metalworking in the area. It has no agreed borders and no two Black Country men or women will agree on where its starts or ends. American visitor, Elihu Burritt was impressed with what he saw and said in 1869 ‘ The Black County, black by day and red by night, cannot be matched for vast and varied production by any other space of equal radius on the surface of the globe.’ ”

It’s no longer like that of course. It now provides a rich source of  industrial heritage and searching out particular sites or buildings associated with past industrial powerhouses provides a great incentive to getting out and surveying. It’s just very sad  that the major preservation body in the UK, the National Trust, ignores all this and concentrates on preserving the country houses of the aristocracy and nineteenth century factory owners, i.e where the wealth got spent by the few rather than where it got created by the many.

blackcountryhistory

OpenStreetMap 10th Birthday Party Saturday August 9th

posted in: Mapping Party, Participate | 1

OpenStreetMap’s 10th birthday party is on Saturday Aug 9th. We’ll be celebrating here in the West Midlands complete with birthday cake alongside scores of other cities and communities around the globe.

It’s hard to believe just how much we’ve developed our map and community in 10 years.

Anyone who has ever contributed to OpenStreetMap in the West Midlands or adjoining counties is welcome to come along and chat about the past 10 years of mapping and probe into the future of the next 10 years. That’s about 1,000 of you! Or indeed anyone who has ever registered as a user and not been able to make an edit – see how you can get started! Or anyone who’s just interested in maps and wants to find out what we’re about.

Our venue is very central. We’ll be located in the basement of 6/8 Kafé on Temple Row B2 5HG from about 12noon until about 2pm. Being mappers we have to provide a map on how to get there: it’s here.

Get there early or there may not be any birthday cake left (only crumbs, smiles and photos).

Birthday cake will be provided by Andy Robinson’s partner Liz and judging by the food we got at past  planning meeting at Andy and Liz’s house – its an event not to be missed!

6/8 Kafé are generously providing the space free to us so come along and sample some of their coffee and food. The venue has been voted as one of the top 50 coffee shops in the UK by readers of The Independent newspaper. Google Reviews opines: “ Relaxed cafe where coffee-mad baristas serve up artisan brews, home-baked cakes and deli fodder.”

Join us for your first global birthday party. Pop in and stay for as long or short a time as you like.