Hello avinet_ua,

A number of other contributors have complained to the Data Working Group about your edits to names (especially the language used for a name) in some areas.  The way that names in disputed areas are handled is explained at https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/w/images/d/d8/DisputedTerritoriesInformation.pdf .  Among other things, that says:

"The OpenStreetMap community operates under the “on the ground” principle. If a name appears on the ground, for example a street sign, then that is the preferred name to use since a navigation system that does not use the same names as those that are signposted is just clearly impractical. This is recorded as a “name” in our database and is the one generally used on our main example map."

In the particular case of edits in Crimea, see also https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Working_Group_Minutes/DWG_2014-06-05_Special_Crimea :

"3. Edits changing place names between languages.  The DWG views these as the most serious portion of the dispute. The "on the ground" rule remains the method of determining the appropriate value for the name tag. The name tag should only changed in response to a change of most of the signage, a change in what the inhabitants of the place call it, or to fix a place name that was previously incorrect. These changes must not be made on the basis of government declarations or similar statements, but only direct observations of the on the ground situation.  Given the nature of the dispute, it would be best to support any name changes with a photo of changed signs or similar evidence, but this is not required. "

In the case of the village at https://osm.mapki.com/history/way/30711816 , you clearly have a view that the value associated with the "name" tag should be in Ukrainian, whereas another mapper thinks that it should be in Russian.

Do you have any evidence that the "the appropriate value for the name tag" (as per the link above) has either changed or was wrong before, to support your change on 2nd March 2023?

Until you have supplied this evidence please do not make any changes to the language used for the "name" tage of any OSM objects, where that name change goes against the two policies quoted above.

In addition, many of your changesets just have the comment "оновлено дані" ("updated data").  Please use meaningful changeset comments to explain to other mappers what you changed and why, and what the source you used was.

Best Regards,

Andy Townsend, on behalf of OSM's Data Working Group

