It's a shame that neither this site nor mundraub.org mentioned by yorwba utilizes the OpenStreetMap database. It shouldn't be too hard to find or introduce the proper tags; trees already support genus/species etc. It would expose this data to a larger community, and encourage contributions from local mappers.
I would try to get rid of the 'Use ctrl+scroll to zoom the map' limitation; it's annoying and pointless on a full scale map.
I have actually been doing some of this in my area for crabapple trees. Not necessarily to eat them, but I find it useful to clean up the sidewalk and dump the fallen crabapples in my compost. IMO it just needs a viewer that focuses on plants that bear fruit, and potentially a tag to designate public access (maybe just reuse access:public).
Somewhat offtopic, but (almost) all of these websites use Google Maps. This means they probably are going to get large bills with this extra HN traffic flood. :(
Since these are non-commerical tools, my company (in my bio) would be happy to provide free maps for these websites—as would many other OpenStreetMap-based providers.
Whatever mapping service you use, more traffic means more cost and ultimately someone has to pay. Just like your company, Google Maps offers non-profits a subsidised service [1].
Sure, but rendering tiles isn't anywhere near as costly as what Google charges. Google is using their mindshare as having the best maps to help them charge high rates for baseline service.
On that note, Google Maps's quality seems to be significantly dropping. They're missing most of the 300k addresses that have been renumbered in the past decade in Kitsap County (just across the water from Seattle), and when I go much outside Seattle proper, their maps are spotty compared to OpenStreetMaps.
> Google Maps's quality seems to be significantly dropping. They're missing most of the 300k addresses that have been renumbered in the past decade in Kitsap County (just across the water from Seattle), and when I go much outside Seattle proper, their maps are spotty compared to OpenStreetMaps.
Maybe because they like to wait and see if they can snarf up open source map data rather than generate it themselves :)
The county literally offers this data for free in a weekly dump, as do most counties in the US. OpenStreetMaps is the only group to download those weekly dumps, every couple years one of large database providers that Google & Apple buy from will download it. But that right there is why they're both so far behind, with Google having the advantage of nagging their smartphone users to make their maps less shitty (which is why they're good in dense urban areas).
If people are doing good things, I don't much care whether it's originated from a _good heart_ or not. I'm totally satisfied with the idea that someone is motivated to do good by outside factors and is willing to take such an opportunity. It makes me much more optimistic about the course of humanity.
Is that still a concern? It used to be a major health issue when I was a kid because of tetraethyl lead pollution, but now that leaded fuels have been banned long ago, the car emissions should be harmful only to breathing and climate change, without any poisonous residue on roadside plants.
Apropos, I like the stories of Johnny Appleseed and Luther Burbank, both of which I read as a teenager, when I used to both do and read about organic gardening and related topics.
How would you know if you are allowed to pick the fruits? Not all private properties are fenced, so if you take your bugs and go hunting for fruits you could get face to face with the angry owner, his dog and who knows in some countries his gun.
What pisses people off the most is when people damage the tree trying to get the fruit. Losing one crop is frustrating but now some jerk has compromised the tree for years or maybe forever.
There’s a group here that gets the owners’ permission. Some of those trees were planted by the previous owner or someone whose health or free time doesn’t let them pick like they used to. This group gleans the tree, and then the fruit is split evenly between the owner, the pickers, and a food bank. The owner gets a little less fruit but does something good and has less rotting fruit to clean up that year.
The fruit trees would love it. Wide seed dispersal? People coming from nearby regions to eat? I produce a different kind of seed but I'd still sign up.
But fwiw I've learned that if you ever find yourself saying "Just <do something>, [it's that easy!]" then you're likely making a silly comment regardless of subject.
I would try to get rid of the 'Use ctrl+scroll to zoom the map' limitation; it's annoying and pointless on a full scale map.