License "Metropole Ruhr: Luftbilder (10 cm)" compatible?

[rbuffat]

The following source https://github.com/osmlab/editor-layer-index/blob/gh-pages/sources/europe/de/MetropoleRuhrLuftbilder(10cm).geojson has currently no license url.

The wms server metadata says:

<Fees>Lizenzkosten für kommerzielle Nutzung werden auf Anfrage mitgeteilt. Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns.</Fees>
<AccessConstraints>Die Nutzungs- und Verwertungsrechte liegen beim RVR. Die kommerzielle Nutzung der Daten wird durch einen Lizenzvertrag geregelt.</AccessConstraints>

The same information can be found here: https://daten.geoportal.ruhr/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/c88b0f40-8139-4b1b-accd-fa66a42e4012

I found also the following homepage: https://www.rvr.ruhr/daten-digitales/geodaten/luftbilder

At the bottom of the page, there is a link with DOWNLOADS -> PREISLISTE GEODATEN, 2020 (195 KB) Preisliste zur Bereitstellung von freien Geodaten, Stand 2020.

Which includes:

Bereitstellung von Geodaten über automatisierte Verfahren Für über automatisierte Verfahren abgerufene Geodaten und Metadaten (bspw. via WMS, WFS, WCS, CSW, Downloadportal, Datenbankschnittstellen, etc.) werden keine Gebühren erhoben.

There is also https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/RVR/protokoll_2017-07-05

@Klumbumbus @simonpoole Could you have a look at this source?

[Klumbumbus]

cc @tobwen (https://forum.openstreetmap.org/viewtopic.php?id=28511)

[tobwen]

Thanks for the cc. I'm in regular contact with the publisher and will clarify the current license terms. Since the creators of the aerial photographs change permanently due to tenders, there may indeed have been a change in licensing.

[rbuffat]

I now log the WMS Fees / Access Constraints in https://rbuffat.github.io/eli_watchdog, in case somebody wants to check other sources

[tobwen]

Please wait a few days, I've just contacted them. There are no fees to download and use of images, but they're licensed under dl-de/by-2-0. I suspect that in the wording the exception for deriving geodata from aerial photographs was simply forgotten. We had permission to use the images since 2008.

[rbuffat]

@tobwen Have you already heard back?

[tapetis]

@tobwen, is there an update regarding the license also in regards to the new 2021 aerial photos?

[cicku]

@tobwen Hello?

[tobwen]

Oh sorry for the delay. I'll ask them today. Maybe I'll take a quick ride over in person, it's only a few subway stops.

Update Bad news: the contact persons are out of office until 2022-10-04 / 2022-10-27. I'm trying to get the case escalated, but due to the lack of urgency, I can't promise anything.

[tobwen]

I'm stupid! RVR already has responded to me back in 2020. Here is a translated version; I'll put the original version into the wiki:

The copyright of the data license Germany - Attribution - Version 2.0 must only be used for the aerial photographs from 1926 to 2019, if the aerial photographs are 

1. are duplicated, printed, presented, changed, processed as well as transmitted to third parties; 
2. are merged with own data and data of others and combined to independent new data sets; 
3. be integrated into internal and external business processes, products and applications in public and non-public electronic networks.

OpenStreetMap uses aerial imagery only as a data basis for "interpreting, collecting, deriving, and updating" its own data. There is no linking of datasets and therefore RVR does not intend to modify its rights to use aerial imagery.

The statement talks about 2019 because my request was in 2020 (that's when the 2019 images were current). Since the RVR is very OSM-friendly and the employees as well as all affiliated cities also enter data into OSM, it is not assumed that the agreement will be cancelled.