Openstreetmaps: a good thing?

[Rinkhals]

I've chanced across Openstreetmaps which is an attempt to derive up to date street maps across the entire world by participation of ordinary people largely using GPS receivers.

There is a South African Chapter which is here.

The question is: Is there any point?

There is already at least one commercial operator offering free street maps.

Over to you...

 

[psimondo]

of course!

the example you point to lets users view free streetmaps which is nice, but do they allow unlimited access to the mapping data so application developers can embed maps in their applications?

Even if they do, who's to say the copyright holders don't decide to turn off access in the future?

OpenStreetMap lets you use their data for free and its open, so it cannot be retracted and developers cannot suddenly be charged for maps and geodata without warning.

My company makes use of Google and Yahoo maps. These are good and free, but we are at their mercy if they decide to restrict access to them or start charging. We are always looking for new providers and Openstreetmap is certainly one of the most promising and fastest growing.

 

[reech]

Open streetmap is incredible!

A true testament to the power of collaboration. I would urge everyone to help, even just by cleaning up and correcting maps of areas that you're familiar with, if not providing and uploading traces.

Everyone needs truly free geodata!

 

[Pyro]

OSM is awesome Use their maps on my phone. Obviously not quite up to scratch against commercial products, but a damn nice resource.

OSM has better street maps than Google for the areas I needed.

 

[Rinkhals]

The maps they provide are also incomplete when you come to print them out using their 'print' facility.

So would you get out your GPS and contribute the output to the openstreetmap project?

 

[nicroets]

Some things streetmaps.co.za does not have :
some the "temporary road closures" e.g. http://openstreetmap.org/?lat=-25.82504&lon=28.28969&zoom=17
some unpaved roads e.g. http://openstreetmap.org/?lat=-25.84348&lon=28.36475&zoom=15
some / all shortcuts that pedestrians and cyclists use e.g. http://openstreetmap.org/?lat=-25.76928&lon=28.27438&zoom=17

 

[dogmatic69]

The question is: Is there any point?

There is already at least one commercial operator offering free street maps.

commercial being the problem

 

[firefishy]

Use on

There is already at least one commercial operator offering free street maps.

Can you put Streetmaps.co.za onto your Garmin GPS? No. OpenStreetMap? Yes, for free, Garmin Maps, download.

Can you make a cycle map using the underlying data from Streetmaps? No. OpenStreetMap Yes - OpenCycleMap.

With Streetmaps.co.za you are limited to what they decide to offer, with OpenStreetMap you are free to do as you wish.

 

[dogmatic69]

with OpenStreetMap you are free to do as you wish.

exactly. if there is something that you want in osm all you need to do is request it or do it your self... then its done. and once its done you are free to do what ever you want with it.

streetmaps.co.za will never be even close to what openstreetmap is... think about it... there must be a few 1000 people working on osm, either mapping, deving, testing whatever... streetmaps.co.za prob has a handful doing it all

 

[Peder]

OSM works very well even their map creation interface is outta this world!!

 

[nicroets]

Can you put Streetmaps.co.za onto your Garmin GPS?

(Why would you want to that ?)

But yes, you can load Openstreetmap on a variety of celphones, PDAs, netbooks and notebooks :
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Gosmore#Devices
http://wiki.navit-project.org/index.php/Main_Page