OpenStreetMap

Posted Sep 20, 2007 7:29 UTC (Thu) by kms (subscriber, #6679) [Link]

> Why haven't I ever heard of OSM before? How long has it been operating?
> (I could find no "about" info on their site.) The domain was registered
> in August 2004, but I wonder how long people have been submitting data.
> Just curious, because they have a good level of detail for some cities.
> (See Portland, OR for instance.) If I've never heard of it, how many
> others haven't, who could potentially contribute GPS traces?
>
> Now, perhaps I need to start doing traces around San Antonio! :-)

OSM recently celebrated its third anniversary.

Mapping in the USA has been slow because the USGS makes large portions of its data available with no restrictions, so there has been little motiviation for US mappers. There has recently been a push to import the TIGER data for the USA, I guess that Portland has been already imported - hence the detail. The TIGER import is ongoing, but due to the sheer volume of data it is predicted to take about a year to complete.

If you are in the USA and are interested in joining the project you should swing by the osm-talk[1] mailing list and ask that the area you will be mapping be bumped to the top of the queue for import, you can then help out by correcting and updating the imported data.

OSM is a global project, so no matter where you live you can contribute. Even if collecting traces with a GPS is not your thing there are plenty of other ways to contribute - tools for processing data, rendering and serving maps, or even just helping to maintain the ever expanding database!

Keith.

[1] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/talk

Posted Sep 21, 2007 9:36 UTC (Fri) by brwk (guest, #6849) [Link]

As a pretty keen OSM mapper myself I'd say come and join us! It's a nice way of contributing back to the free-rather-than-licensed knowledge community - it's a pretty accessible project for those who want to contribute but don't have the time or inclination to write code. I've found it a lot of fun finding all the alternative ways to and from work, friends, etc in order to fill out the map in my area.

I'm amused you mention Portland OR 'cos I know that some significant portions of the downtown were mapped by a fellow Brit while attending a conference there. Personally, I added the I-90 between Chicago and Madison WI, much of Madison WI and the route up to Green Bay WI. I plan to do a bit of the area south of Boston MA when I visit next month...

I'm really excited about the idea of an application like marble taking on the task of using the OSM data - this is what it really needs to get going in a big way - an accessible application which shows people why it's so much better to have the data local and accessible rather than served up in processed-cheese style portions in multiple images which can't be used in any way other than the most simplistic. The moving laptop is an obvious place to want map data, but unless you license software and maps at great cost, it is denied to you. This is exactly the same restrictive practices that free software is about freeing people from. Come on guys, get a GPS receiver, get out there, map your neighborhood and upload it. If we can free the simple knowledge of maps for all to share, we'll have done a really good thing.

Regards, Bevis.