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There are more alternatives to Google & Mapbox that mostly use OpenStreetMap as a backing data source: https://openmaptiles.org (only map tiles) https:

There are more alternatives to Google & Mapbox that mostly use OpenStreetMap as a backing data source: https://openmaptiles.org (only map tiles) https://stadiamaps.com (map tiles, static maps & routing) https://www.thunderforest.com (only maps) https://geocoder.opencagedata.com (only geocoding) https://geocode.earth (only geocoding) A laundry listing: https://switch2osm.org/providers/ https://switch2osm.org/providers/ Tile providers are very thankful for the excellent rendering libraries built by Mapbox, Mapzen, and the Leaflet project. Most maps either use Leaflet.js or MapBox GL JS (open source) for their rendering agent, now that Mapzen is defunct (although their rendering library, tangrams, is now open source). (I am a co-founder of Stadia Maps.)

mwj 8y ago
Hmmm I evaluated a lot of those (mainly OSM-based) geocoders recently. Unfortunately the quality of results is orders of magnitude worse than Google. The only ones that even came close were Mapbox, Mapquest and Here.
- freyfogle 8y ago
  Hi, co-founder of OpenCage here. It depends heavily on what your use case is: forward or reverse, which part of the world, what level of granularity, etc. Google offers a great geocoding service, no doubt. But you also have to pay their price, and obey their terms and conditions. Their great service is overkill for many very common use cases, at least those that we see from our customers. Anyone who wants to try us out, our demo page is here: https://geocoder.opencagedata.com/demo https://geocoder.opencagedata.com/demo
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- andrei_says_ 8y ago
  I’m curious, how close? Would you consider mapbox instead of google maps? In what cases is it not close enough?
plopz 8y ago
Do you know of any tile service offering colored, shaded elevation reliefs? I've been trying to find something for our meteorologists to use and the best I've found is https://maps-for-free.com https://maps-for-free.com
- lukeqsee 8y ago
  > Do you know of any tile service offering colored, shaded elevation reliefs? Does that imply variation in coloration based on elevation? (Just making sure I understand your question.) We have limited support for basic hillshading and are actively looking into contour lines. Coloration for various elevations is something we do not currently offer (nor am I aware of any other providers), but it is something we would be willing to investigate. Depending on what precise application you need, this may be possible one the web using our normal vector maps and contour lines.
  - plopz 8y ago
    Yes, color for elevation and shading for slope. Another use case that I've been searching for is a tile set not of images, but of just elevation data. So that I could implement something similar to google earth's lat/lng/elevation info wherever your mouse cursor is.
    - Const-me 8y ago
      You don't need a web service for that. The data is free, search for "SRTM" and download the continents you need. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Radar_Topography_Mission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Radar_Topography_Missi...
      - plopz 8y ago
        Sure but I have no expertise on how to take those files and turn them into a tiles that correspond with the same basemap image tiles. Also ideally the service would incorporate more than just SRTM, including for example the USGS high res DEM where available.
colordrops 8y ago
Is there anyone providing free high-res satellite tiles?
- dejv 8y ago
  Simple answer is no. But it depends on what you consider high-res, ESA does provide live feed out of they one satelite snd you might use those for constructing your tiles, still it is nowhere close to off shelf solution.
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  Depends on what your definition of "free" is - beer or liberty? There are some free-as-in-beer satellite providers, but none that are free-for-anything - e.g. ESRI is freely available for OpenStreetMap edits, but probably not for commercial use: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Esri https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Esri
- klokantech 8y ago
  The team behind OpenMapTiles started to work on global satellite tiles too. See https://openmaptiles.com/satellite/ https://openmaptiles.com/satellite/. Next step is merging in very detailed aerial photos for US and EU - often with 1m or 25cm/pixel resolution. It is going to be available for both self-hosting and as part of the hosting platform https://tilehosting.com/ https://tilehosting.com/
thecodemonkey 8y ago
Just wanted to add another geocoding provider to the list https://geocod.io https://geocod.io - founded about 4 years ago based on frustrations with Google’s terms and pricing.

mwj 8y ago

Hmmm I evaluated a lot of those (mainly OSM-based) geocoders recently. Unfortunately the quality of results is orders of magnitude worse than Google. The only ones that even came close were Mapbox, Mapquest and Here.

freyfogle 8y ago
Hi, co-founder of OpenCage here. It depends heavily on what your use case is: forward or reverse, which part of the world, what level of granularity, etc. Google offers a great geocoding service, no doubt. But you also have to pay their price, and obey their terms and conditions. Their great service is overkill for many very common use cases, at least those that we see from our customers. Anyone who wants to try us out, our demo page is here: https://geocoder.opencagedata.com/demo https://geocoder.opencagedata.com/demo
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
andrei_says_ 8y ago
I’m curious, how close? Would you consider mapbox instead of google maps? In what cases is it not close enough?

plopz 8y ago

Do you know of any tile service offering colored, shaded elevation reliefs? I've been trying to find something for our meteorologists to use and the best I've found is https://maps-for-free.com https://maps-for-free.com

lukeqsee 8y ago
> Do you know of any tile service offering colored, shaded elevation reliefs? Does that imply variation in coloration based on elevation? (Just making sure I understand your question.) We have limited support for basic hillshading and are actively looking into contour lines. Coloration for various elevations is something we do not currently offer (nor am I aware of any other providers), but it is something we would be willing to investigate. Depending on what precise application you need, this may be possible one the web using our normal vector maps and contour lines.
- plopz 8y ago
  Yes, color for elevation and shading for slope. Another use case that I've been searching for is a tile set not of images, but of just elevation data. So that I could implement something similar to google earth's lat/lng/elevation info wherever your mouse cursor is.
  - Const-me 8y ago
    You don't need a web service for that. The data is free, search for "SRTM" and download the continents you need. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Radar_Topography_Mission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Radar_Topography_Missi...
    - plopz 8y ago
      Sure but I have no expertise on how to take those files and turn them into a tiles that correspond with the same basemap image tiles. Also ideally the service would incorporate more than just SRTM, including for example the USGS high res DEM where available.

colordrops 8y ago

Is there anyone providing free high-res satellite tiles?

dejv 8y ago
Simple answer is no. But it depends on what you consider high-res, ESA does provide live feed out of they one satelite snd you might use those for constructing your tiles, still it is nowhere close to off shelf solution.
Piskvorrr 8y ago
Depends on what your definition of "free" is - beer or liberty? There are some free-as-in-beer satellite providers, but none that are free-for-anything - e.g. ESRI is freely available for OpenStreetMap edits, but probably not for commercial use: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Esri https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Esri
klokantech 8y ago
The team behind OpenMapTiles started to work on global satellite tiles too. See https://openmaptiles.com/satellite/ https://openmaptiles.com/satellite/. Next step is merging in very detailed aerial photos for US and EU - often with 1m or 25cm/pixel resolution. It is going to be available for both self-hosting and as part of the hosting platform https://tilehosting.com/ https://tilehosting.com/

thecodemonkey 8y ago

Just wanted to add another geocoding provider to the list https://geocod.io https://geocod.io - founded about 4 years ago based on frustrations with Google’s terms and pricing.