4 ms·

I’d strongly recommended putting future efforts into Open Streetmap instead - they have a fantastic set of data and tools and are usually (in my experience) mor

I’d strongly recommended putting future efforts into Open Streetmap instead - they have a fantastic set of data and tools and are usually (in my experience) more accurate and updated more quickly than Google.

CharlesColeman 8y ago
I wish more people would do this, but sometimes it's a tough sell. I once tried to encourage a bunch of people who were banging their heads bloody trying to contribute to Facebook's places database to switch to editing OpenStreetMap instead. Most didn't want to switch -- they were convinced that their miserable experience improving Facebook was more impactful because it was a more popular product that they knew they used. I with OSM would come out with a consumer-focused map product. I think that would go a long way towards attracting more contributors, since most people get started to scratch an itch in a product they use.
- londons_explore 8y ago
  OSM is used underlying a lot of commercial apps and services. Most people don't realise that though, so they think their edits correcting roads will only get seen by a handful of open source geeks.
  - alasdair_ 8y ago
    Agreed. For example Pokemon GO uses it - which is why there was a large influx of new users, prompting the following guidelines page: https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2016/12/30/tips-pokemon-go/ https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2016/12/30/tips-pokemon-go/
- trystero 8y ago
  MAPS.ME (https://maps.me/ https://maps.me/) is the closest we have to a "consumer-focused map product" in the OpenStretMap ecosystem. Try it!
mailslot 8y ago
Open Streetmap doesn’t build laser scanning drones, or fleets of connected 360 camera vehicles, or the tech and infrastructure to do the mapping. SOMEONE has to build all of that. It can’t be free. If it’s govt funded, then there WILL be corruption, scams, and it’ll be run as well as the DMV.
- rhn_mk1 8y ago
  That is all true, but what will solve the problem is making something that's suitable and free, either as part of OSM or in addition to it.
- orf 8y ago
  Because the private sector is free of corruption and scams? The UK ordnance survey[1] is government run and is generally fantastic. They cover every inch of the UK in excruciating detail, provide centimeter precise GPS coordinates for everything and publish invaluable, cheap maps of it all. Why do you assume that the seemingly inept and corrupt US standard is the baseline that everything else will be? 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_Survey https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_Survey
  - Aeolun 8y ago
    UK agencies are recently doing pretty good. UK government however...
  - londons_explore 8y ago
    Their maps were probably world-leading in the 90's. Now though, I feel like the tech giants have overtaken them. Where is the street view or 3d models? Where are the opening times of every shop? Where is the traffic congestion info? Where is the ability to look up a house number and find where on the street it is? These are all things I regularly want to know and are location based, so really ought to be part of a mapping service.
    - SahAssar 8y ago
      > street view That will probably never get done in a OSS manner at the scale of google, and even if it was serving it would probably be enormously expensive. > 3d models A lot of 3d models are in OSM, although not as detailed as in proprietary solutions. > opening times of every shop This is not something I want in the same database as the location data. The hope is that more sites/services use discovarable technologies lite microdata to make sure that it can be added to the map via separate databases. > traffic congestion info Again, real-time info is not really something I want in the same db as the actual street. traffic congestion info is a very different service than location or mapping info. > look up a house number This is part of the OSM offering, look into nominatim
darkpuma 8y ago
The StreetComplete app makes it fun and easy to contribute to OSM when walking around, by asking you simple questions about your immediate surroundings (how many stories does this building have, is this street one-way at this location, etc.) I highly recommend it. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete

CharlesColeman 8y ago

I wish more people would do this, but sometimes it's a tough sell. I once tried to encourage a bunch of people who were banging their heads bloody trying to contribute to Facebook's places database to switch to editing OpenStreetMap instead. Most didn't want to switch -- they were convinced that their miserable experience improving Facebook was more impactful because it was a more popular product that they knew they used. I with OSM would come out with a consumer-focused map product. I think that would go a long way towards attracting more contributors, since most people get started to scratch an itch in a product they use.

londons_explore 8y ago
OSM is used underlying a lot of commercial apps and services. Most people don't realise that though, so they think their edits correcting roads will only get seen by a handful of open source geeks.
- alasdair_ 8y ago
  Agreed. For example Pokemon GO uses it - which is why there was a large influx of new users, prompting the following guidelines page: https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2016/12/30/tips-pokemon-go/ https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2016/12/30/tips-pokemon-go/
trystero 8y ago
MAPS.ME (https://maps.me/ https://maps.me/) is the closest we have to a "consumer-focused map product" in the OpenStretMap ecosystem. Try it!

mailslot 8y ago

Open Streetmap doesn’t build laser scanning drones, or fleets of connected 360 camera vehicles, or the tech and infrastructure to do the mapping. SOMEONE has to build all of that. It can’t be free. If it’s govt funded, then there WILL be corruption, scams, and it’ll be run as well as the DMV.

rhn_mk1 8y ago
That is all true, but what will solve the problem is making something that's suitable and free, either as part of OSM or in addition to it.
orf 8y ago
Because the private sector is free of corruption and scams? The UK ordnance survey[1] is government run and is generally fantastic. They cover every inch of the UK in excruciating detail, provide centimeter precise GPS coordinates for everything and publish invaluable, cheap maps of it all. Why do you assume that the seemingly inept and corrupt US standard is the baseline that everything else will be? 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_Survey https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_Survey
- Aeolun 8y ago
  UK agencies are recently doing pretty good. UK government however...
- londons_explore 8y ago
  Their maps were probably world-leading in the 90's. Now though, I feel like the tech giants have overtaken them. Where is the street view or 3d models? Where are the opening times of every shop? Where is the traffic congestion info? Where is the ability to look up a house number and find where on the street it is? These are all things I regularly want to know and are location based, so really ought to be part of a mapping service.
  - SahAssar 8y ago
    > street view That will probably never get done in a OSS manner at the scale of google, and even if it was serving it would probably be enormously expensive. > 3d models A lot of 3d models are in OSM, although not as detailed as in proprietary solutions. > opening times of every shop This is not something I want in the same database as the location data. The hope is that more sites/services use discovarable technologies lite microdata to make sure that it can be added to the map via separate databases. > traffic congestion info Again, real-time info is not really something I want in the same db as the actual street. traffic congestion info is a very different service than location or mapping info. > look up a house number This is part of the OSM offering, look into nominatim

darkpuma 8y ago

The StreetComplete app makes it fun and easy to contribute to OSM when walking around, by asking you simple questions about your immediate surroundings (how many stories does this building have, is this street one-way at this location, etc.) I highly recommend it. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete