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There's much to be done in the web mapping yet, Google Maps initially brought a renaissance to the field but the problem is that now everyone try to beat Google
by hazov 15y ago
There's much to be done in the web mapping yet, Google Maps initially brought a renaissance to the field but the problem is that now everyone try to beat Google by emulating Google Maps (just like some companies loves to emulate Apple products). For example, Google buys the majority of surveying data that it uses in building it's maps, everyone can buys and use the same data.
OpenStreetMaps has its own data but it is provided by a community that does not have as much momentum as Wikipedia, even New York City data is pretty much incomplete[1]
Part of the problem is that people really do not know anything about cartography or how a dynamic maps must behave, even worse the majority of people do not even know how a web mapping service is implemented.
By the way, you can use OpenLayers with many tiles, including Google: http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/google.html http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/google.html
[1]: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/New_York_City http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/New_York_City
- yellowbkpk 15y ago> For example, Google buys the majority of surveying data that it uses in building it's maps, everyone can buys and use the same data. This is no longer true. Google spent millions of dollars paying people to drive cars around collecting data for them. The majority of their data nowadays is their own (in most of Europe, Canada, and the US at least). Recently, they've even convinced their users to work on their data for them with the Map Maker product (all while holding the data behind a non-commercial, non-compete license and charging 10's of thousands of dollars for the right to use it).
- hazov 15y agoYes, found about this in a old blog post. Thanks for the information.
- RussNelson 15y agoI wouldn't believe that wiki page's completion table for one moment. It hasn't changed since I was running mapping parties, and yet (for example) all of the one ways are now present.