> 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.

> 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).