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I never realized pokemon Go used openstreetmaps. Why not just the Google Maps API?
by mid-kid 2y ago
I never realized pokemon Go used openstreetmaps. Why not just the Google Maps API?
- kryptiskt 2y agoSince the Google Maps price increase it is hideously expensive to use at any large scale.
- longsword 2y agoI'm not sure the Maps API gives you access to the raw vector data.
- shtack 2y agoAlso, at least the last time I checked, the Google Maps API was exorbitantly expensive. Niantic would likely get a discount, but avoiding this exploit doesn’t override all of the other benefits of OSM.
- InsertUser 2y agoIIRC many of the original employees were ex-Googlers and the original Ingress game did use Google Maps data so at some level they were able to get what they need. I think there were rumours about them using undocumented abilities too in the early days, but my memory is fuzzy at this point. They moved to OSM later.
- eythian 2y agoI think Niantic was a company within Google originally, then it spun off into its own thing when Google restructured with Alphabet.
- masfoobar 2y agoCompany I worked for moved away from gmaps to osm. The migration was a pretty smooth process. Honestly happy with it. Dont see the point using gmaps - but maybe the purpose has not tied me that I have to. osm is pretty sweet, imo. Much, much cheaper as well!