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OpenStreetMap Foundation chairperson here. OpenStreetMap's data is available for free in bulk from https://planet.openstreetmap.org https://planet.openstreetma
by stereo 2y ago
OpenStreetMap Foundation chairperson here.
OpenStreetMap's data is available for free in bulk from https://planet.openstreetmap.org https://planet.openstreetmap.org. We encourage using these instead of scraping our site.
Scraping puts a high load on our donated resources. We block scraping IPs, but even that takes us work and time.
Respecting our time and resources helps us keep the service free and accessible for everyone.
- Self-Perfection 2y agoAnd how exactly do you block scraping IPs? I suspect some of scrapers are just confused and are not aware of better ways to get OSM data. Responding with a 403 error code will only lead to them changing their IP addresses. A more effective approach might be to provide a response containing instructions on where to download data in bulk or a link to a guide that explains how to process OSM dumps.
- stereo 2y agoYou make a good point. I already have a PR to add text to our robots.txt but the 403 page is an excellent idea.