I have heard of a couple of companies working on maps: local crime rates, parking tickets and school ratings allow them to improve property estimation. OpenStre

I have heard of a couple of companies working on maps: local crime rates, parking tickets and school ratings allow them to improve property estimation. OpenStreetMap is a big source for them correcting official occupation maps. They sell the resulting maps to real-estate agencies and distribution companies. Funny detail: their maps are more accurate than official ones on many aspects; when I asked at a conference if they’d consider giving back to the community and authorities, they’d say it wasn’t worth it, they wouldn’t take it. When pressed (fairly certain OSM would welcome and had detailed APIs for it), they confessed not trying, because it wasn't in their commercial interest. The impact of their work appears to heighten urban issues: segregation and white flight, gentrification and pricing out incumbents… But then again: that’s the obvious consequence for more information. I doubt the solution to those issue is by regulating those services. Local volunteers for OSM are aware of the free riders and would consider negotiating giving back, but they don’t thing it's worth their non-existant legal ressources. Government officials appear intellectually unaware that this could happen.