OpenStreetMap: Hey let's map this place!

[Ervin]

I present to you, the greatest thing invented since Wikipedia: OpenStreetMap

I'm sure you're all familiar with Wikipedia and how it works. This is basically the same thing, but with the world map. Go on, edit it, add stuff, ect. Most of the world is pretty empty, the developed world including Toronto on the other hand is pretty filled up, but still needs plenty of work.

So get on and map your heart out. Put in a bunch of crap your usual maps don't have. I've already done a whole lot today alone.

By the way, here's an incredible video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx3dTBtGwWs It shows all the edits to the map as they happen. Germany is kicking everyone's ass, and Europe generally is way ahead. When you see chunks of land suddenly light up for a moment, that's when existing data on that region's streets is being imported.

Fun fact: If you look at Haiti, you will find that the region is surprisingly well mapped. That's because during the earthquake a whole bunch of people started mapping all the streets and marking areas with high destruction to help in the rescue efforts.

 

[oreoshack]

i found the interface to be sluggish at the best of times and downright unusable when in places like downtown toronto or seoul. other than the purpose of updating street and map locations quickly (relative to major map service providers), what practical use does Openstreetmaps have?

 

[ssk]

what practical use does Openstreetmaps have?

It's open.

 

[Ervin]

what practical use does Openstreetmaps have?

Have you tried comparing it to other maps like Google or Yahoo? The detail is uncomparable.

As for the interface, I really don't know what part of it you find unsuable. There are some issues, but for the most part I've had little difficulty editing the downtown area, and the less detailed surrounding suburbs are even easier.

 

[Tacoma]

I'm in agreement with oreoshack. And if anyone can edit it, how do you know it's accurate? Right now, Google with StreetView is king!

 

[andomano]

I'm in agreement with oreoshack. And if anyone can edit it, how do you know it's accurate? Right now, Google with StreetView is king!

Unless Bing suddenly decides to expand the bird's eye view, there's not going to be any dethroning anytime soon.


Just like wiki, you can't trust the information you read! I'm surprised noone has drawn roads connecting New York to London, or from San Fran to Singapore.

It's just another site where we do all the work, and the creators just sit back and rake in the money.

 

[SlickFranky]

It's just another site where we do all the work, and the creators just sit back and rake in the money.

'Rake in' the donations? It's open...they're not selling the data, or selling ad space.

 

[the_yellow_dart]

This is a great site. I've already fixed several issues I've noticed in various cities with the original map (the same issues are still on Google Maps).

However, the interface is slooooow...

 

[Ervin]

Just like wiki, you can't trust the information you read! I'm surprised noone has drawn roads connecting New York to London, or from San Fran to Singapore.

It's just another site where we do all the work, and the creators just sit back and rake in the money.

Oh god there's so much stupid in just these two lines.

 

[oreoshack]

is the data downloadable as shapefiles or other gis data formats? if so maybe i can see the benefit it may have to the gis community. even though the data lineage may be a bit suspect it may be a boon to gis students just messing around with open data. but since the data is open (and potentially unreliable), it erases any possibility of professional use. as for the general public looking at these maps for the same purpose that they would go to mapquest or google maps, it is redundant as the same information is there on google that's way easier to read and handle.