Lachlan.Rogers.name » Free as in Speech

OpenStreetMap maturing nicely

Lachlan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:43:19 +0000

I have discovered 2 very cool things this week which indicate just how mature and mainstream OpenStreetMap has become. The first is an OSM routing service demonstration that seems to work well and gives beautiful output. A nice touch is being able to export the route as a gpx track that can be uploaded to a GPS device.

The second thing is a fantastic example of what OSM has to offer. Flickr, the amazingly popular photo-sharing site, has wonderful tools for geo-tagging photos and then browsing interesting photos by their position on a map. A week ago, coinciding with the start of the Olympic Games, Flickr introduced OpenStreetMap coverage of Beijing to their geotagging map. This was not just done for fun; the fact is that the OpenStreetMap of Beijing is far more complete than the Yahoo map (which is used by Flickr for the rest of the world).

Interestingly, this reveals a remarkable symbiosis between OSM and Yahoo. A while ago Yahoo agreed to let OSM contributors freely use their aerial imagery to trace features. This enabled people to contribute significantly to the OSM project even without a GPS device, and a lot of OSM data has been obtained this way. Now Yahoo (who own Flickr) are able to use the OSM dataset to enhance the geotagging service that they provide. Yet another example of how opening up access to information invariably leads to win-win outcomes.

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Dragons provide mapping incentive

Lachlan — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:28:16 +0000

Today it is possible to get a map of essentially anywhere on Earth, but in years gone by there were plenty of empty holes in even the best world maps. A favourite way of indicating that these gaps were unknown and potentially dangerous was to mark “Here be Dragons” on the map (unless it was a Pirate Treasure Map, which usually had “Here be Sharks” instead).

An OpenStreetMap contributor recently moved out of London to the city of Durham, which has not yet been mapped in the OSM database. He has decided not to use any map that he can’t legally modify and display however he likes, which basically leaves him with the dragons. When friends invite him to a certain location, they need to sketch a map rather than simply give an address to look up. That is, until he has added that location to the OpenStreetMap.

He is writing about his experiences as he maps Durham and evicts the dragons, and his determination not to use restrictive maps should make it interesting.

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Side by side: double vision or seeing clearer?

Lachlan — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 16:47:54 +0000

On the OpenStreetMap talk list today, a community member by the name of Jochen Topf unveiled a cool experimental map comparing service. It allows you to browse Google and OSM maps side-by-side, and automatically keeps their position and zoom level matched for accurate comparison.

This is more than just a novelty tool – it is a great way to show how many mistakes there are in Google’s maps. Within about 2 hours someone had emailed a link to the map of Delmeny (near Edinburgh in the UK), claiming there were at least 4 errors visible on the Google map. Twenty minutes later, someone had identified 7 incorrect features on the Google map!

A little closer to home is this section of Canberra. Although the OSM rendering (particularly street names) could be more nicely proportioned, it is apparent that the community-built map is simply more detailed and more accurate. Note especially the connection between North Road and Sullivan’s Creek Road on the left of the map frame.

Of course, there are still a great many places where the OSM map coverage is poor compared to commercial maps (even to the point of being non-existent). This problem, however, is gradually diminishing. Where OSM mappers have been, it is clear that Linus’s old adage holds true: many eyes do make bugs shallow.

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Been there, Mapped that

Lachlan — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:06:02 +0000

Mention street maps to anyone these days and they’ll think you’re talking about Google Maps or Whereis.com. The ubiquitous use of these online tools is masking their troublesome characteristic; while they are free as in beer, they are definitely not free as in speech.

While Google supplies map and aerial photography free of charge, they do this only for a limited range of uses. You are allowed to embed a map (with a Google logo on it) in your website (as I have done), but you are not allowed to make a GPS car navigation system using this map information. Nor are you allowed to use Google Map information to create your own special purpose map (as Tom Chance wanted to). Unless you live in the USA, chances are you have to pay again for mapping information that was created using your taxes.

Just as Wikipedia is a collaborative community project making encyclopedic information freely available to every human on the planet, the OpenStreetMap (OSM) project aims to create and provide free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them for any use they desire. Because there is no arbitrary legal limit on the use of the data, OpenStreetMap is pushing innovation in areas ranging from personal navigation systems to flight simulation.

I recently bought a Garmin Geko 201 handheld GPS device, primarily for use on hikes. I also found a free (as in speech) program that will let me use my laptop and connected GPS as a car navigation system. The catch is that there is no freely available street map data for Australian roads. Enter OSM.

Using OpenStreetMap data in a car navigation system requires, of course, that the map exist. I have taken to recording various routes as I cycle to Uni, and am thus adding ANU to the map. Riding slightly further abroad I have benefited from the exercise and contributed to the map of central Canberra. Taking my GPS in the car whenever I drive somewhere allows me to add to the map without making any special trips.

The OSM project started in the UK, and is still young in Australia. The huge holes in the map are extremely exciting – almost anywhere you go it is possible to contribute new information! OpenStreetMap might not yet be suitable for production-line use in Australia, but it is heralding in a new era of availability for geographic information. Its also addictive, and a wonderful excuse to get exercise!

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