OpenStreetMap

From Devwiki

Mikel Maron

The OpenStreetMap project is creating a Free and Open map of the entire world, with voluntary collaborative surveying, using cheap GPS receivers and Open Source software.

The OpenStreetMap project, founded in 2004, has received contributions spanning six continents from over 15,000 users. In many parts of the world, OpenStreetMap offers higher quality geographic information than provided by commonly-used, non-Free commercial web map APIs. OpenStreetMap, in a very real way, demonstrates that the collaborative techniques used by Wikipedia et al. have wide application in other spheres of human knowledge.

We will examine how OpenStreetMap has learned and applied (or has yet to apply) valuable lessons from the experience of the Wikipedia community, from designing editing tools to responding to edit wars (like the recent flare ups in Cyrpus). We will also discuss the differences in practice between OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia, and what these differences imply about other "crowd-sourced" efforts at structured data collection. For instance, OpenStreetMap demands more work from contributors, who must physically travel to collect data, while at the same time the contributor base is greater -- everyone is an expert on their own neighborhood. We will also examine practical applications of the OpenStreetMap project, including sustainable transport, disaster relief, environmental conservation, and urban planning.

Finally, we will discuss some of the ways in which the OpenStreetMap project can benefit Wikimedia projects, not least by providing a free and open source of detailed and beautiful maps.