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Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Are Contributing To OpenStreetMap (theodi.org)

Posted by msmash on from the credit-where-it-is-due dept.

At the recently concluded State of the Map conference in Milan, teams from Microsoft, Apple and Facebook presented their projects, describing how they are working with communities. From a report: The Microsoft Open Maps team has recently released open data on building footprints in the US. Microsoft was among the first to release satellite imagery for use by OpenStreetMap and the images are now integrated into the default editor. It also has a community of mappers directly contributing to OpenStreetMap in Australia. Apple has an internal volunteer programme that has around 5,000 staff contributing to Missing Maps, they've released building data for France and Denmark, and are engaged with data improvement projects around the world. Facebook is exploring how artificial intelligence-assisted tracing can help to improve the quality of OpenStreetMap data in Thailand.

DigitalGlobe has made its satellite imagery available under a licence that will allow it to be used by the OpenStreetMap community to improve their mapping efforts. Telenav launched OpenStreetCam to help collect openly-licensed street imagery and has now released open data and code to explore how machine learning can enable the images to be used to improve OpenStreetMap with stop signs and turn directions.

14 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Competition is good by gavron · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's good that someone wants to compete with Google Maps. It will make both products stronger. With industry leaders like Microsoft OpenStreetMaps may one day be useful.

    1. Re:Competition is good by mark-t · · Score: 4, Insightful

      OpenStreetMap is not a serious competitor to Google Maps. Nobody is, last I checked.

      Three words:

      Terrestrial virtual presence.

      Knowing what a place actually looks like from the ground is often just as useful as knowing where it is on a map. Otherwise, regardless of what other mapping system a person is using, they are just going to go check on Google Maps for its Street View anyways... and at that point, one might as well just do everything right there.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    2. Re:Competition is good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "hmm, this hotel is cheap" *checks street view* "Oh... that's why it's cheap"

  2. Ancient Proverb by ArhcAngel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

    Google dominates with Google Maps and Waze. Their own offerings are languishing on their respective platforms while Google pulls away. They are now more concerned about the long term effect of their overall business if Google monopolizes the space. So they all decide to back OpenStreetMap in hopes it can mount a challenge. We'll see. It would take a lot to get me to switch from Waze but Google's shenanigans of late have me looking.

    --
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    1. Re:Ancient Proverb by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. Nothing more.

  3. Hopefully OSM can get it correct? by ob0101011101 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Google (or some up-stream data provider) marked a forest track across our property as a "road" - it's literally a track only fit for walking for very experienced 4WD drivers. Yet a couple of times a week people are parked outside our house wondering where the road has gone. Occasionally they're quite upset, as if somehow it's my fault that google sent them 10km out of their way.

    We've "told" google it's not a road, encourage everyone who ends up here to do so as well, yet nothing ever changes.

    Is it even possible to get through to google without a lawsuit?

    So I'd really like to see OSM maps used more for navigation, at least I feel like I can contribute to this.

    1. Re: Hopefully OSM can get it correct? by steve.rodrigue · · Score: 2

      You know you can submit a correction by yourself to google to fix this issue. If no one ever reports it, it can't be magically fixed.

    2. Re: Hopefully OSM can get it correct? by dead_user · · Score: 4, Informative

      My neighborhood only has one entrance and exit. There USED to be a road that ran behind a few businesses and cut through to the mall. Hundreds of cars a day streamed through back of the otherwise quiet neighborhood to use the secret shortcut to the mall that only they knew about.

      The City placed a gate on the road, blocking it off. 18 years ago.

      It is effectively rusted shut at this point. I reported this to both Google Maps and Waze through the app numerous times. After several years, I and all the delivery guys in my neighborhood still have to ignore the directions on the GPS until we are on city streets again. It's irritating as fuck but so is repeatedly submitting an edit request that is completely ignored.

    3. Re: Hopefully OSM can get it correct? by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Informative

      You know you can submit a correction by yourself to google to fix this issue. If no one ever reports it, it can't be magically fixed.

      And as someone who does map corrections from time to time, Google can be very erratic. I can submit a correction, get a nice email saying it's been accepted, and the map still reflects the un-corrected view.

      Note that these emails didn't say they were considering the change, but that the change was made.

      One change took me a number of tries until it finally updated (I tried for a year and a half to fix the error, getting the "your change is approved" email every time) and everyone else was happy the change finally occurs.

      And yet, other times, I submit one change and it's updated instantly right then and there. Go figure.

    4. Re: Hopefully OSM can get it correct? by isj · · Score: 2

      And then that fix goes into the Google silo. The end. Noone else can benefit.

      Contribute to OSM and many people/communities/companies can access that fix.

  4. Apple Maps by perry64 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I've used Apple Maps. I'm not sure OSM should want their help.

    1. Re:Apple Maps by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

      A man using Apple Maps walks into a bar, or a hotel, or possibly a church...

  5. APPLE why not get store employee's ? by johnjones · · Score: 2

    why not encourage your apple store employee's to contribute in a meaningful way to openstreetmap ? its a nice way that store employee's would actually feel they are helping the community and not just serving the corporation...

  6. Motivation for cooperation by commercial companies by wisse · · Score: 2

    Many comments refer to Openstreetmap as an alternative to Google Maps. I guess that this is the motivation behind the cooperation of commercial companies. Facebook, Apple have no interest in Openstreetmap itself. Openstreetmap has humanitarian goals as well. For Facebook and Google it is no more than a tool to limit their dependance on Google.
    It is fine that companies contribute to Openstreetmap. But it is important to keep in mind that this support will stop as soon as it is deemed to be unnecessary.