OPENSTREETMAP TURNS ONE HUNDRED MILLION!

The chances are that, if you have a need for online mapping or navigation, Google Maps is your first port of call. Verifiable usage figures don’t appear to be available, but nearly all surveys show the Google mapping solution ahead of its rivals, and by a country mile. This isn’t surprising in the least – after all, it provides a free and reliable service.

However, one product rarely holds all the aces. If you pride yourself in not blithely following the masses then it’s worth spending a little time investigating the alternatives. Here we’re going to delve into the broader online mapping market. In particular, we’ll take a look at OpenStreetMap (OSM), which passed an important milestone on 25 February. That milestone – which will make a lot more sense after we’ve learnt more about the philosophy behind OSM – is that it’s clocked up its 100 millionth edit.

So, if you’d like to learn more about the world of online mapping, aspire to be a creator of mapping data rather than just a user, or if you want to support an open source initiative then keep reading.

Google Maps

We’re going to start by taking a look at free mapping resources. As we present an