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CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

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Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#41

Post by milliams »

I'm looking forward to seeing this succeed.

A question: given that common pattern of forks of this codebase over time which seem to have a common theme of confused/transferred/disputed ownership, are there plans for an actual neutral foundation (or joining an existing one) or some governance which will guarantee that this avoids those problems?

From the outside it's getting embarrassing constantly telling my friends and family "actually you need to install this new fork instead" for the fourth time. I've seen norming in the wild with maps.me or MapsWithMe installed on their phones in the past, and I can't believe that they're following along the journey and we really can't go though this again.

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#42

Post by eisa01 »

worldsavior wrote: post #33
pastk wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Talking about the app features, here are some of the bigger / easier to notice differences: - added automatic backups for bookmarks and tracks - added 100m-step altitude isolines to all regions that had worse or no isolines - a big rework of the map colors - lighter, warmer, friendlier - add a setting to customize the leftmost button or hide it - removed semi-transparent background in Subway layer And there is a bunc…

Why all of these features weren't contributed to Organic Maps instead of creating a fork?

Me personally, the CoMaps people seem more open to other contributors

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#45

Post by theyknowitsxmas »

spacemule wrote: post #20

The biggest thing keeping me from using any open source routing or even Google Maps is that here in Israel there are roads that are illegal to drive on either because they're access to PA territory or they're bus/taxi only. No application other than Waze avoids these, so I'm stuck using Waze. I just checked this, and to get to a building down the street from me, it wants me to YOLO myself through the bus lanes.

Is Garmin City Navigator reliable there? You can delete stuff and export your own maps in Basecamp.

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#46

Post by Tmpod »

izacus wrote: post #40

Hopefully they will fix my biggest pet peeve with Organic Maps - jerky navigation movement (to the point of it being actively distracting and problematic in a car). It happens because they don't apply any movement filters/momentum to the navigation, which means that the navigation marker jerks from one GPS update to the other and is constantly behind the actual location of the vehicle. Which makes it extremely easy t…

+1

They should take your velocity vector into account, or something along those lines, to minimize rotations, even when not following a route. It just leads to a ton of unnecessary screen redraws and jerky movement.

Furthermore, as I've been driving in a region with a lot of tunnels, I wish they implemented a better system for when you pass through one while following a route. It animated the arrow for a bit but then stops and only jumps forward when you get out. I wish it would keep going with a speed based on your entry speed (and maybe the tunnel's speed limit, if available), taking the routed exit if there are any forks inside. This would make the happy path much better and would not really worsen accuracy, since it isn't accurate in any way as is right now. You could tweak the arrow's color/shape to indicate it is showing a predicted route.

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#47

Post by gedankenstuecke »

milliams wrote: post #41

I'm looking forward to seeing this succeed. A question: given that common pattern of forks of this codebase over time which seem to have a common theme of confused/transferred/disputed ownership, are there plans for an actual neutral foundation (or joining an existing one) or some governance which will guarantee that this avoids those problems? From the outside it's getting embarrassing constantly telling my friends…

Creating an org or joining a fiscal host are two things the community is currently exploring to avoid exactly those issues, you can find the Governance discussions and decisions on their Codeberg repo here: https://codeberg.org/comaps/Governance/

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#48

Post by milliams »

gedankenstuecke wrote: post #47
milliams wrote: post #41

I'm looking forward to seeing this succeed. A question: given that common pattern of forks of this codebase over time which seem to have a common theme of confused/transferred/disputed ownership, are there plans for an actual neutral foundation (or joining an existing one) or some governance which will guarantee that this avoids those problems? From the outside it's getting embarrassing constantly telling my friends…

Creating an org or joining a fiscal host are two things the community is currently exploring to avoid exactly those issues, you can find the Governance discussions and decisions on their Codeberg repo here: https://codeberg.org/comaps/Governance/

Perfect. It looks like it's moving in a very good direction.

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#49

Post by dang »

PetitPrince wrote: post #5
Dunedan wrote: post #3

Their repository description: > The main code repository of CoMaps, a community-led fork of Organic Maps. Reinforced with commitment to transparency, privacy and being not-for-profit.

Previous HN discussion for context: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43961908

Thanks! Macroexpanded:

A community-led fork of Organic Maps - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43961908 - May 2025 (206 comments)

Re: CoMaps: New OSM based navigation app

#50

Post by habi »

jeroenhd wrote: post #19
Mashimo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any sources that open source apps can use to get traffic information?

There are government databases and various public-private partnerships, but the most common method of traffic information is by collecting users' information while driving. There are companies that resell access to that data too: https://www.mapbox.com/traffic-data OpenStreetMap doesn't even seem interested in things like "this street is closed next week Tuesday", but maybe there's another open project that collects…

> OpenStreetMap doesn't even seem interested in things like "this street is closed next week Tuesday"

OpenStreetMap data consumers can have much longer update cycles than "next week", so it makes sense to have such information outside of the map data if you are implementing a router.

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