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Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

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Re: Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

#31
post #3

Also, source code is here: https://github.com/valhalla

Since most routing software is proprietary, I think it would be good to combat it by using a strong copyleft on the Valhalla components. GPLv3+ for client software and AGPLv3+ for server software would be awesome.

No thanks, I'd like to be able to see something like this in a GPS unit, even if that GPS unit isn't totally copyleft as well

Re: Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

#32

Does anyone know how good the OpenStreetMap data is? I thought I'd heard that it was pretty incomplete.

The address data is quite partial, which makes searching for locations more difficult.

The road data is very good to excellent in most of the developed/Western world, particularly in Europe.

The footpath data is really the only available of online global maps, and is often excellent (down to details of surface quality).

The POI data is very good in continental Western Europe (down to trees, benches, water fountains etc), and then otherwise will vary depending on the city, or the country.

Re: Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

#36

I think I may have found an issue with this. I tried to get directions, and it fell off a random road and then proceeded to have me swim across the San Francisco Bay: - http://i.imgur.com/wWilOoC.png

Having worked in the routing space (not on this project) and reviewing the code, the implementation is professional-grade. Where as OSM data is rich and challenging to work with for routing purposes.

Your feature/bug: the router told you to take a ferry. You'll see the ferry route represented here: http://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=SF%2C%20CA#map=13/...

Re: Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

#37

Looks great! I really like the norse themed repository names ... though I'm not familiar with "demos" and "conf", are they some sort of mythical norse figures as well?

Demos, the great God of demonstrations and examples. He preferred to teach other Gods, as opposed to humans. Usually he could be found skulking nearby or with API, the God of documentation.

Conf, the lesser known God of configurations and setups. He made sure that everything was well defined in a single place in a concise format, such as acceleration due to gravity, etc.

Re: Show HN: Valhalla, an open source routing engine

#40
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since most routing software is proprietary, I think it would be good to combat it by using a strong copyleft on the Valhalla components. GPLv3+ for client software and AGPLv3+ for server software would be awesome.

Glancing at the Valhalla repos, it looks like the MIT license across the board: https://github.com/valhalla ; https://github.com/valhalla/thor/blob/master/COPYING ; https://github.com/valhalla/chef-valhalla/blob/master/LICENS... ; etc... Also, it's not so much that the routing engines are proprietary -- the best ones are not. The underlying databases are the secret sauce.

what are the best ones?
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