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OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

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Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#41

Post by Nrbelex »

CivBase wrote: post #26

I've been looking to replace Google Maps with OSM on my smartphone. OSM itself is great, but I've been having a harder time finding a good app to use it with. Is anyone familiar with a good option? I mostly use a maps app for location searches and real-time GPS navigation, but offline maps and location sharing are nice-to-have features. I've been using OsmAnd and it's okay. The interface is pretty good. It supports o…

Check out mapy.cz [1] or an ad-free version from Windy [2].

[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.seznam.mapy...

[2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.seznam.wind...

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#42

Post by einpoklum »

CivBase wrote: post #26

I've been looking to replace Google Maps with OSM on my smartphone. OSM itself is great, but I've been having a harder time finding a good app to use it with. Is anyone familiar with a good option? I mostly use a maps app for location searches and real-time GPS navigation, but offline maps and location sharing are nice-to-have features. I've been using OsmAnd and it's okay. The interface is pretty good. It supports o…

I'm using an app called Maps.Me, which seems to be OSM-based. It's kind of commercialized, which I don't like, but it's usable.

I'd be interested in something more FOSSy, myself.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#43

Post by emj »

jqpabc123 wrote: post #8

Apparently, I'm not in the 30 cities that are accurate. Used Magic Earth on my phone which is based on OSM. The very first address I input was off by about a mile. Didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.

That is actually a good point, what happens is that many streets does not have any address points, and your search puts the marker on an arbitrary end of the street, so a mile off sounds about right. Address points are really cumbersome to crowd source, you really need either open data or buy a geocoder. Not easy to do if need to allow everyone to download the data and do what ever they want with it.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#44

Post by juliansimioni »

maxerickson wrote: post #36
olejorgenb wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought mapbox used openstreetmap data?

Not exclusively. They probably dump OpenAddresses data (or something similar) into their geocoder. https://openaddresses.io/

Hi, founder of Geocode Earth (https://geocode.earth), another geocoding service that _does_ use OpenAddresses and only other open data sets.

Mapbox purchases data from, I believe, TomTom, and other proprietary sources. That's why they have cheap(er) pricing if you want to get results without the legal ability to store them, and much more expensive pricing if you do want to store it. I'm sure negotiating that arrangement with the proprietary address data vendors was...fun.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#45

Post by npteljes »

ryandrake wrote: post #30
jqpabc123 wrote: post #8

Apparently, I'm not in the 30 cities that are accurate. Used Magic Earth on my phone which is based on OSM. The very first address I input was off by about a mile. Didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.

To be a little pedantic, converting an address to a location is more of a function of a geocoder, not a function of the map. Software could have a very accurate map, while at the same time using a poor geocoder, so addresses are located incorrectly.

Not even pedantic, I think it's an important realization. Before knowing OSM, I though of Google Maps as a single service. Not realizing at all that mapping, addresses, POI entries, directions, navigation, etc are huge, separate problem domains. I think parent has the same perception.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#46

Post by dawnerd »

Now if only there was a sensible way to self-host OSM data. From what I've found you either have to build a dedicated server to continuously building the tiles (which takes a ton of storage and processing power) or pay for it at an insane monthly price. I wish OSM would directly make their tiles available to mirror. (Maybe they do, but I haven't found it yet)

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#47

Post by einpoklum »

Google Maps is funded by corporations who want to mine your data and sell you stuff, whether you need it or not.

OpenStreetMaps is funded by... well, actually, it's complicated. There are lots of individual donations, but there is also money by Amazon, Facebook and Apple. And some other corporations.

Regardless - consider making a donation:

https://donate.openstreetmap.org/

I would also entreat you to ask OSM to get off corporate funding. And of course, if you can, contribute map data about where you live.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#48

Post by npteljes »

thitcanh wrote: post #21
Ayesh wrote: post #4

Good that OSM is accurate in cities as well, because in hiking, skiing, or even some ferry routes, OSM simply wins because that's often the only mapping provider to even have _any_ data. Some of my first hand experiences: - French GR-20 routes. Google maps are laughably empty, while OSM has you covered with almost the same information as the hiking maps you can buy on the trail. - Anapurna - similar to GR-20 situatio…

Is there an easy way to contribute from my phone? If I could just turn the GPS on and let it track my path I’d be able to contribute all of my random hikes that might not be on OSM.

After registering, it took me only like an hour to have my track up and mapping it with their brilliant online editing tool. There are some gotchas, but the interface is really friendly and their wiki is vast with info, references and tutorials alike.

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#49

Post by maxerickson »

juliansimioni wrote: post #44
maxerickson wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not exclusively. They probably dump OpenAddresses data (or something similar) into their geocoder. https://openaddresses.io/

Hi, founder of Geocode Earth ( https://geocode.earth ), another geocoding service that _does_ use OpenAddresses and only other open data sets. Mapbox purchases data from, I believe, TomTom, and other proprietary sources. That's why they have cheap(er) pricing if you want to get results without the legal ability to store them, and much more expensive pricing if you do want to store it. I'm sure negotiating that arrang…

That seems like it could just be an up charge.

(or a discount for the ephemeral results if you want to look at it that way)

Re: OpenStreetMap proven to be a highly accurate map in top US cities

#50

Post by Cshelton »

juliansimioni wrote: post #44
maxerickson wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not exclusively. They probably dump OpenAddresses data (or something similar) into their geocoder. https://openaddresses.io/

Hi, founder of Geocode Earth ( https://geocode.earth ), another geocoding service that _does_ use OpenAddresses and only other open data sets. Mapbox purchases data from, I believe, TomTom, and other proprietary sources. That's why they have cheap(er) pricing if you want to get results without the legal ability to store them, and much more expensive pricing if you do want to store it. I'm sure negotiating that arrang…

Yup, we pay them quite a bit to be able to store it.
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