History of OSM
Click here toWhat is OpenStreetMap?
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a project that aims to build a free map of the world. Thousands of members are assembled to create a precise, detailed and up-to-date map that is as good or better than commercial alternatives. Like Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap benefits from the input of data from thousands of people around the world.
What do you have on the maps?
How is the data collected?
Data is collected for OpenStreetMap in several ways. Roads and roads can be mapped by satellite imagery (various organizations provide data to the OSM) or using GPS devices to record a route. Data from a wide variety of publicly licensed databases is also imported. In the United States, for example, street data was imported from the TIGER database of the Census Bureau (the IBGE there) and was used as a starting point for the map. And perhaps most importantly, OSM participants walk or drive through the streets, taping everything from coffee shops to bus stops to public restrooms to add to the maps, making them richer. Finally, members do not necessarily need to have a GPS device to participate; you can contribute by simply correcting a street name or by adding a school that is in your neighborhood. In addition to extensive, the database behind the OSM maps is of high quality. In other maps, streets may not be precisely aligned, trails inside may be missing, and important features for some users (such as bike paths, for example) are ignored. In addition, other maps may include non-existent 'trap streets' with the goal of catching illicit copiers, a practice known as Copyright Easter Eggs. However, OSM data are reviewed and corrected by dozens of contributors, especially in urban areas, they are free to correct any errors they encounter.
How is the data collected?
Why emphasize that OSM is free?There are several free maps on the Internet. However, they are free only for viewing, not for using the data in an application, such as on your own website. OpenStreetMap, on the other hand, allows anyone to use the map and the entire database freely, including for commercial purposes. Data is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
OpenStreetMap is a project where anyone can participate and enter cartographic information. More than that, those who have a greater technical knowledge can create or improve the programs used in OpenStreetMap and extend the documentation. Others can help organize the project or publicize the project in your region. Most importantly, for many, mapping festivals are held in many areas around the world where members gather to collect data, upload to the system, and socialize. Some say the biggest motivation is that they can see the map growing daily, while others freely admit they consider mapping an addictive hobby. Whatever the motivations, something that is clear to members is that contributing to the OSM is fun.
Growth
The OpenStreetMap community grows about 10% per month. At the beginning of 2008 the OSM had 20,000 members, but by December 2008 there were already 80,000. The mark of 200,000 volunteers was reached in January 2010, and there are now more than 500,000 registered users. Of that number, 10% are permanently contributing. Germany and the United Kingdom are the countries with the largest local communities, but there are user groups all over the world.
Roof
Around the world, several countries have maps of quality equal or superior to commercial alternatives, as is the case of Germany, United Kingdom and United States, among others. In Brazil, we have not yet reached this level - the largest cities are still without "complete" maps, containing only the city center and richer regions. On the other hand, inland cities that are overlooked by commercial map providers are mapped out by employees who live in these cities. In addition, the OpenStreetMap map has features that are not found on other maps, such as bike paths, tracks, and more.
In general, as our community grows, we fix blank areas on the map and paint new streets. It is possible that a blank area visited today is completely mapped in one or two months.
On the other hand, since OpenStreetMap is an open system, the map will never be 'complete', since details about buildings, points of interest, etc. can always be added. Even the road network is not static, it changes continuously. There is always plenty to do.
Updates
New data and change appear in minutes on the map. The speed of these updates makes mapping with OSM much better than all other competitors. In this way, new buildings, buildings, blocked streets, etc. can be viewed immediately.
How does OpenStreetMap work?
In areas where there is no data in the OSM database, you can create a road skeleton with a GPS device by walking or driving through the streets in the area while the device registers its position. A bicycle is very useful, for residential areas and in the countryside. The mappers take note of the name of the streets, public telephones, playgrounds, all kind of equipment or establishment found on the streets. Among the tools, the classic dual paper and pen, but also audio recorders, cameras, cell phones etc. Each one has its favorite.
In areas that do not have data in the OSM database, you create a road skeleton, etc. With a GPS unit, you walk or drive along a path within the area, while the device registers its position. A bicycle is very useful, both for residential areas and in the woods. Mappers make annotations of street names, public phones, playgrounds, and so on. The tools are classic pen and paper, but also Dictaphone, digicams, etc. Everyone has their own favorite.
The recorded track is stored on your GPS device. This raw data can be uploaded to the project, but they did not see streets automatically! We have to do this step manually (called mapping) using our tools like JOSM, Potlatch or Merkaartor. This process drawing on the map reminds those children's books of connecting the dots to form a figure. Here we simplify the track (a straight street is engraved by hundreds or thousands of points according to GPS precision, we simplify to two points and a straight). We do an abstraction.
Now the street is represented by a series of lines (vectors). You can add tags or tags to them. First, the name is the most important, so we added a label that represents it: (name = Avenida Rio Branco). Then we add tags with other characteristics, for example the type of street, if it is an expressway or residential street, bike path, whether it is one-way or two-way, and so on. The feature / label repository is really huge, but employees are reminiscent of the most frequent after training, but do not need to decorate them, as editors fill in a few clicks.
The newly made data can now be transferred to the project and become immediately accessible to everyone. Now others can visualize, correct and improve them. Step by step this data becomes more and more accurate and you can see the map growing, which is a motivation to be part of that process.
Data Vs. Map