OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap
Ken Vermette based on https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OpenStreetMap-Logo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	OpenStreetMap
Founded	2004
Founder	Steve Coast
Location	Worldwide
Area served	Global
Focus	Collaborative mapping
Method	Crowdsourcing

OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free, editable map of the world. Established by contributors using GPS devices, aerial imagery and local knowledge, it supports applications ranging from humanitarian relief to commercial navigation. Major initiatives and events, contributions from volunteers and institutions, and interactions with legal frameworks have shaped its development.

History

OpenStreetMap originated in 2004 amid debates involving Yahoo!, Ordnance Survey, Stamen Design, MapQuest, Google Maps, and advocates for open data including participants from Open Knowledge Foundation, Creative Commons, Free Software Foundation, and Wikimedia Foundation. Early growth was driven by activists connected to OpenStreetMap Foundation and individuals like Steve Coast, who helped coordinate mapping parties similar to efforts by OpenStreetMap US, HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team), and regional chapters such as OpenStreetMap Germany and OpenStreetMap France. Significant moments include responses to disasters like the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, when collaboration with organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Red Cross, and World Bank showcased rapid volunteer mapping coordinated through platforms influenced by projects like Humanitarian Data Exchange and tools comparable to Mapnik and QGIS.

Data and Coverage

The project's database stores geographic primitives—nodes, ways, and relations—collected via devices and imagery supplied by partners including Bing, Maxar Technologies, and community-contributed traces. Coverage varies from dense urban mapping in cities like London, New York City, Tokyo, São Paulo, and Berlin to sparse rural data in regions like central Siberia, parts of Sahara Desert, and remote Pacific islands. Specialized tagging vocabularies evolved through discussions in groups with connections to OSGeo, HOT Tasking Manager, and mapping campaigns tied to institutions such as NASA, European Space Agency, USGS, and academic centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and ETH Zurich. The dataset interoperates with standards like GeoJSON, GPX, Open Geospatial Consortium, WMS, and WFS, enabling exports consumed by projects including Strava, Mapbox, Apple Maps, Foursquare, and Wikimedia Commons.

Licensing and Legal Issues

OpenStreetMap data has been governed by license transitions and legal negotiations involving stakeholders like OpenStreetMap Foundation, contributors, and corporate users including Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and TomTom. The change from the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike debate to the Open Database License triggered discussions influenced by legal precedents in jurisdictions involving courts associated with European Court of Justice and legislative contexts in countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and France. High-profile disputes and data import policies led to scrutiny from organizations like Electronic Frontier Foundation and interactions with public agencies such as Ordnance Survey and Institut Géographique National. Compliance with license terms affects downstream services provided by companies like Here Technologies, Esri, Garmin, and research institutions including Harvard University.

Community and Governance

The volunteer community includes mappers, local chapter organizers, educators, GIS professionals, and corporate contributors from companies like Mapbox, Microsoft, Apple, Uber, and Amazon. Governance is coordinated by the OpenStreetMap Foundation, whose board interacts with regional chapters such as OpenStreetMap US, OpenStreetMap Deutschland, and initiatives like State of the Map. Conflicts over moderation, imports, and data quality have prompted debates involving actors such as HOT, Missing Maps, YouthMappers, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, and academic partners at University College London and University of California, Berkeley. Outreach and events include mapping parties, edit-a-thons, and conferences where speakers often come from United Nations, Red Cross, World Health Organization, and foundations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Technology and Tools

A diverse toolchain supports editing, rendering, and analysis, featuring editors like iD editor, JOSM, and mobile apps developed by entities such as Mapbox and Mapillary, along with imagery from Bing, Mapbox Satellite, and DigitalGlobe. Rendering engines include Mapnik, Tileserver GL, and integrations with GIS suites such as QGIS and ArcGIS. Data pipelines use formats and protocols tied to OSM PBF, Overpass API, and software maintained by volunteers and organizations like Geofabrik, OpenStreetMap Foundation’s infrastructure team, and open-source projects on GitHub. Quality assurance and analysis are aided by validators and services created by communities around HOT Tasking Manager, MapRoulette, OSMCha, and research labs at Imperial College London and University of Cambridge.

Uses and Impact

OpenStreetMap underpins humanitarian response, academic research, civic tech, and commercial services relied on by platforms such as Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Missing Maps, Mapbox, Foursquare, Strava, and Mapillary. Its role in disaster relief during events like the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake, and 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa demonstrated synergy with United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders. The dataset fuels innovation in urban planning at municipalities including New York City Department of City Planning, transportation projects by firms like TomTom, and research at institutions such as Stanford University and MIT Media Lab. Broader societal effects intersect with initiatives led by Open Knowledge Foundation, non-profits like Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, and corporate partners including Microsoft and Amazon that integrate OSM data into products and services.

Category:Collaborative mapping projects