OpenStreetMap
OPENSTREETMAP TURNS ONE HUNDRED MILLION!
Google Maps isn’t the only mapping tool on the block. One alternative in particular, OpenStreetMaps, employs an open crowd-sourcing approach, as Mike Bedford reveals.
The chances are that, if you have a need for online mapping or navigation, Google Maps is your first port of call. Verifiable usage figures don’t appear to be available, but nearly all surveys show the Google mapping solution ahead of its rivals, and by a country mile. This isn’t surprising in the least – after all, it provides a free and reliable service.
However, one product rarely holds all the aces. If you pride yourself in not blithely following the masses then it’s worth spending a little time investigating the alternatives. Here we’re going to delve into the broader online mapping market. In particular, we’ll take a look at OpenStreetMap (OSM), which passed an important milestone on 25 February. That milestone – which will make a lot more sense after we’ve learnt more about the philosophy behind OSM – is that it’s clocked up its 100 millionth edit.
So, if you’d like to learn more about the world of online mapping, aspire to be a creator of mapping data rather than just a user, or if you want to support an open source initiative then keep reading.
Google Maps
We’re going to start by taking a look at free mapping resources. As we present an overview of online mapping, we really do have to start with Google Maps. Since there are few people who haven’t used it, we’ll keep it brief.
OSM IN THE PHILIPPINES
Launched in July 2019 and nearing completion is the PhilAWARE project. This is a collaboration between the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and its global and local network of volunteers. Its aim is to equip the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC ) with a hazard monitoring, early warning and decision support tool.
This project has involved two phases. First, using satellite imagery, building footprints and road networks were mapped for the 22 municipalities and the whole of Quezon City. This laid the groundwork for the field mapping activities in which HOT’s mapping team worked alongside representatives in the local community to identify the critical lifeline infrastructures from the ground, based on the building footprints. The community was trained to use OpenStreetMap, for them to improve the quality of the maps in their locality, and the geospatial data collected was validated by a team of data validators to ensure the quality of the edits.
The statistics are impressive. As of January 2021, no fewer than 1,294,839 buildings and 14,599km of roads had been added, of which the majority had already been validated. Speaking during the project’s mid-term workshop, Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, Executive Director of NDRRMC, expressed the view that such a technological advantage will assist disaster managers across the archipelago by providing vital information for disaster response.