Volunteer, municipalities, and other organisations collects enormous amounts of open geodata to create and maintain OpenStreetMap. During the past 17 years, volunteers of all kinds has mapped 95 million km. roads. OpenStreetMap is for everyone, not just techies, and the everyone can use and contribute to the map with data and Open Source software.
A massive community of volunteers is behind OpenStreetMap (GitHub for the website).The participants collect raw geodata that indicates streets, foot paths, pedestrian crossings, rivers, etc. based on for instance GPS-coordinates. In Denmark, these geodata are used by municipalities and researchers.
Data on the OpenStreetMap platform has a Data Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) and they are illustrated on an online world map. Such geodata can be explored and exported freely from the platform.
During its 17 years of existence, OpenStreetMap has developed from 0 km. mapped roads to approximately 95 million km. globally. This work is not solely for techies.
Demystification of geodata
Søren Johannessen has been part of the community since 2009. He collects geodata, communicates from the national and global communities, creates events, and uses the data actively via Open Source software.
In his engagement, it is important for him to demystify geodata. It shouldn’t be for the tech elite only, but for everyone. Everyone is welcome to gather and use the open geodata. Individuals and public organisations alike.
Public collaborations
Danish municipalities and traffic researcher are among the users and participants, Søren Johannessen explained to me, the author of this article. The platform data is special as it is the only dataset these researchers can gain access to for their models and algorithms.
Many local screen maps are also based on these open datasets. Søren Johannessen explains that for instance is the data used through Open Source GIS software.
An example of municipality participation in OpenStreetMap is from Ballerup Municipality. The municipality exports dataset on bicycle paths, staircases, and charging stations for electrical vehicles from the platform to their PostgreSQL/PostGIS databases.
The municipality also contributes actively. These contributions include road data, public artworks, and the mapping of parking spots for disabled made by GIS-associates in the municipality.
Besides the public contributors, OpenStreetMap has a vast number of individuals who contributes and uses the datasets. Søren Johannessen is an important player in spreading the word of the platform to potential volunteers.
Motivation of (new) volunteers
Søren Johannessen’s events has the purpose of introducing new people to the open geodata. Centrally, a gamification function has been built into OpenStreetMap as a way to get new people started and motivated when Søren Johannessen has shown them the platform.
In the gamification function, volunteers can for instance follow their contribution rates on curves. The app StreetComplete supports OpenStreetMap in its collection of data and motivation of the volunteers. StreetComplete makes it a game to gather data. When contributors move around in their local environment, the app asks questions like ‘Which pavement is on this road?’ or ‘Does this path has streetlights?’. When the task is completed and the question answered, the data is set to the OpenStreetMap platform.
Next step on the road to becoming a deeply dedicated contributor is, according to Søren Johannessen, to start using the dataset with downloads, editing tools, and visualization of data through Open Source programmes like OGIS.
These ‘hardcore’ volunteers are in the community because they agree with the idea of open set of geodata with many inbuilt possibilities. Both for themselves and for third party actors such as app developers. The openness of the dataset is unique of this platform.
OpenStreetMap or Google Maps
While OpenStreetMap is entirely open, the same can’t be said about Google Maps. Google Maps are great in cities and great while driving. But as soon as one jumps out of the car in an area outside the city, if one moves by bike or foot, OpenStreetMaps are much better. Furthermore, Google Maps can’t find shelter, lakes, and buildings quite as well as the open platform.
Søren Johannessen says that there is also one important and very fundamental between the two online maps: ‘Google Maps stiller ikke nogen data i råformat til rådighed. Kortbrugeren er her reduceret til forbruger af data’ (Google Maps doesn’t provide any raw data. The user of the map is here reduces to the consumer of data, authors translation).
Final take-aways
- OpenStreetMap is based on open data collected and used by volunteers.
- The map used gamification to attract new volunteers.
- It works together with public bodies.
- This global map is Open Source and better than Google Maps to localise for instance shelters or art works. It makes users to more than simply consumers of data.