[Openstreetmap] Re: Funding available for web mapping projects?

Saul Albert saul at twenteenthcentury.com
Fri May 13 17:13:09 BST 2005


Hi Peter,

We are currently looking at a few different approaches to funding osm
development - some in-kind, som financial. I'm pinning success hopes on
the possibility of providing a service that works within a few months,
with a given investment.

For example, if it costs a city-based firm £25,000 / year in geodata and
geocoding to maintain their service, and we manage to roll out fast
enough - with voluntary labour and smart tools, it might be possible to
provide a good-enough service within 6 months (steve's goal is about 6
months for central londno).

That company would proably be willing - if there's a successful
prescendent in other cities, to invest £15k odd - or less as part of a
coalition, in getting the process up and running, and instantly cutting a
massive cost to them, forever.

Perhaps we could concentrate on setting up these kinds of use-cases,
gathering customers who don't really need 100% accuraccy address
geocoding and other serivces - who might otherwise simply not buy
geo-services, or subcontract them out to near monopolies.

If it makes financial sense for companies to invest in free geodata
projects, it will happen, really fast, *everywhere*. (well, everywhere
that turns a profit ;)

I'll make the effort to write down my funding-seeking experience if it
works, so we can try template it for other cities.. *if* it works :)

X

s.






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