[OSM-talk] OSM as Map Publishers (was Re: TomTom acqures TeleAltas)

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

> I've been pondering for some time whether OSM should be hosting our own 
> slippy maps or whether our role should be to *only* provide raw data.  
> Leaving it to others to render and publish slippy maps etc.

Currently: We need to publish a map for people to see and use.

In the long run: We will be able to rely on sponsors hosting and 
rendering general maps using our data, and *they* will have such a good 
standing that people will use *them* as permalinks. If permalinks are 
still en vogue by that time.

In the long run, we will concentrate much more on (a) showcasing (small, 
static) cool examples people have made and (b) creating and serving 
"debug" type of maps that contain information relevant to the process of 
maintaining map data - e.g. areas coloured by recency of latest changes, 
maps with bugs that have been reported, maps that community members can 
use to tell other community members about the mapping process, and so 
on. These will be highly sophisticated but low-traffic as they only 
serve the mapping community.

I don't envisage OpenStreetMap as the long-term sole purveyor of free 
map imagery. Let others create these maps. There will be ruptures of 
course, as when someone decides to put ads on, and then it will take a 
few months for someone else offering maps without ads, and so on, but in 
the long run we should really really position ourselves as the producers 
and guardians of the data, not what is made from it.

But again - that's a few years away probably. Until then, we do need to 
produce and offer our own maps because we're not yet cool enough for 
others to host our maps.

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00.09' E008°23.33'