[OSM-talk] Countering Google's propaganda

[andrzej zaborowski]

2009/12/31 Jason Cunningham <jamicuosm at googlemail.com>:
> This discussion is concentrating on the merits of Google, but I am more
> concerned about the involvement of UNICEF and their apparent decision to
> encourage people to create mapping data for Google. I assume UNICEF has a
> variety of 'mapping data' or POI that it would like to see freely available,
> and surely UNICEF should have seen OSM has the best organisation to hold
> that data?
>
> A search of UNICEF's website shows some of UNICEF's views on mapping. Its a
> GIS related pdf (1.5Mb - July 09), which mentions several internet map
> suppliers, but not OSM.
> http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/2009_Global_DevInfo_Fina.pdf
> This document implies UNICEF doesn't even know OSM exists, which is just as
> worring as them funding Google's map making
>
> My view is the OSM foundation or some other official OSM group should be
> contacting and creating relationships with UNICEF (and others such
> organisations). If in the future they decide to once again sponsor Google's
> map making, they at least should be justifying why they are not supporting
> putting mapping data in the public domain.
> Importantly OSM and UNICEF would benefit from working together.

I emailed the author of the PSU course page on which the report bases
the decision to support Google technologies, to let him know about
OpenStreetMap.

Cheers