[OSM-talk] Software goes on, brain goes off...

[SomeoneElse]

Nic Roets wrote:
> Nathan, the problem is providing good routing instructions to average
> people. If we can't provide that we will loose people to Google Map
> Maker, Waze, Tom Tom etc.
>
>   
One advantage that OSM has over the commercial people is that routes get 
mapped proportionately to how real people actually want to use them 
rather than what's commercial available or commercially viable to 
re-map.  If you try and use Google Maps for pedestrian routing in 
England it'll avoid major roads, but it also ignores the plethora of 
footpaths (and more recently cycleways) that are available*.  I don't 
know of anyone else (and in the UK outside of towns that includes the 
Ordnance Survey) who has up-to-date non-road pedestrian paths available.

Other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. Postman Pat) I doubt that 
there's any money in pedestrian routing.

Cheers,
Andy


* Google's "public transport" (essentially bus) routing is excellent 
where it's available though - although it does seem to assume that you'd 
rather wait an hour for another bus rather than walk a couple of miles 
though!