Open Mapping Projects
In the UK, several different projects have been working towards the creation of free-of-copyright maps, and processes for sharing of data and software.
Openstreetmap
The openstreetmap project provides a wiki-style interface for uploading GPS traces and correcting and annotating the resulting lines into streets.
Free-map.org.uk
Freemap is a recent project, aimed at producing rural area maps and using the free STRM data sources. Its map-drawing client is now bound to openstreetmap's backend.
Geowiki
Geowiki is a longstanding project to produce UK maps using a more classical, hand-drawn approach over gathered GPS traces. They are sharing some interesting resources.
London Free Map
The london free map is an attempt to produce a webservice for map applications in London with locally-contributed sites of interest. It also has data sharing with openstreetmap.
Mumbai Free Map
The Mumbai Free Map project from CRIT is creating civic applications in local languages for community housing and planning in mumbai, india. The platform is based on public geo-data, open standards, and free software.
This mind-map made by Hugh Barnard illustrates the stages of the free-of-copyright map-making process.
As strategies for the development of free of copyright spatial data, we are looking at
- potentially purchasing aerial photography which is licensed without restrictions on derivative works, using either a genetic algorithm approach or just tracing, to extract lines and shapes for streets and other visible classes of feature.
- extracting street shapes from correlating different sets of GPS traces; organising projects with cycle groups to collect them (and make adaptive cycling maps).
- building on information extracted from out-of-copyright, older maps of the UK. The most complete is the New Popular Edition from around 1950.
All these activities require some funded support in the form of hardware or data licenses that will allow us to progress further, sooner. Donations can be made online via PayPal to an open geodata fund managed by OKFN.