We love OpenStreetMap

Open data is a reality. 

There is a growing awareness in society and in governments of the importance of data, transparency and privacy.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an open source database of geolocated data. 

Many people confuse OSM with a map viewer. It is not true. OSM is geolocalized data, but it is true that tools have also been developed around it to visualize maps, do guided from point A to B, make geographical queries, etc.

A look at OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap was born in August 2004. Its objective was clear: to be an alternative opensource based on proprietary geolocalizing data. Its creator, Steve Coast was based on the success of Wikipedia.

Today it has almost 5 million users who contribute to its growth and maintenance.

The open source license used is the Open Database License (ODbL).

Its XML database occupies almost 1 Terabyte of data.

Screenshot of OSM Map Search Online (https://www.openstreemap.org)

Real alternative to Google Maps

Google Maps was launched in 2005 but quickly grew thanks to, among other things, that it was free.

It was incorporating new interesting features: satellite images, GPS navigation, information about shops and points of interest, StreetView, etc.

In addition, it developed a powerful API and SDK in parallel so that developers from all over the world could integrate the functionalities in their websites and apps.

At first, everything was free but then introducing a pay-per-use model in different APIs. They recently restrained the part that was free and now many companies that adopted technology in their services and processes are seen with an invoice for map services that compromise their budget.

Needless to say, it is legitimate to charge for quality APIs.

But we believe that for ethics and responsibility in projects for public administrations and large companies should use this type of open data, as it contributes significantly to a policy of transparency.

OSM is used and integrated into different start-ups that offer a Maps API stack. One of the best known is MapBox, whose SDK/API is up to Google Maps itself but at a lower cost.

OSM Ecosystem

As mentioned, there is a large ecosystem of applications and projects that revolve around OSM. We highlight the following:

• Nominatim: It is a search engine service for OSM data. It basically resolves postal addresses to OSM elements (places, roads and relationships).
• Overpass: It is a geolocated query language (DSL). It is the equivalent of SQL but with stereos to perform data mining on OSM. You can for example obtain those bars that are accessible to people with visual disabilities and are close to a subway stop in the center of Madrid. For tests you can use Overpass Turbo, which is a front-end that helps generate queries and visualize data.
• Open Source Routing Machine (OSRM): It is an extremely fast route engine written in C ++. The key is precalculus work that is done offline, during the deployment phase. This allows to reach speeds of milliseconds at the time of obtaining the route from A to B. The great disadvantage is that it is not multimodal (that calculates mixed displacements: walking, car, public transport, etc)
• Open Trip Planner (OTP): It is not as fast as OSRM but it is much more powerful. It supports multimodal routes and also allows calculations with time estimation thanks to the incorporation of protocols such as GTFS and GTFS-RT.

These are the most important for us. But there are countless other projects, some with more routes than others, many abandoned. On the Projects page of your Wiki you can check.

Beyond OSM

There is an open source GIS analysis tool called QGIS.

It's extremely powerful and complete thanks to its plug-in system. Undoubtedly, it is the tool that comes closest to the market leader, ArcGIS of ESRI.

Its uses are endless. We can stand out:

• Calculation of locations for deployment of IoT networks such as LoraWAN.
• Study and prevention of floods
• Indoor floor mapping

Needless to say, when combined with OSM, its power is unlimited.