Google starts charging for its maps, and an open source alternative -- with support from Microsoft -- begins to challenge Google's dominance.
OpenStreetMap is an open source wiki of maps and location data, much like Wikipedia is a wiki of information you find in an encyclopedia.
"In what seems to have been a surprise to everyone, the prices that Google asked of its heaviest Maps users apparently dwarf the revenue of at least some of those sites, which is leading to a very public move away from Google and to OpenStreetMap," writes author Christian Mims.
"Some areas, particularly in Europe, where contributing to OpenStreetMaps is something of a craze, its maps are updated more frequently than Google's maps, and contain vastly more detail."
The video above (produced by itoworld.com) shows edits made to OpenStreetMap in 2008 from contributors around the world.
FULL STORY: 'Wikipedia of Maps' Challenges Google
Google Expands Wheelchair Access Mapping
Offering prizes and status, Google wants to motivate Maps users to add information about wheelchair accessibility.
Google Maps' 'Interesting' New Feature
Google's new maps redesign calls out areas of interest, but is "interesting" just a euphemism for rich?
Visualizing the Spread of the OpenStreetMap Project
OpenStreetMap has released an animated map to illustrate the impressive growth of the project over the first ten years of its existence.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)