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OpenStreetMap and CycleStreets: collaborative map-making and cartography in the age of the internet

Research Seminar, Thursday 24th February 2011, 12.30pm - Martin Lucas-Smith, University of Cambridge

Abstract: The arrival of web-based mapping from Google and others has revolutionised, in the space of only five years, the way many people interact with maps and map data. And the success of projects such as Wikipedia highlight how collation of small amounts of information from large numbers of people - an approach called 'crowdsourcing' - can challenge traditional models of data collection and ownership. Bringing these concepts together is OpenStreetMap, a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Well-established enterprises such as the Ordnance Survey are coming under increased pressure from this new model, and large companies such as MapQuest and Microsoft are starting to use and invest in it. Martin Lucas-Smith, Webmaster in the Department, and one of two main developers of the leading UK-wide cycle journey planner website, CycleStreets, will discuss OpenStreetMap, its use within a wide range of systems (from cartography, routing, and even its central role helping deal with the Haiti disaster) and discuss the challenges it poses to traditional forms of cartography and data collection.

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Live demos/websites

OpenStreetMap 2008: A Year of Edits (short animation)

Evolution of European OpenStreetMap coverage

Useful articles