Crowdsourced OpenStreetMap Tries to Take Over Google's World

stotheco-

Google sure has a lot of resources, but major parts of their maps are crowd sourced. Same is the case with open street maps. The street view is goig to be a problem though but it can also bee solved through croud sourcing.

Given the very nature of maps and the ever-changing landscae of the world, I think it's fairly understandable that we can't really have a map that's 100% accurate. I agree with the observation that few, if any, can really complete with Google Maps. It just seems like Google is in the lead because they have a vast wealth of resources and tools to make their maps what it currently is. 

Taking over Google's world is not a problem as such but whther they can function as google does is the issue here.

and wasn't all that impressed, but of course things changed.

And yes, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I do wonder about people deliberately screwing around with crowdsourced things, as other posters mentioned. Yes, it is good to be able to ground-truth some of these things; I recently visited a friend in Oakland, who lives next to a staircase, but because it has a name some mapping systems tell people to drive down it, so she has to give explicit directions to people. (Google has it correct because people can submit corrections.)

I do wonder, do they have any fake streets that help determine whether someone stole their data, like paper maps do?

And, like trying to research something in a Wikipedia article that's the subject of a war, how do you handle people changing things while you're in the middle of a drive to somewhere?

Although roads can be identified through appliying different algorythms on satellite imagery but to name them and giving more details to the map you always need to send your teams for survey or get help from locals. No matter how big Google is, they cant visit all over the world to get that information.

You can use Google Map Maker to add information to the map.

Google starts out offering most of their products for free, then when adoption hits a certain point they monetize. That's part of their business. They take the risk by getting in the game, and at some point they want to make money. It can be jarring to customers though, who don't really understand how Google works. I think that this is a struggle they will continue to balance now that they are huge. 

I was not even aware that Google had user submitted maps in parts of the world!  Sounds like your experience is that crowdsourced maps leave much to be desired.

Overall your point on accuracy and opinions of vendors is an interesting one in our new globally connected world.  Too many of us, myself included, write US centric as if the whole world followed that pattern.

@sunitaT

You wont be saying that unless you see how much they are inaccurate.

I think OSM's core community will evolve a fairly stringent policing mechanism.

@Jude Chao, I agree with you. Stringen policing mechanism is the only way by which OSM can make sure the data uploaded is accurate or not. I think the data uploaded by the users should be reviewed by the person/panel which is handpicked by the OSM team. They can either allow or remove the update based on the accuracy of the data.

I donk know why people think that google maps are accurate.

@Usman, google maps may not be 100% accurate but no other maps can match the quality and completeness of google map. You are right that many inputs to the maps are user submitted but those inputs are scrutinizeed by many other users which reduces the possibility of error.