finally, a topic worth discussing! if you want to see what the future of a goog wiki-map world, india could be a good place to look--sure, they've provided a valuable service in creating a base map, but at what cost? anybody know if participants were paid or volunteer? given GPS devices or loaners? any chance the underlying map data will be released? if i were google, i sure as hell wouldn't make it available to anybody else--damn smart and cheap way to get a 'good enough' base map. i'm sure g recognizes that their 'go it alone approach in a user-contributed world' ain't going to give them NVT/TA quality data (love it or not, it is high quality) today, but over time it's something that google may find it doesn't have to pay any licensing fees for (not that NVT/TA derive much $$$ from the interwebs--it's under 5% of their business). But...as g begins to move more into different platforms (android, in car nav (don't forget the VW deal), and direct acquisition of sat imagery (don't forget this one: http://mashable.com/2007/07/21/google-image-america/), all your fears/hopes/dreams may come true!
Ian White :: Urban Mapping Inc 690 Fifth Street Suite 200 :: San Francisco CA 94107 T.415.946.8170 x80 :: F.866.385.8266 blog.urbanmapping.com :: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of James Fee [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 9:43 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Geowanking] MapMaker Why? To cut out the providers and control the data for themselves. Who wants to deal with NAVTEQ or others when they can just pay interns to drive cars around cities of the world and take pictures/GPS or get Google fan boys to update their maps for free? -- James Fee GISP RSP Architects 502 South Collge Avenue, Suite 203, Tempe, AZ 85281 480-889-2095 (w) 602-819-2142 (m) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Landon Blake Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 9:38 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Geowanking] MapMaker Good point Kevin. In that case, Google's motive does seem a little more suspect, doesn't it? Why would anyone map Bermuda for Google if it was already mapped? Landon -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kevin Mayall Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 9:04 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Geowanking] MapMaker Let's not assume that the countries listed in Google Map Maker are "unmapped regions of the world". Bermuda and Cayman, for example, are very well mapped. Google just doesn't own any data for them. Kevin (in Bermuda) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Landon Blake Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:37 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Geowanking] MapMaker I just checked out the Google Map Maker web application this morning. I was pretty impressed with the simple interface. I've always admired the way Google can tackle a problem and design a slick solution. I don't know how I'd live without my G-Mail. Still, there terms of use really bites the big one. Seems to me like these terms would be a deal killer for a lot of volunteer mappers. (I sure won't be adding to there database. Why do that when you can contribute to Open Street Map?) It seems like Google is ignoring a principle that can be drawn from open source software development: absolute control chokes voluntary contributions. I do, however, think that mapping unknown regions of the world will only benefit society as a whole. If the data is publicly accessible, but Google makes a dime, is that a horrible thing? They might end up mapping something that would have never been mapped otherwise. Imagine what Google could have accomplished if it had worked with an organization like OSM to map unmapped regions of the world. It's too bad they were so short-sighted in this respect. The Sunburned Surveyor -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of SteveC Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:51 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Geowanking] MapMaker What no mention of GMM on geowanking yet? And I was looking forward to the disucssion! http://www.opengeodata.org/?p=307 Best Steve _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
