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Interoperable Open Map Data

logo for interoperable open map data

Late in 2022, a new organization was announced that had the potential to change the map data sector as we know it. Prior to the formation of the Overture Maps Foundation (OMF), whose founding members include the likes of Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and TomTom, the map mapping industry was largely dominated by a small number of industry leaders, namely Google and Apple. The goal for OMF was to change that, promoting interoperable open map data. The organization describes their mission as follows:

“At Overture, our mission is to build reliable, easy-to-use, and interoperable open map data. We believe in harnessing the collective intelligence and resources of communities, organizations, and governments worldwide and aim to support a multitude of applications that drive innovation, enhance connectivity, and shape the future of our digital world.

From an article by Geo Week’s Matt Collins.

We envision a world where the best maps are not proprietary assets but shared, open resources, built and enriched by the very people who rely on them.”

Since that official announcement of their formation in late 2022, the organization has made tremendous strides both in terms of output and bringing more companies into the fold. After starting with the four founding members, OMF is now up to 33 members as of last week, with a sampling of other members including geospatial companies like Esri, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Precisely, and Nearmap, among many others.

In terms of output, they may have made their biggest announcement to date last week, announcing the first general availability of their map data. The general availability includes four themes to start – Buildings, Places of Interest, Divisions, and Base – with a fifth, Transportation, coming soon behind. In addition to the announcement of their first general availability, OMF also announced the addition of a new address theme entering an alpha stage, as well as a new explorer tool in beta for browser-based visualization of their data. To sort through all of this, Geo Week News recently spoke with OMF Executive Director Marc Prioleau.

For the complete article CLICK HERE.

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