AND donate entire Netherlands to OpenStreetMap

“Automotive Navigation Data” (AND) [since renamed GeoJunxion] is a leading provider of location, routing, mapping and address management are donating a street network of the entire Netherlands. Yes, an entire country.

This is basically phenomenal.

We’ll have our first country complete from this data, which AND and I want to work with the community to import. This is not least because fantastic work has already been done in Amsterdam and elsewhere by the Digital Pioneers supported openstreetmap netherlands community. AND will be at the State of the Map, and you should be too 🙂

Here’s the press release:

AND and OpenStreetMap join forces to create digital maps
Rotterdam – AND Automotive Navigation Data has agreed with the OpenStreetMap Foundation to donate digital maps of the Netherlands, China and India to the OpenStreetMap community. The aim is to create the most up-to-date map in the market. With this partnership AND recognizes the power of a community and the Web 2.0 developments.

OpenStreetMap gives the community the opportunity to create maps with up-to-date geo-data and shows the results immediately. Pure community collaboration at its best. “Overall we want to enable users of mapping data to also be contributors, from reporting errors to doing full surveys.” According to Steve Coast, one of the founders of the OpenStreetMap project.

“It is known that a small percentage of a map is not representing the present situation. With the help of the community AND aims to close this gap and be able to a deliver a map that is 100 % correct.” According to Maarten Oldenhof, CEO AND Automotive Navigation Data.

According to Wikipedia Web 2.0 refers to “a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services – such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies – which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.” AND is busy today with the process of bringing maps online with the possibility of online user generated updating. “We think Web 2.0 will be the ultimate tool for map updates. With this partnership we work with the people that have a keen insight into how a community works around maps” according to Maarten Oldenhof.

Initially, AND will make its street level data of the Netherlands and the major road networks of China and India available to the OpenStreetMap community. “We are very happy with the map donation of AND. With this additional map data we hope to create a bigger mapping community and be able to cover more and more areas” according to Steve Coast.

[AND was since renamed GeoJunxion in 2020]

A new advertising model for OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is now featuring adverts from a new location based advertising service, Mappam. Just like the old banner ads that OSM used to carry, the location based adverts will go away once you have logged in. Unlike the old ads, Mappam ads take up very little space – there is only one advert on the map at a time, and it only takes up 16×16 pixels. This means more space for the map and more relevant adverts for OSM users.

Just like with the old ads, all the revenue from advertising goes straight the OSMF Treasurer and for a trial period the advertising broker is not taking any of the advertising revenue.

OSM’s Steve Chilton in a Very Special Podcast

For those of you who don’t follow the excellent Very Spatial blog, they recently featured OSM’s very own Steve Chilton in a podcast (mp3). Steve talks about OSM and about the upcoming State of the Map conference. Well worth a listen.

If you haven’t got you tickets for the State of the Map yet, you can sign up here. Tickets are limited and are dissapearing fast, so sign up now to avoid disappointment.

Ed Parsons (Geospatial Technologist EMEA, Google) to keynote at SOTM07

The OpenStreetMap Foundation are pleased to announce that Ed Parsons will be delivering the Keynote presentation at the State of the Map 2007, on Sunday 15th July 2007. Ed is a well known and respected figure in the geospatial community, whose long-term interest in OpenStreetMap is know to many. In his new position as Google’s Geospatial Technologist for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ed is in a unique position to talk about OpenGeoData. His talk is titled “The Cathedral and the GPS – a personal view” and promises to be a highlight of the action packed SOTM07 weekend.

If you still haven’t registered, visit this page.

Holland is 5% done

The Dutch Statistics department calculated that there is 141,251 km of road in the Netherlands. In the OSM database 6,833 km are accounted for. That is almost 5%!

From the big cities, the following is done:
1. The Hague: 545 km
2. Amsterdam: 403 km
3. Utrecht: 313 km

Rotterdam is almost white space. It needs another 2,100 km! You can help this weekend!

The top 10:

1. Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten 46.8%
2. Heiloo 45.8%
3. ‘s-Gravenhage 43.5%
4. Leidschendam-Voorburg 38.8%
5. Schermer 32.9%
6. Delft 29.2%
7. Utrecht 27.0%
8. Boxtel 26.8%
9. Waterland 24.4%
10. Bussum 23.9%

We are almost done in Bennebroek: only 21 km to do! (of a total of 21 km).