Somebody (presumably from the USA) complained about “Open Street Maps just not being as updated as Google.”
That got me thinking. I’m from Europe.
First of all I haven’t had a Google account or regularly used any of their products for over a decade. So I need to ask.
And by Openstreetmap (OSM) I mean the maps themselves that are used by many apps, routing services, and even secondary map providers.
OSM is community-driven. It requires people to actively participate, or at least deliberately install apps that do that I guess, to create maps and keep them up-to-date.
Google Maps is an app. Where do the maps come from? The data they get automatically (from their users; one might claim it’s community driven too, lol) and those cars with those weird cameras on top and probably something else. Maybe they even take from OSM.
OSM probably won’t ever be able to “see” traffic jams, but apart from that it works very well, gives me a satisfying mapping and navigation experience by car, bike or foot.
And many big professional/official sites rely on OSM.
So, is that not the case in other places in the world, e.g. the USA? How often do you see these Google cars? I haven’t seen one in ages. Let’s say once a year.
I hope you get the main drive of my question. It’s about how crtain “alternatives” to Big tech work, and are perceived, in different places around the world, although the Europe-USA comparison is bugging me the most.
I posted about this a couple days ago. I used to see Google mapping cars fairly frequently in the US, but not much anymore.
Not sure if they’re doing this outside the US but here they seem to be trying to insert themselves into the online food ordering and reservation process. Not sure if they’re using that data to help update their info.
They also have built in reviews where business owners can respond to them, so that likely incentivizes the business to provide updated info.
Yes I was talking about you and some of the replies you got, but didn’t want to name you.
From the replies I’m getting across 3 posts I’d say it’s somewhat true that where I live OSM has it easier and Google has it harder, compared to the USA.
Which results in OSM being at least comparable if not even better.
BTW I don’t really buy OSM being better rural than urban because here ALL public transport apps (i.e. urban) use OSM. Off-road stuff though, OSM might be generally better there.
I’ve never heard the rural vs urban argument explicitly, but I guess I made the implicit assumption based on how many of the OSM apps seem to advertise being friendly to outdoor activities. Their offline capability probably helps that image too.
I’ve never heard the rural vs urban argument explicitly
It’s been made more than once, also in the 3 posts I made about this.
I guess I made the implicit assumption based on how many of the OSM apps seem to advertise being friendly to outdoor activities.
Interesting, I never thought of it before.
I find it great and virtually never have to revert to Google Maps. But I live somewhere where the government publishes data on all the addresses and buildings in the country, and I know that data has been loaded in to OSM via automated scripts. I can imagine not having available freely street address data would make mapping the country a whole lot harder so places without that help probably have worse maps.
But I live somewhere where the government publishes data on all the addresses and buildings in the country, and I know that data has been loaded in to OSM via automated scripts.
🤔 I wonder if that isn’t the case everywhere.
I guess it would be typical USA to a) demand a fee and b) only be available if you show up in person, the third basement down, on wednesdays between 11am and 1pm.
Mr Prosser: But, Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.
Arthur: Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything.
Mr Prosser: But the plans were on display…
Arthur: On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.
Mr Prosser: That’s the display department.
Arthur: With a torch.
Mr Prosser: The lights had probably gone out.
Arthur: So had the stairs.
Mr Prosser: But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?
Arthur: Yes yes I did. It was on display at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.
Yeah well that’s Britain in the late 1970s
They’re both not totally up-to-date, but at least you can correct OSM.
Canadian here from southern Ontario. I find OSM’s maps to be great, no complaints there. But during summer there’s basically constantly roads somewhere under construction, and there’s very often lots of traffic congestion.
So I use Google Maps to route me to places I already know how to get to a lot of the time, like my dad’s house in another town or even a place on the other side of the city I live in, not because I need the directions, but because I benefit from the live updates telling me not to go the way I normally would due to construction, accidents, congestion, etc. It’ll sometimes save 20 minutes on a 60 minute trip!
I think if our car infrastructure was more stable, and if our car culture was more sustainable, I wouldn’t need those features as much.
Using it for transit is virtually useless in my town because while it has bus stops and routes, it doesn’t have schedules. The bus outside my house comes once every hour during some times of day, and still only every half hour during peak times, so it really matters if this hypothetical route is actually a viable route. I’m not going to wait 50 minutes when I could have walked to the connection in 20 just because the bus stop is close.
I think if our public transit system was healthier I wouldn’t have to worry about frequency of service so much, and I wouldn’t need to rely on Google’s transit schedules as much.
Looking up businesses sometimes works, but usually if I’m looking up a business I want to know its hours, and at least in my town Google is basically always right, and everything else is no. So even if I was planning on using OSM to route there, I’d probably look it up on Google first to make sure it’ll be open when I arrive, and that they’re still in business at all!
It would be nice if businesses kept their own store up to date on OSM, but I get that they don’t. And there are things like Street Complete trying to get community members to do it, but there’s still just enough uncertainty that I’d rather check Google as a source of confidence.
I must be living in paradise. The only time I can experience a traffic jam is when I go abroad.
I never use routing on routes I’ve taken before.Looking up businesses sometimes works, but usually if I’m looking up a business I want to know its hours, and at least in my town Google is basically always right, and everything else is no.
I rarely rely on this; I’m way too used to doing web searches.
But I did rely on it (via OSMAnd) on my last trip abroad (Estonia) and found it to be 100% reliable.
Google likely takes from OSM, but never in a way that is directly tracable, the legality of that is minefield they have to avoid stepping directly into.
Also I worked for Google as contractor doing map edits, they treat their employees like shit and in the last couple of years they have gutted all of their mapping talent… so I wouldn’t necessarily trust Google Maps over OSM for long, Google Maps is a sinking ship.
I think Apple Maps treated their people a tiny bit better but idk.
Yea, an intersection near me had a massive overhaul where the layout changed. OSM was updated on the opening day, google on the other hand, that took months.
Really interesting to hear that it can go that way too.
I remember when google maps came out and it tried to make me drive into a river.
OSM probably won’t ever be able to “see” traffic jams
The only realistic way for that to happen is by tracking massive numbers of people’s movement (via their phones) in real time.
Google (Android) and Apple (iphone) have the ability to do that without requiring those users to specifically opt-in or even know its happening.
Anyone else trying to do that live tracking would need a mass number of users to intentionally choose to be tracked. And I doubt that would ever happen.
It really depends on how active the local community is on improving, detailing and correcting the open data of the region. I’ve been traveling a lot and always use OSM first. If I find a mistake I will try to find a moment to update or correct the data. Only for traffic jams I look up google traffic, because they source their data realtime from surveillance of their customers. Google uses many different sources, one being their local guides and people alerting google maps through the respective button in their apps. Off the roads OSM is waaay more detailed. When hiking google maps has no chance.
Living in Canada (East coast), it’s mainly good in the populated centres and then is hit or miss in rural areas. It’s also getting better constantly.
If it’s not working great for you, you might want to think about contributing.
here in south korea, OSM is not bad in some areas but mostly unreliable for daily usage. i still depend on some proprietary map app sadly. would love to contribute at least my area but haven’t had much time…
Osm was really crappy two- three years ago where I live (europe) but now it is better than google maps, a lot has happened. Also, I go hiking and canoeing alot, and there is a lot more info on osm than on goggle now outside cities, like shelters, camping grounds, firepits, hiking trail, mtb-trails. I dont know if the outdoorspeople are good at updating osm.
I had similar experiences in some rural areas but longer than 3 years ago.
It is my overall impression that it just keeps getting better and better…
I can’t find shit in Okinawa so I rarely use it.
OSM relies on users inputting address and business information. Add in those things as you go and it benefits everyone.
It’s a bit of a snowball effect, once people start putting in information it’s easier for people to use so more people use it and there are more people to enter information.
Edit: second paragraph.
For sure. I just don’t really go outside often and when I do, I usually know exactly where I’m going. It’s just that once in a blue moon I’ll try to look for the closest post office to me or whatever and when it doesn’t list anything I just get kinda let down and not use it again for a while.
I’ll try to add some info myself, and although I don’t have much influence over many people, but I’ll try to spread the word.
In rural Northeastern Japan, OSM was basically worthless for finding and routing to businesses which is the main thing I’m doing if I have to be driving somewhere.
When on my motorbike, I’m using google maps to navigate. I usually use my car’s built-in (domestic Japanese) navigation unless it’s somewhere too new (it struggles in Eastern Tohoku coastal areas because of all the rebuilding and rerouting after the tsunami in 2011 and I can’t be arsed to pay to have it updated).
A google car went by my house in the last two years (though I don’t suspect we’ll see another one for several more). It’s important to note that that’s not the only way they get data, though.
I’ve used Google in Tokyo, but not OSM so I can’t compare the more urban areas.
