[stadiamaps]

We do use data from OSM, but if you want to use it reliably and consistently, you would need to host the data yourself or use a third-party service (such as Stadia Maps). OSM implements rate limits to high-traffic users and have no service guarantees. You also would have to create a theme (or use one of OSM's default themes).

So, the short answer is, yes, you could do this with OSM's data, but most companies prefer to pay to abstract away the management efforts.

We also provide other geo services, such as static maps and routing, which are often useful for companies and projects needing maps.

[banishwashtub]

Can you compare yourself to other OSM services then? I've only glanced at them but I know they exist and am curious how your market research may have led you to creating a new product.

[stadiamaps]

> Can you compare yourself to other OSM services then?

Sure. Here's a brief overview:

- Bill-as-you-go vs tier-based billing Many other services use usage-based billing, which is great for minimizing costs, but not so much for cost-prediction. We use tiers with soft-limits, so if you exceed your given usage for a few days of the month, it's not big deal and your bill doesn't change (e.g., you hit the HN front page!). Our initial customers told us consistent costs were very useful when handling client projects.

- Raw price We believed we could deliver a premium product at lower costs than other providers. Based on price comparisons, we believe we are on the right path to achieve this. We also do not treat certain applications (such as asset tracking) differently.

- Map design We didn't like many of the other provider's themes, so we built our own and plan to expand our portfolio over time.

- Goals We want to build a sustainable map service provider that respects the rights and data of its users (and its users' users)—not grow at any cost. Many of the other providers aggressively market for growth or capturing users' data, or marketing their own products on the map (e.g., reviews or other places), we want to get out of the way and allow your data to shine on our maps.

There are more differentiators, but these are some of the factors that led us to begin our own service.

[banishwashtub]

Thank you! Your respect for your customers and customers-customers is highly evident not just in the privacy and "not grow at any cost" aspects, but also in the soft-limit decision. I hope you do well while keeping that attitude!

I have an idea in the works and was beginning to research self-serving OSM tiles for it. Will definitely try Stadia.