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by teruakohatu 478 days ago
> - Google semi monopoly on map data

I am sure it varies depending on where you are in the world but in my experience OSM plus official government data is as good as, and sometimes better, than Google.

It would be nice to have mine Google Places and Review data but other than that I never feel I am using 2nd rate data when using OSM, in fact I am frequently amazed at the quality and depth of the data.

That said, I do agree with your other points. A greenfield gdal alternative would be nice.

1 comments

This depends on what you want to do. If you want to use OSM to find address, then it might be ok.

If you want to create directions based on live traffic or find POI/business on map or have street view of location/route, then good luck. Google map have many datasets that just not available or too expensive for competition:

  - Street view
  - User upload images of places
  - Pedestrian and car traffic
  - Public transport information and timetables
  - POI and business database
  - Consumer reviews
  - High quality aerial images
> Public transport information and timetables

Public transport information is published and maintained by transit agencies themselves. It’s an open standard and trivially easy to access.

See: https://gtfs.org/

Yes, your correct. Also the areas where the OSM coverage is on par with Google is very less. In fact the coverage depends on how strong the OSM community is in that particular area.