OpenStreetMaps is gaining some momentum

[Allan T.]

From WebMonkey

http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/OpenStreetMaps_Project_Takes_Maps_in_a_Different_Direction

<block>Unlike some crowdsourced projects that have fizzled, OSM has
managed to attract a large following of enthusiastic contributors who
constantly “trace” routes they take by car, bike or foot. Users tag
points on their routes, and share the resulting places of personal
interest on the maps with other users. Some of the bigger map
providers also offer such geo-tagged metadata, like Google’s MyMaps.

Some of OSM’s contributors have added some truly unique data, such as
dedicated maps for cyclists, or maps that highlight public
transportation routes throughout Western Europe. There’s even an
OpenStreetMap-powered iPhone app called Roadee.

To see how quickly the project has grown, check out this very cool
video showing a year’s worth of edits to OpenStreetMap.org.

If you’re a developer and you want to switch your current application
to use OpenStreetMap to take advantage of the user-generated maps and
metadata, all you need to do is change a few lines of code. Thanks to
the excellent Mapstraction JavaScript Library, it’s easy to write
mapping applications that use any map tiles — be they OSM, Google or
hand crafted.</block>