OpenStreetMap
Hi all,
I have been an irregular OSM contributor to date, but feel very positive about the idea of OSM.
Also - not sure if this is the correct forum for this kind of discussion - folks, please point me to a better spot if there is one!
I have been reading and learning more about waze.com lately. Check out the site - very compelling I think.
Why isn't Waze using OSM as their base map? I read that there are commercial restrictions that keep them from doing so. I find this concerning, as waze has tools and processes that may enable more and better quality data than OSM will -- if their user base becomes large enough.
What is it about OSM licensing that would keep waze away?
-Kevin
Discussion
Comment from PhilippeP on 2 December 2009 at 13:25
This :
Share Alike — If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.
Comment from evolvedlight on 2 December 2009 at 13:36
Its because when their map is complete they want to be able to sell it on to other companies, and sell other stuff too.
Comment from seav on 2 December 2009 at 16:43
It appears that they want to have their cake and eat it too, which OSM's license won't let them.
Comment from devonshire on 2 December 2009 at 16:47
What do you think is so compelling about waze? Why would anyone contribute to a project just to make money for venture capitalists? For my part of the UK they have just a completely blank map and even the coastline looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old.
Comment from amm on 2 December 2009 at 17:01
To support what the other comments have already said:
"We are providing waze free of charge to our users but we need to generate revenues and our business case is based on selling the data accumulated, derived and analyzed which has real value. As such whereas the users and drivers who contribute get the service for free, business and commercial usage will be priced to maintain and keep the waze service alive." ( http://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3142#p3160 )
I think commercial use is very important for OSM and it is generally encouraged, possible and beneficial for OSM. I think the example of Waze though is more or less exactly the form of commercial use we wouldn't wont. As their intent would be to use OSM as a starting point, enhance it with their own community and then not give anything back to others or at most sell it expensively. This would go against the main principals of OSM which is to provide free map data.
If they agree to share-a-like, there is nothing in the license though that would prevent them from commercialising OSM data, which several other companies have shown is possible.
Comment from caobhin on 2 December 2009 at 17:26
I completely share the concern, that there needs to be a reciprocal agreement - improvements made to OSM data need to make their way BACK into OSM! If waze can't allow for it, 'that's a deal-breaker, ladies.'
Here's the part that concerns me though - the compelling piece about waze (and google navigation I can imagine), is that their apps will make it incredibly easy for anyone to add and improve map content: Just turn on your GPS-enabled device and drive. Waze/google nav users don't even see it as contributing to a project -- they're just using a valuable, free service (that just happens to create and improve street data).
Are there ways that OSM could partner with organizations to help provide this level of input - easy, and ubiquitous to the map database?
Comment from amapanda ᚛ᚐᚋᚐᚅᚇᚐ᚜ 🏳️⚧️ on 4 December 2009 at 13:44
You are allowed to use OSM for commercial purposes. You are totally free to do that. However the thing you make from OSM, you have to let people copy that as much as normal OSM data. I think they want to ask people to collect all the data, then sell it back to them and not let the people who did the hard work use the data they collected.