Foundation/AGM2025/Election to Board/Answers and manifestos/Q06 Access to Imagery
Access to Imagery
Is it the role of the OSMF to ensure that mappers continue to have reliable access to high‑quality overhead imagery to serve mappers globally? If yes, what strategies would you prioritize to maintain or expand access, especially in regions with limited alternatives?
Roland Olbricht - Q06 Access to Imagery
The Foundation cannot offer worldwide aerial imagery itself.
It is way above the Foundation's budget: At a 30cm resolution, which means that a footpath is easily as small as only 3 pixels, the world already has a size of 6000 Terapixel. With a fully useful resolution we are closer to 600 000 Terapixel. Even with compression we are talking here about a fleet of 200 to 20 000 servers (or an equivlent in the cloud), and we have not started talking about backups, CDN, test servers, or an archive of old imagery. Even less of how to obtain that from satellites.
That said the Foundation can rather use various means to get imagery available from companies specialized in providing imagery. In the latest round, a mix of goodwill, team work inside and even beyond the OpenStreetMap Foundation, and credible competence to curb misuse has helped. I consider this to be a success so far and would like to thank the quite numerous people involved here. The near future will show whether the transition and maintenance of keys works as expected. The near future will also show whether other initiatives come to fruition.
Brazil Singh - Q06 Access to Imagery
Yes, it is the role of the OSMF to ensure that mappers continue to have reliable access to high-quality overhead imagery. The Licensing Working Group and Operations Working Group already facilitate access to imagery and manage data use permissions. While my primary interest lies in community engagement and promoting the voices of community, therefore, I would encourage the board and its working groups to support projects like OpenAerialMap, negotiate region-specific licensing and collaborate with universities and research institutions that may have access to high-quality imagery for academic purposes and initiate street-level data collection.
Daniela Waltersdorfer - Q06 Access to Imagery
The Board needs to work closely with working groups to ensure the project always has reliable high-quality imagery. TO do this, we need to expand our marketing of what OSM is and how it affects everyone, including those who are not aware of what OSM is.
Md Atikuzzaman Limon - Q06 Access to Imagery
Yes, OSMF has a critical role in ensuring mappers have reliable access to high-quality overhead imagery, essential for accurate mapping, especially in regions with limited alternatives. Collaboration with the Engineering Working Group and Microsoft can ensure a smooth transition, minimizing disruptions for mappers.
OSM Foundation's board election 2025: official questions
Q01 Motivation and Objectives
| Q02 Conflict of Interest Management
| Q03 Transparency and Accountability
| Q04 Teamwork
| Q05 Artificial Intelligence
| Q06 Access to Imagery
| Q07 Software Governance
| Q08 Map Styles on OpenStreetMap.org
| Q09 State of the Map Conferences
| Q10 Intellectual Property
| Q11 OSMF Enthusiasm
All board candidates' manifestos
2025 OpenStreetMap Foundation's: Board election - Voting information and instructions - Annual General Meeting
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