[kwlug-disc] New OpenStreetMap group for KW and surroundings.

[Richard Weait]

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 10:52 AM, Insurance Squared
Inc.<gcooke at insurancesquared.com> wrote:
> I've said this before, but I'll say it again - Thanks Richard for your
> missionary work on this.

Dear Glenn,

Always nice to hear from you.  I'm blushing a bit at your (and
Khalid's) recognition of the small part I play as one of 149258
contributors[1].

> I think the concept is cool, but I also think we're going to see some
> definite changes at the consumer level as a result of yours and others work
> on this.  I fully expect that in the coming years consumer-level GPS's will
> be taking advantage of all the hard work you've been doing (and I will then
> be personally be able to enjoy the benefits of your hard work).

You do not have to wait.  I use OpenStreetMap data on some of my GPS devices.
http://weait.com/content/better-maps-your-gps

> Maps are something that have been entirely and heavy-handed closed source
> forever, OpenStreetMap is not just breaking that stranglehold, I think it's
> going to dominate and open up new avenues for us all.  This is going to be a
> prominent victory for the open source concept.

You are right in line with visionaries like The Free Software
Foundation, who list OpenStreetMap as a High-Priority project because
of the importance of geographic information.

http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html#gereplacment

The Canadian government also thinks that Canadians deserve the best
possible maps (and geo data) and that better maps help Canadian
citizens and businesses.[2]

The OpenStreetMap Foundation election to the board of directors is
open now.  Email voting closes tomorrow before end of business (local
KW time) so if you want to participate in the election,
Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation now. 15.00 (GB Pounds)
Review the candidates
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Foundation/AGM09/Election_to_Board
And send your email proxy vote (instructions on link above)

I've met the candidates and can help you with your choices.  There are
no bad candidates, I consider the ten that I've met (of the eleven)
friends.  I've heard very good things about the eleventh, the only one
I don't know very well.

If you are interested in OSM I urge you to participate.  The 15 Pounds
goes to the foundation for cool projects like sending GPS devices to
users in countries where a GPS might cost an annual salary.

Best regards,
Richard

[1] There have been 149258 registered contributors to
OpenStreetMap.org as of this morning.  This is a real (big) number and
it grows every day.

[2] From GoeBase website

"Territorial knowledge is essential to the development and sovereignty
of a country. Because of its size, Canada represents a major challenge
for geospatial data producers. In conjunction with budget reductions
in recent years, this has led organizations to rethink how they
collect, process and disseminate base geospatial information. Within
this context, the GeoBase initiative was implemented to increase the
availability of base geospatial data to all Canadians.
[ ... ]
In addition, the availability of high-quality base geospatial
information will promote the development of value-added products and
services provided by the private sector."