Maps have always been considered valuable commodities. Therefore protecting them from illegal copying is of vital importance. However this protection also limits the ways in which maps can be adapted and used.
This is what OSM wants to rememdy. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a voluntary not-for-profit organisation. The goal of OSM is to provide free maps that can be used by anyone.
So how does it work?
Anyone with a handheld Global Positioning System can start mapping straight away. You need to set your GPS to record tracks and then go for a walk or for a bike ride or a drive. Walk around some streets in your neighbourhood, making some notes about the street names and any one way streets or round-a-bouts that you find. When you get home, plug your GPS into your computer and upload the tracks that you recorded onto the OSM website. Within an hour or so, you tracks will appear on the website. You can then use the online tools to create a new map of the roads and street names that anyone in the world will be able to see.
This weekend they carried out their Mapchester project were over 40 participants, armed with GPS equipment mapped out Manchester.
What a cool idea!