[Wikimedia-l] The failure of Google, looking for open source alternatives

[Tomasz Ganicz]

http://openstreetmap.org - is just a starting point to OSM - it has no
layers at all. OSM in general is a database with various map data. You
can render this data as you wish. On http://www.openstreetmap.org you
have several renders which you can switch - the basic one is called
mapnik. You cannot render everything as the map would be difficuilt to
read. Among others there is a key in OSM data schema which let you
link the  objects (points, roads and areas) to the relevant Wikipedia
articiles.

See: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:wikipedia

Many OSM mappers actually add this key to many objects.
http://openstreetmap.org does not show this key just because it is
minor, extra thing for a general-purpose map, but you can create your
own render and use it on your own website and many websites are
actually using OSM data in various ways. See:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/List_of_OSM_based_Services

Actually we are doing this - see: OSM extention for MediaWiki and
MiniWikiAtlas. There is even a project page on OSM wiki regarding
cooperation with Wikipedia:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Collaboration_with_Wikipedia

Read it - and if you have any good ideas - just tell the people - or
better - try to implement it ;-)



2013/8/25 Romaine Wiki <romaine_wiki at yahoo.com>:
> Google is throwing the Wikipedia layer out of Google Maps under the guise of "improvement", while it actually sets several steps back in time. It is like going to the Middle Ages instead of the future. It shows that commercial companies do not make decisions by looking what people like, need and want, but let the end users down. In the past such changes in software always was a moment for me to consider if there are alternatives and if possible to switch over to them.
>
> Considering this for finding a Wikipedia layer on maps, I do not know any. But I do know there is an open source alternative, just like Wikipedia, but then for maps, OpenStreetMap.
>
> We already work together in some way, we use the maps of OpenStreetMap in our Toolserver maps when we click on the coordinates on articles.
>
> Unfortunately I couldn't find any layer for Wikipedia on http://openstreetmap.org
>
> I think it would be good if we as Wikimedia would broaden our use of and connections with OpenStreetMap and let both communities work together more.
>
> (It is unlikely to happen I think, but OpenStreetMap would be perfectly under the wing of WMF, just as Wikivoyage.)
>
> We should strive on working together with OpenStreetMap, we supplement each other.
>
>
> Romaine
>
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-- 
Tomek "Polimerek" Ganicz
http://pl.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Polimerek
http://www.ganicz.pl/poli/
http://www.cbmm.lodz.pl/work.php?id=29&title=tomasz-ganicz