Celebrating 20 years of OpenStreetMap: A testament to community and collaboration

As OpenStreetMap (OSM) marks its 20th birthday this week, we’re taking the time to reflect on the impact this pioneering collaborative project has had on the digital mapping world. Over the past two decades, OSM has grown to play an invaluable role in evolving the landscape of geospatial data for the better. Join us as we look back.

The genesis of OpenStreetMap in 2004 heralded the start of a transformative era in the realm of digital mapping, even if we didn’t know it at the time. Steve Coast, the project’s founder, laid the groundwork for a project that would redefine the world’s relationship with geographic information and empower millions of people around the globe to take ownership of their homes, towns and beyond.

The openness of OSM has been a huge factor in its growth, playing on the natural human intrigue of maps. Whenever someone looks at a map, they point out where they’re from, they want their pin on it — they want to be able to say, “Here I am,” or “There I was.” OSM has allowed anyone to do that without having to go through or be gatekept by the kind of authorities (like governments or corporations) that historically run these kinds of projects or own this kind of data, Coast explains.

Ease of use and openness are a powerful combination for OSM and have led it to become one of the most detailed maps on the planet.

“When OpenStreetMap began, the map was a blank canvas, there was nothing there.” Though, like Wikipedia, anyone can contribute to OSM, and from all over the world people started adding large scale objects like motorways, and as those were done, they added smaller details, like residential and minor roads. “Over time, the project has become higher and higher fidelity.”

“We have people mapping every tree, and adding which species it is and so on,” Coast adds.

While OSM’s evolution has been fueled by its technological approach and model, the unwavering passion and dedication of its diverse community of mappers, developers and enthusiasts should also be thanked for its success.

“The community is everything,” Coast says. “They’re the ones that create the data, they’re the one’s going around in the rain at midnight taking GPS readings.” Without the community, OSM is nothing, and its community is something really special.

The OSM community makes OpenStreetMap’s power extend far beyond its core function as a mapping tool; it has emerged as a catalyst for innovation and empowerment. From humanitarian organizations utilizing OSM to respond to natural disasters, local groups using it to take ownership of local transportation planning, to businesses harnessing its data for location-based services, the project has showcased the power of maps to a broad spectrum of audiences and applications.

“Most major location service providers and thousands of other organizations from many different business sectors use OSM data. It’s highly likely that if you’re looking at a map on your phone, on a website or even in your car, that OSM data has contributed,” Kenyon explains.

Indeed, The Red Cross uses it, so does the United Nations. OSM data is also used by urban planners, climate researchers and transportation experts in their research. Maps can enhance and transform our understanding of the world, wherever they’re used.

Coast emphasizes this transformative potential of maps, “Without maps it’s pretty difficult to get an awful lot of things done,” he says. “And when you open things up, you get innovation for free.”

Take Cuba for example.

Coast recalls a time, in the early days of OSM, when he was explaining how it worked to someone from Cuba, showing them how to go into the map and add a detail. They wanted to fix something in their home country, and, apprehensive, Coast explained it might be better to look in Europe or the U.S. and that there might not be much detail in Cuba and that they’d have to start by adding some roads. But as they zoomed in and panned across the country, they saw every road, building and even hospitals clearly marked.

“It was absurdly good,” Coast said. “It was at that point I realized the data was just not going to stop.”

From its humble origins to its status as a global phenomenon with a massive community, OSM stands as a testament to the power of open technology and working together. It’s now at a level where it’s a vital tool and data source for not just business, including TomTom.

“OSM and TomTom are becoming key partners. OSM provides valuable map data, especially for base maps, pedestrian and visual features which complement TomTom’s own very rich proprietary resources,” Kenyon says.

“In return, TomTom supports OSM financially and operationally through sponsorships, by hosting mapping events and sharing mapping expertise. Over the last 5 years TomTom has become active with the OSM community, foundation and various working groups. It’s a relationship that we believe benefits both OSM and TomTom, and ultimately improves map quality for the whole world.”

With that said, here’s to 20 years of OpenStreetMap, and to the countless possibilities that lie ahead as we continue to embrace the transformative power of open, digital mapping.