The Linux Foundation, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Meta, Microsoft, and Dutch map company TomTom have joined forces to form a new mapping nonprofit called the Overture Maps Foundation.
Its goal is to help people build new map products by providing interoperable open map data that members can use across computer systems.
As Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, told Venture Beat, this isn’t a Google Maps where you can ask for directions. Instead, it is mapping’s answer to open-source software.
Currently, developers looking to find high-quality and up-to-date map data often cobble together this data from various sources, all of which have their languages and quirks.
Overture’s data will be kept in one place, serving as a base map upon which companies and developers can build.
The first dataset will be launched in 2023 and include building, road and administrative information. Over time, Overture will publish additional layers, such as 3D building data.
Sources: https://thehustle.co/
