SOTM 2008 – day one review
Two themes stood out for me on day one.
Firstly, there was the range of talks from OSM folks about the status of OSM Mapping in their country. Bolivia, France, Canada, Japan, North Korea, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, UK and London (ok so its not a country) were all represented in various talks. Maintaining Community interest, getting new members, increasing coveragem auditing entries were some of the issues highlighted by the talks.
The second theme was around commercial uses of OSM maps. A few companies have now started up with business models centered on the use of OSM Maps in various applications. ITO World is using OSM data to help governments and local authorities plan local transport routes and stops etc
The pragmatism present in the conference hall is encouraging and will only hold the movement in good stead.
