Interesting post here: http://blog.telemapics.com/?p=245 on using OSM as an outsider
“For many of us, it seems so difficult to discover things about OSM, its data, and the use of the data. Maybe I just need to spend more time reading their Wiki (guilty). However, I admit that I am confused about OSM licensing practices and liability issues. Every time that I start to research these issues, I get a headache. While I think I understand the limitations of the license to use OSM data and why these “carve-outs” are necessary, I find it difficult to understand how to use the data to any commercial advantage and wonder if that will limit the usefulness of OSM’s contribution.”
Of course there is no confusion on using proprietary data – it’s very clear how expensive and wrong it is, and how they accept no liability.
There are quite a few OpenStreetMap online routing services, you can check out this list:http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Routing/online_routersI know of a few iPhone apps that provide routing services with OSM data. I use OffMaps on iPhone and it works great in my hometown (Osijek, Croatia) in which I contributed most of the data. From what I have seen most iPhone developers use some online service to provide routing in their apps, they didn’t create their own routing engine. Most of them use OpenRouteService or Cloudmade as routing service.If you compare Offmaps vs iGo on iPhone it is 2$ vs 90$ price vise, developers of iPhone apps have much lower barrier of entry in this segment because OSM privides the data and maps. Of-course iGO has some better features (like turn by turn navigation) but I don’t see that it has better maps.The biggest issue for Turn By Turn (TbT) routing currently with OSM data is the lack of support for turn restrictions. None of online services supports turn restrictions! :(Only software I found that supports turn restrictions, and therefor gives correct and legal routing info, is Gosmore (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Gosmore).I started adding turn restrictions in my home town because to have accurate routing info in my home town but as soon as I realized that none of online services use turn restrictions data my enthusiasm was gone and I saw no point in adding new turn restrictions.Please, please, please if you are working on any of one online routing services please implement turn restrictions ASAP, pretty please ;)Could gosmore be used for online routing service because it already supports turn restrictions?As for liability – I got a Mio Map car navigation device that uses proprietary maps, after users turn it on for the first time they get an licence agreement that they must agree in order to use this device. Agreement clearly states than there is no liability, and that users can’t sue any company for anything and that users are to blame if anything happens while using this device.