01/19/2011 – 02/01/2011

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy! (Sorry, we couldn’t keep the weekly schedule because we’re still only two authors who are busy with other stuff too 🙁 )

• MapQuest donated 50,000$ to the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). The money will primarily be used for upgrading and maintaining the hardware resources of the OSM project.
• Nominatim was subject to some improvements that should improve the search quality, especially in the US.
• Gregory Marler has written a small How-to for using Chrome’s Omnibox to search on http://openstreetmap.org.
• The new Java XAPI was online for a first public test last week. Due to hardware problems it’s now down again. A new graphical user interface for creating queries is also in development.
• MapQuest has released three new services: Open Guidance Service, Open JavaScript SDK and Open Tiles Service.
• “Orebro is Sweden’s first municipality to release geodata under an ODbl license, requiring attribution and ‘share alike’.” Link to the news article.
• The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) has chosen its new logo.
• OpenStreetMap has reached 350,000 registered users.
• “Geo-Analytics on OpenStreetMap Road Data”: OpenStreetMap is adding about 90,000km of roads a week at the moment. More analytics here.
• User:SK53 has created a map that shows the density of pubs for every 5 square kilometer in the UK.
• Ito World improved its OSM Analysis service and made some analysis on the completeness of OpenStreetMap in Great Britian.
• Nick Whitelegg updated OpenTrailView and Freemap UK.
• FortiusOne developed a new map layer tool called Acetate. It allows one to compile several different map layers (roads, road names, POIs, place names) in a custom order and insert their own mashup data in between.
• Maps4Mac is an app for Mac OS X that is rendering OSM data on demand with Mapnik from a database.
• The before mentioned 3D globe – rendered with WebGL in your web browser – is now live.
• WheelMap is now available in Japanese too. They are also looking for translators to make it available in Portugese, Icelandic and more languages.
• Liberation, a French daily newspaper has started to use OSM as a base map on their website. Here’s an example article.

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal & Jonas
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

01/11/2011 – 01/19/2011

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• The Map Kibera project is mentioned on the English BBC and the German tagesschau
• The HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) starts a project due to the flooding in Brazil.
• The Danish company Fugro is making 40cm resolution imagery for entire Denmark available.
• A Corine 2006 Land Cover Import for the Republic of Ireland is planned and announced at the mailling list. More information can be found here!
• The Israeli government released some high resolution raster images of the administrative borders of Israel for import into OSM (via Mr_Israels Blog) 
• The OSM Extended API (XAPI) will be rewritten in Java. You can see the progress in the Github repository 
• A new plugin enables a command line in JOSM (Java OpenStreetMap Editor) 
• New update for the ArcGIS-OSM-Addon 
• A new version of Offmaps 2 for iOS has been released. The app is now rendering vector OSM data directly on the device and can display additional features like public transport routes.
• OSM map data is used by the New York Times in an article about Tunesia. 
• OpenLayers is going mobile! 

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal, Jonas & Dennis.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

12/23/2010 – 01/10/2011

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• The Call for Papers for the State of the Map conference 2011 in Denver has started.
• The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is asking for help to trace the Ivory Coast.
• The Call for Papers for the SOTM-EU in Vienna has started too. SOTM-EU is also on Twitter as @sotmeu and the hashtag is #sotmeu.
• Oliver publishes two new videos of his interview series with OSMF board members: Mikel Maron and Henk Hoff
• OpenStreetBugs is now reachable with the short URL osmbugs.org (via Wiki).
• User:Bitsteller is creating isometric 3D maps from OSM data.
• TriMet, which provides public transportation in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, is using OSM data for their OpenTripPlaner. More projects are planed.
• Klokan Přidals is working on a 3D globe rendered in a web browser using HTML5 Canvas with WebGL and OSM data. Here’s a demo video.
• New WheelChairMap for Switzerland. More information in the wiki.
• User:frink has created a speed camera map.
• User:Gary68 has released a now perl module: “osmDB.pm is a module (in extension to osm.pm) to transfer data extracted from an osm file into a mysql database. It also provides functions to access this data.”
• Jochen Topf has released Osmium, “a C++ framework for working with OSM data files. Osmium will parse OSM files (XMLor PBF) and call back into handlers for each object (node, way, relation) it encounters along the way.” Osmium is also available on Github.
• A new version of the Bing Imagery Analyzers is online. The new release includes bug fixes and a transparency slider. Also: “The underlying tile.php now also supports TMS-type requests for easy integration with OpenLayers.”
• OSM is going to have a booth at the FOSDEM (The Free and Open source Software Developers’ European Meeting) in Brussels, Belgium on 5 and 6 of February, 2011. Mappers are invited to help to run the booth (Wiki).
• FacilMap is an OpenLayers-based slippy map that aims to combine useful geographical information, renderings and tools of different projects into one reusable and extendable map (Wiki).
• The new Maps Beta on geocaching.com now also includes OSM maps (MapQuest, Mapnik and OpenCycleMap).
• Maperitive Build 1094 was released by Igor Brejc. One of the new things: “generate-tiles command now has the ability to detect whether tile contents have changed since the last run (using tile fingerprinting). This way only the actually modified tiles can be uploaded to an FTP server, saving you a lot of time and bandwidth.”
• Merkaator 0.17.0 was released. New features include a Bing Maps plugin, French Cadastre plugin, GDAL raster background support and printing.
• OSMTrack, an iPhone app designed specifically for contributing to OSM, was released as version 3.0 a while ago featuring offline vector map, multitasking, iPad support, etc (Wiki).

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal, Jonas, Brice & Dennis.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

12/12/2010 – 12/23/2010

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• The official OSM website openstreetmap.org has got several updates. You can now see 30 mappers around your location in your user area (previously only 10). Furthermore the last changesets of the mappers are displayed.
• A new version of the bing analyser tool is ready for use! See Martijn’s announcement here.
• Minutes of the OpenStreetMap-Foundation board meeting last week are now available here. Primary topic: “The OSMF board mandates the LWG to enforce mandatory acceptance of the CT and ODBL in order to edit the database by March 31st.”
• OSMF Board Interview Series: Simone Cortesi and Emilie Laffray
• OSM contributor Komяpa  has found a way to render impressive 3D buildings with Mapnik – see also Image of the week.
• State of the Map 2011 is searching for a logo, you can help and submit a fun, original logo design.
• Taginfo has got serveral updates, read the news at the OSM-Talk mailing list.
• OpenMaps version 4.0 was released. It is an iOS-app and can show offline OSM maps. More information on the website and in the AppStore.
• Nanomap is a new Open Source JavaScript Map Library, announcement here.
• The OSM community in Austria incorporated an “OpenStreetMap Austria Verein”, which is similar to the OSM foundation but for Austria. It will be the legal body for the organization of the upcoming SOTM-EU and further acitivies of the OSM community in Austria.
• Do you want to know your rank in comparison to all other OSM contributors? Pascal’s “How did you contribute to OpenStreetMap” website can now display that too.
• Last year in maps or “2010: Mapped”, partly powered by OSM data & neat Itoworld visualizations. See the blog post here. -MapQuest launches http://open.mapquest.com/ – supports OpenStreetMap in the US. MapQuest also updated Nominatim, Potlatch 2, the map style and added bug reporting with MapDust.
• Do you still search for some christmas gifts? Here are several suggestions:
  • an OSM book in German, English 1 or English 2.
  • you can find more things here (German) and here (English)

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year 2011!

Authors: Pascal, Jonas, Martijn & Dennis.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

12/05/2010 – 12/12/2010

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• DigitalGlobe will provide Bing with aerial imagery of the US and Western Europe at 30cm resolution. The imagery can then be used by the OSM Community. Read more here. 
• The newest Merkaartor version can now display Bing aerial imagery too. Get the latest version here.
• The Best of OpenStreetMap website is looking for new editors. Get in touch with Frederik Ramm.
• The OSMF board met in Pisa, Italy for a weekend full of discussions. Photo of the board.
• Walking Papers now supports multiple pages at one take with the new atlas feature. This is especially useful for Mapping Parties and the like.
• The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is looking for a logo. You can find further information in the wiki.
• Two OSM related projects in Germany won in the Wikimedia competition “Wisssenswert”: Aerial Imagery for OpenStreetMap & Map- & Routing-Services for blind people
• “Unmapped” Places in Europe? Pascal Neis wrote a blog post about his analyses in Europe to find unmapped villages in the OSM database. According to his result 58% of the villages in Europe are unmapped.
• Emilie Laffray, member of the OSMF board, is now working at MapQuest.

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal, Jonas, Brice & Dennis.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

11/29/2010 – 12/05/2010

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• Potlatch2 is now available at http://www.openstreetmap.org, woha!
• Since last Tuesday you can find the details on how to use the Bing-imagery here. More information about Bing and about their imagery-coverage.
• Aerial imagery can be shifted from its origin position. If you forget to correct this in your editor, it can cause problems when editing OSM data. To solve this problem there is a plan to create a central system for automatic correction of this offset.
• At the OpenStreetMap-Foundation blog, Richard Weait wrote a post about the activities of some OSM working groups.
• “A Night at the Office” – Frederik Ramm describes in a blog post how the OSM extracts for their Geofabrik download server are made, using OSM tools.
• Adena Schutzberg wrote some interesting thoughts: “My Take on Coast Going to Microsoft” here.
• Eric Rodenbeck from Stamen Design took a look at the different categories of scans that get uploaded at Walking Papers. Some of them look like small artwork.
• Oliver Kühn has interviewed Randy Meech from MapQuest about their motivation and commitment to OpenStreetMap.
• Martijn van Exel has created a map that shows the acquisition date of the Bing-imagery for a certain area. Learn more about it here.
• New version of the OpenLinkMap is online!
• A new hiking-map for the Netherlands is available here.
• Skobbler has announced a “new” bug-tool (called MapDust). It’s created out of their feedback-channel in the Skobbler app. You can find some more information in the OSM Wiki.
• MapQuest has now open.MapQuest-websites for Switzerland and the Netherlands too, read their blog announcement here.
• For the people who want to have maps everywhere: Get OSM maps printed on blankets.

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal, Jonas & Dennis.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.

11/21/2010 – 11/28/2010

Every week a lot of things are happening in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) world. It can be hard to keep track of all the different communication channels and don’t miss any important news. That’s why we’ve created a short summary of all the news here. Enjoy!

• Steve Coast works at Microsoft/Bing now and Bing gives OSM access to aerial imagery: blog post
• Taginfo is now available in English and German and can be translated into more languages. The search was also improved. (via OSM-Talk)
• OSM-Columbia asked for help due to the strongest rain season in the last 10 years. Read more here & here!
• khtmlib, a javascript library for browser maps, is available in a new version – read more about it here
• New OpenFireMap (beta) shows amenity=firestation and emergency=firehydrant
• Tutorial for using OSM-data with the commercial Adobe Illustrator Plugin MaPublisher and QGIS.
• New versions for mobile GPS software: MojoTracker (WebOS) and NaviComputer (Windows Mobile).
• Last weekend the WhereCampUK took place in Nottingham. Tim Waters wrote a short summary here.
• Also last week the WhereCamp5280 was held in Denver. Steve Coast wrote about the organisation of it here. Andrei Taraschuk, Peter Batty, Michael Weisman and James Fee reported in their blogs about it.
• Navit, the OSM navigator, is now at version 0.2.0
• New release of Maperitive, a free desktop application for rendering maps based on OpenStreetMap and GPS data
• Editing OpenStreetMap data with QGIS and Merkaartor? Read Aubrey Drescher’s blog
• Project of the Month: Wheelchair accessibility
• The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is applying for a Knight News Challenge grant. Read more here
• More than 1.000.000.000 Nodes have been created in OpenStreetMap! – http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/node/1000000000

For more news, especially regarding new tags and wiki pages, you can check-out the community-updates over here.

Authors: Pascal, Jonas, Matthias & Brice.
We missed something? You want to help us collecting the news for next week’s issue? 
You can contact us via mail or Twitter.