A group formed by Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and mapping company TomTom is
releasing data that could enable developers to build their own maps to
take on Google Map and Apple Maps. The group, called the Overture Maps
Foundation, was formed last year. Today, the group has released it
first open map dataset.

With this dataset, third-party developers can build mapping or
navigation products of their own to crack the Apple-Google duopoly. The
data includes 59 million “points of interest,” such as restaurants and
landmarks, along with information about transportation networks and
administrative boundaries. The data was collected and donated by Meta
and Microsoft.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/26/meta-microsoft-and-amazon-release-open-map-dataset-to-rival-google-maps-apple-maps/

badgolferman <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote:
> A group formed by Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and mapping company TomTom is
> releasing data that could enable developers to build their own maps to
> take on Google Map and Apple Maps. The group, called the Overture Maps
> Foundation, was formed last year. Today, the group has released it
> first open map dataset.
>
> With this dataset, third-party developers can build mapping or
> navigation products of their own to crack the Apple-Google duopoly. The
> data includes 59 million "points of interest," such as restaurants and
> landmarks, along with information about transportation networks and
> administrative boundaries. The data was collected and donated by Meta
> and Microsoft.
>
> https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/26/meta-microsoft-and-amazon-release-open-map-dataset-to-rival-google-maps-apple-maps/

Tom Tom?

Thank you for this timely information, as competition is good for all of us
(we get better maps with more choices - traffic - & more accurate POIs).

IMHO, the combination of three things set Google Maps above all others
a. Addresses & POIs
b. Traffic
c. Accuracy

However, IMHO, the only thing that matters are the "Addresses & POIs" since
you can easily get accurate traffic without Google Maps (e.g., using free
no-registration traffic web sites) - and since even the crappy OSM maps are
"accurate enough" for most driving navigation purposes (in my experience).

To that end, it looks like the article agrees with my astute assessment.
"Overture plans to build a broad collaboration that can build and maintain
an up-to-date, comprehensive database of POIs."

What's interesting is that "Tom Tom" is associated with this Facebook, M$
and Amazon mapping effort since they're associated with many existing maps.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapfactor.navigator

Tom Tom recently started working directly with OSM so that's kind of odd
that Tom Tom is now working directly with Amazon, Meta & Microsoft now.

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/TomTom
"TomTom has been making data improvements to OpenStreetMap through
organised editing since 2021. TomTom announced that its new TomTom Map will
use OSM data when it is released, sometime in 2023."

In short, what's surprising is Tom Tom has _already_ joined the OSM effort,
but nothing was said about that in the article.

What's NOT surprising is that Addresses & POIs are what makes Google Maps
so much better than every other map solution out there today, AFAIK.

Yet... competition is good for all of us.
Keeps them on their toes.