Overture Maps Foundation has announced the General Availability (GA) of several of its global open maps datasets, which is a free alternative to mapping data provided by Google GOOG -0.01%↓ and Apple AAPL -0.48%↓. The organization, which is part of the Linux Foundation, said the release will pave the way for new use cases for mapping applications and geospatial analysis.
“The data in this GA release is already powering use cases in local discovery, insurance, and mapping industries, and we expect many more use cases in the coming months from industries ranging from automotive to ride-sharing and more,” said Marc Prioleau, Overture Maps Foundation executive director, in a statement. “Getting to GA is a major milestone because it opens the gates for adoption by map developers. As the map data gets used, developers and users will provide feedback which creates mechanisms for continuous improvement.”
The release includes Buildings, which are 2.3 billion unique building footprints worldwide that already are featured by Microsoft’s MSFT 0.60%↑ Bing Maps, Esri’s ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, and Addresscloud’s insurance service platform. Other rollouts include Places of Interest, which offers data on almost 54 million places worldwide; Divisions that feature national and regional administrative boundaries; and Base contextual layers, including land and water data.
The foundation also rolled out its Address theme, which includes 14 countries with more than 200 million addresses. Overture said that while companies access address data from open data sources, they are hampered by different licenses, formats, and schemas. Addresses through Overture will have unique identifiers to enable rapid attachment of outside data.
In addition to Microsoft and Esri, Overture members TomTom [TOM2] and Meta META 1.62%↑ are incorporating the foundation’s datasets into their services and products.
Apple Maps Launches on Web in Beta
In other mapping news, and a big shot across the bow of Google Maps, Apple said it would make its Maps available, in beta, on the web. The maps will feature both walking and driving directions, ratings, and reviews.
The update is one of the largest Apple has made since launching Maps 12 years ago. The web availability, on both desktop and mobile, allows users to do everything an iOS version does: Order food from Maps, search for businesses and other information.
Developers, including those using MapKit JS, can link out to Maps on the web, the company said. In addition, while Maps on the web is only available in English right now, it is compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs.
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