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Cartographic struggle: Google Maps against OpenStreetMap

It’s quite difficult to compete with the Google Maps project, but the OpenStreetMap yet decided to try its luck and start working at an open cartographic project. Unfortunately, the working process was interrupted due to some disappointing circumstances. It turned out that some of the project data was destroyed. Who do you think was to blame?

As it became known the IP-addresses which were used for spoiling the data belonged to Google, or, to be more precise, to its Indian branch. The attackers decided to make some “corrections” to the information like the driving direction on streets with one-way traffic. Why would such Internet-monopolist as Google do that? Or is it struggle for a place in the sun?

Anyway, Google announced that it didn’t have any of those evil plans. The employees who decided to show their own initiative are already punished, it means, fired.

But is Google actually so white and fuzzy? It’s widely known that the cartographic projects of OpenStreetMap are becoming more and more popular and are attracting many GPS/GLONASS navigation users.

Digital cartography and GPS navigation 20-02-2012