The concept of GPS and computerized mapping programs is not exactly new—indeed, it’s likely that anybody who’s used a mobile device or automobile in the past decade has made use of the technology. The market for digital mapping technology has far from matured however, and vendors are currently jumping over each other’s feet to produce the next best features and capabilities and secure favor among customers.
In this incredibly competitive field, one fight for market share has dominated the limelight in the digital map world in the past year: Google maps vs. OpenStreetMap. And the ironic part? Both vendors bring in some of the highest revenue in the market, yet the majority of their content is provided free of charge—or it was, until recently.
Google’s mapping content has long been considered “the best” compared to other free digital map content providers, though recently the web tycoon has lost some of its fans’ favor by implementing charges for its map services. The company has limited the number of free users, and enforced a rule that any sites or applications using Google Maps API will have to pay if the number of users goes above 25,000.
In light of this shift, OpenStreetMap—once on the sidelines of the digital map world—has suddenly stepped into the foreground of the market, capitalizing on companies who aren’t willing to pay Google’s extra fees.
Already, OpenStreetMap—known by some as the “Wikipedia of maps”—has received plenty of praise for its detail, interactivity, accessibility and most of all, its customizability. Whereas Google controls Google Maps and limits the ways in which its technology can be used, OpenStreetMap is entirely crowd-sourced and places absolutely no limitations on what users can do visually and design-wise. This is obviously a huge perk for companies interested in developing their own mapping services like location-based features for instance—nevermind the fact that doesn’t cost a cent.
So, who’s going to take the “grand digital mapping title” home?
In reality, the battle is not even close to being settled. OpenStreetMap is far from perfect, and even with the numerous advantages offered by the technology, it has a very long way to go before catching up with Google’s expansive user base.
And let’s not forget about the dozens of other developers in the digital mapping game including Bhuvan, Geoportail, and Telemap to name a few. People have been using maps for thousands of years, and it’s more than likely that they’ll continue using them for thousands more—that’s a lot of time for vendors and developers in the Global Digital Map Market to make their mark.
For more information, view our 2012-2016 report on the Global Digital Map Market.
