Foundation/AGM2023/Election to Board/Answers and manifestos/Q02 On Imagery Sources
On imagery sources
OSMF is currently almost completely dependent upon corporations to either pay for or otherwise supply it with imagery for mapping (Maxar imagery for example).
- Do you see this as a risk and threat?
- If yes, how do you propose mitigating this? If not, why not?
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Related link added on 2023-11-20 for members: Maxar imagery withdrawal (from board meeting)
Roland Olbricht - Q02 On Imagery Sources
There are a couple of questions intermingled here.
The first is whether the imagery is essential, rather important, or just nice to have. My first big contribution to OpenStreetMap has been to complete the over 1000 bus stops of my home city. Along that effort, I also have traced some streets with a standalone GPX tracker and without imagery. On the other hand, for some recently redesigned cycleways, it had been quite handy to rather trace them from very recent imagery (in this case: imagery from the local government as the both most recent and finest resolution). So, imagery is more than just nice to have, but less than essential. OpenStreetMap would grow a lot slower without it, but it would still grow.
The second question is about whether and how much there is a dependency on large corporations. A world-wide recent set that is often updated is way too expensive for OpenStreetMap, and this is not going to change over the next decade or so. However, the right solution will differ from region to region. In many highly developed, highly populated regions we should lobby to get that imagery from the respective government, as there have many examples of this to be proven beneficial to both sides. This is usually the case when the government has the imagery anyway and needs to justify the taxpayer money that has been put into it. In other regions, it will be much easier to convey that there is a humanitarian imperative to make imagery available. Again, even there it is unlikely that the OSMF will be able to bargain a contract to get the imagery at any affordable price. So yes, harmless or harmful, we will remain dependend here, and some regions will develop slower if really no useful source of imagery remains available.
Guillaume Rischard - Q02 On Imagery Sources
Yes, we must get better at imagery. Maxar stopping their open imagery has left a big gap in many places. We rely on unique actors in a similar ways in many countries. Grant (the Senior Site Reliability Engineer) and I are already working together on improving the OSMF's imagery hosting capabilities. We are also talking to multiple large actors to make it easier to identify where OpenStreetMap needs imagery, get better metadata on imagery dates, and contribute imagery. We are also in discussions to allow us to use old imagery, which is sometimes useful for comparison or punctually easier to read. Martin and I were talking this weekend at SotM about improving the way iD uses and indexes imagery. I want to find a solution to the situation where we have two similar, competing imagery indexes, one for JOSM, one for the other editors. In the long term, our goal should be to have recent, high quality imagery available where the mappers need it, even if it means fundraising with local chapters to punctually purchase it.
Daniela (Dani) Waltersdorfer Jimenez - Q02 On Imagery Sources
I am not against corporations helping out our project, but I also think the OSM Foundation can expand its efforts for community fundraising. As for private corporations providing the project with resources such as satellite imagery, I think we should take that with gratitude. Of course it can be a risk, but if we continue to be transparent about what this project is about, how it works, and who it is serving, then we (the OSM Community) should not be worried.
Włodzimierz Bartczak - Q02 On Imagery Sources
Loss of satellite images is a very real threat. There has been a public discussion in Poland , on limiting access to such materials, caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. From what I've managed to find out, it was security reasons behind Maxar's decision.
Even if the community decides to purchase such access to satellite images, we will still have to deal with issues of security and use of these materials, contrary to the interests of the community.
At the moment, the only way to mitigate the risks seems to be to work with individual providers on possible ways to minimize the potential risks.
Ivo Reano - Q02 On Imagery Sources
I believe that subservience to companies supplying aerial images is a necessary evil, at least until a useful service without corporate ties can exist in the future.
OSM Foundation's board election 2023: official questions
Q01 Strategic Plan
| Q02 On imagery sources
| Q03 On Diversity and Inclusion
| Q04 On Fundraising
| Q05 On appointive board-adjacent positions
| Q06 OSMF and Overture Maps Foundation
| Q07 OSM Data: Protection
| Q08 OSM Data: Legal Threats
| Q09 OSM Data: Vandalism
All board candidates' manifestos
2023 OpenStreetMap Foundation's: Board election - Voting information and instructions - Annual General Meeting
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