Wednesday, August 24, 2016

OpenStreetView


OpenStreetView is a new application and map for collecting and presenting geo-referenced Street View imagery. OpenStreetView is a Telenav project but the software is open-sourced and the imagery is free to use under a Creative Commons license.

Using the iOS or Android app you can collect Street View imagery and automatically upload it to the OpenStreetView map. You can view all the uploaded Street View imagery on the OpenStreetView desktop map.

One of the main purposes behind OpenStreetView is to improve OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetView includes computer vision technology which can recognize speed signs in uploaded imagery. OpenStreetView is also working on computer vision technology to automatically detect street lanes and lane restrictions. This data can then be fed back into OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetView is obviously very similar to Mapillary, the current leaders in crowd-sourced Street View imagery. OpenStreetView claim that the major distinctions between the two projects is that OpenStreetView is truly open-sourced, 100% focused on improving OpenStreetMap and optimized for car drivers. They also say that OpenStreetView users own their own data. This means users can download their own uploaded imagery and have the option to delete their account and remove their imagery from OpenStreetView at any time.

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