Over the last year OpenStreetMap has evolved into an incredible map resource. The video below was put together by itoworld and animates the year of edits made by over 20,000 individuals. Music by Vincent Girès.

See the full article on Vimeo. OSM: A Year of Edits

MotionX-GPS user testaments for OpenStreetMap from the App Store:

Canada:

“Amazing Toronto Map and no crashes to boot!” I picked this up after reading about it on Gizmodo. I expected a buggy execution but so far I’m amazed. The map of my city (Toronto) is so detailed it even has all the bike trails up the Don Valley and places I didn’t even know there were any! The level of detail is amazing. I’ve been using GPS for years and have units for hiking, car etc., and I have to say the Map data this unit uses tops Garmin’s, TomTom’s and Google’s data for Canada easily. A fantastic bargain for $3! (Compare that to the $90 I spent to have TomTom functionality on my old Treo.) I can’t wait to see what they do with OS3.0 !

Australia:

“Powerful and addictive” When I first saw that this app didn’t use google maps I was quite sceptical. However upon closer inspection I have come to realize the true potential of open street map and MotionX. I use the map to record bike trails in my area as there are no online records of them. Now I am able to add my trails to the openstreetmap permanently for everyone to see! I also noted that a few streets were missing in my area. No problem, I simply recorded them with MotionX on my bike/car and traces them to the map. You need to remember that every street, park, amenity etc has been drawn by thousands of users like you and me! It will continue to grow beyond the capabilities of google maps! As far as the application is concerned, it us very powerful and super reliable. Unlike other gps logging apps I own, the one will keep recording whilst turned off. And if you wish to mount your phone you can lock it so the display stays on. A favorite feature is the ability to record waypoints by taking a photo. Much better than typing, though that is also possible. There are many features I could talk about but the bottom line is that it’s worth the price 10x over and all issues reported below are a case of RTFM. My only suggestion would be to add a tour option where you can cycle the waypoints and photos – and allow clickable waypoints in the map.

Netherlands:

“The best GPS device I’ve seen so far for the iPhone” The program works (at least in the Netherlands) with the Open Street Maps map, which is very fun if you want help with this OpenSource project. The accuracy is fine. I use the program mainly footpaths mapping for OpenStreetMap and accuracy is good enough for. Positioning is usually accurate to within several meters. For a few percent of the price of a “real” GPS device, you get a decent quantity of the same functionality. And at some points (photos from the appliatie) this program will go beyond GPS hardware. Also nice that such a nice program with OpenStreetmap works.