Re: [OSM-talk] Yahoo's imagery VS Google's imagery?

2007-12-29 Thread Tony Bowden
Yann wrote:

> There was a guy from google at SOTM so I assume we did, but just to make
> sure: did we actually asked google if we could use their imagery? It's
> just so much better than the one yahoo provides...

In lots of places, yes, Google's imagery is a LOT better than Yahoo's,
particularly in cities. But there are also quite a few places where
Yahoo provides traceable imagery in locations where Google doesn't,
mostly outside cities. It's not quite as simple as breadth vs depth but
I'd hope that if we got permission to use Google then we'd provide both,
not just switch over.

Tony

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Re: [OSM-talk] Yahoo's imagery VS Google's imagery?

2007-12-30 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Sun, Dec 30, 2007 at 02:55:01AM +, Yann wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> There was a guy from google at SOTM so I assume we did, but just to make
> sure: did we actually asked google if we could use their imagery? It's just
> so much better than the one yahoo provides...

I've personally sent emails to the best contact addresses I could find
for the following:
 
 * Google Maps
 * Microsoft Virtual Earth
 * Digital Globe
 * Several other providers gleaned from the maps copyright lines 
   at the time

Not a single one of them ever responded.  (Not even with a no.) 

Keep in mind that Google Maps is not a single imagery source: instead,
there are hundreds of different sources, each with slightly different
permissions as to what they can and can't do. (This is why, for example,
the road maps served at maps.google.com and the road maps served via the
Google Maps API are different -- the former is a combination of NavTeq
and TelaAtlas, the latter is TelaAtlas only -- or at least was for a
time.) 

It is unlikely that *all* of the imagery providers would accept reuse of
their imagery for OSM's purposes, and probably similarly unlikely that
Google would be able to set up a secondary worldwide satellite map cache
with data that they could share. So there are unique problems in that
case that Yahoo *doesn't* have -- using only a single imagery provider
(combined with free data in many cases in the US).

Additionally, comments from Google Maps team members have indicated to
me that there are likely only two answers you would ever get out of
Google Legal: "No", or no answer at all. (Which is clearly not the same
thing as yes!)

Regards,
-- 
Christopher Schmidt
MetaCarta

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Re: [OSM-talk] Yahoo's imagery VS Google's imagery?

2007-12-31 Thread Robert (Jamie) Munro
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Yann wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> There was a guy from google at SOTM so I assume we did, but just to make
> sure: did we actually asked google if we could use their imagery? It's
> just so much better than the one yahoo provides...

I asked someone about the copyright status of data derived from Google
imagery at a Google Developer event. He said something like "all our
data is cleared for that type of thing as long as your not setting up
some project to digitise it in bulk." (which is exactly what we are
doing). He said that aerial imagery was less problematic than the map
data, but bulk usage was a problem. I then mentioned Open Street Map,
which he knew well, and he said "I suggest you stick with other imagery
for the time being".

Robert (Jamie) Munro

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