Andy Allan wrote: > On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Dave F. <dave...@madasafish.com> wrote: > > >> "Though custom cartography is the right answer for many applications, it >> will find it difficult to compete with the free, universally-recognised >> cartography of the OS." >> >> Are you saying you want to prevent these releases to protect the likes >> of OSM? >> >> Competition leads to improved services through innovation. >> > > Ah, but you need to consider this not simply as competition, but as > state-funded destruction of a competitive market. Tax-payers money > would be being ploughed into producing raster maps, which are then > given away well below production cost in order to destroy the > businesses of other companies and individuals. > Andy, The taxpayers have already paid for it, many times over. I resent having to pay £7.50 for a map I've already financed to construct. As I've paid for it, I think it should be given to me free of charge.
If it was a market (I see it a state owned monopoly) it was certainly not on a level playing field due to the state funding of an army division. Releasing state owned data to the public should level it out a bit, but probably not completely. > Anyone trying to > compete would be up against the government who aren't trying to cover > their costs - pretty hard to compete with, and not really a level > playing field. > First you say it's a competitive market, then you say it's not. > I'd like to see people concentrating on the freedom of the data - > especially things like electoral boundaries Well, 1. Isn't that what it's been told to do? & 2. Won't that be a "state-funded destruction of a competitive market."? > - and I'd like to see the > Ordnance Survey consider ceasing producing finished maps in order to > open up that whole area to fair competition and innovation. How would it be fair? They would still have to license the data from one source - the OS as already occurs with the vast majority of other maps (A-Z etc) & sat-navs. If the rasters are traceable then the data can be used in competition, It'll just take longer than if the raw data was available. _______________________________________________ Talk-GB mailing list Talk-GB@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb
