2010/12/1 David Richfield <davidrichfi...@gmail.com> > >> Microsoft has given OSM permission to trace from their Bing aerial > images, > >> subject to certain restrictions on the editor being used. For the > >> foreseeable future it will only be available under the Potlatch 2 editor > >> which is currently in testing. > > > > Wow, this is brilliant news! I know what I'll be doing this weekend. > > > > What's behind this move? > > To answer my own question: Steve Coast joined Bing as Principal > Architect on Bing Mobile. >
Microsoft was one of the big sponsors behind last year's State of the Map conference and they served OSM derived tiles since. I guess they (like MapQuest) have continued to loose marketshare to Google. They must see OSM as a way to stay relevant. In the long run it also helps them to reduce the licensing fees they are paying to NT/TA. -- The images are much more up to date than Y!. So now we can properly map Cosmo City and a few other new developments.
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