MapQuest Launches New European Sites Based on OpenStreetMap Data

MapQuest, AOL Inc. subsidiary and active participant in the Internet-mapping services business, has recently announced that they have launched four new mapping sites based on OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, located in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The newly created sites will function under the MapQuest-specific user interface and brand, while using data from OSM, unlike the currently existing ones based on commercially available info.

MapQuest has began collaborating with the OpenStreetMap communities in July, this year, when they launched a beta site based on open-source data in UK, based solely on OSM data.

As it also happened with the new sites, the UK commercial version of the MapQuest service continued to exist alongside the open-source one.

The Product Manager of MapQuest, Antony Pegg, said: “We are excited to be launching four more sites today which marry the MapQuest brand with the OSM community.”

“We have been focused on bringing awareness to the power of OSM, while also encouraging the overall growth of the movement through the creation of services like the MapQuest Open Directions Service, and involvement in global community projects like Map Kibera.”

Additionally, users will have the possibility to improve the maps, by adding details related to streets, parks, bike paths and hiking trails.

As a matter of fact, this is the main reasoning powering the whole project: enabling users to optimize maps of their neighborhood and to make them as complete and as relevant as possible, in order to create an accurate mapping product.

It seems that MapQuest decided to launch its new beta sites in the four mentioned European countries since their OSM communities were highly active and the information was already extensive, therefore the fundament for user-created mapping was already present.

The localized versions of the MapQuest site can be accessed at these addresses: http://open.mapquest.fr, http://open.mapquest.de, http://open.mapquest.it and http://open.mapquest.es.