About OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative, open data project that creates a free, editable map of the world, built by volunteers and used by countless apps, websites and humanitarian organisations. Community and civic projects connect shared information or technical work with public interests. Their purpose gives collaboration a wider setting, bringing attention to the people using a resource and the practical situations in which it can contribute.
An Editable Map and Open Data
OpenStreetMap creates a free, editable map through collaborative data work. This connects geographic information with shared contribution, giving places and routes a digital representation that develops through the activity of the project’s participants.
Volunteer Mapping and Shared Knowledge
Volunteers build the map, connecting knowledge of places with an open data resource. The community approach gives geographic information a collaborative setting, bringing local detail into a project concerned with mapping the wider world.
Mapping for Applications and Communities
Its data is used by applications, websites and humanitarian organisations. This connects the map with practical work beyond the project itself, giving shared geographic information a role in services and activities developed by different users. Participants can engage with the work through its particular activities and the broader purpose behind them. This connects a defined project with community knowledge and public needs, giving technology a practical role within a wider social environment.