Open Source Maps Gain Ground as Google Paywall Looms

Nestoria is one of those companies that was told it would have to start paying real money for Google Maps. When Google couldn’t tell it exactly how much, Nestoria kicked Mountain View to the curb and switched to OpenStreetMap, a free, collaborative effort to map the globe.

But that’s only part of the story. Nestoria’s “free and open” map data is actually served up by MapQuest, the once and future mapping outfit that ruled the web before Google Maps stole its thunder. At Nestoria — a popular UK-based real estate website — the online mapping game has come full circle.

OpenStreetMap, or OSM, is yet another example of a project that manages to compete with a massive tech company simply by crowdsourcing a problem. Much like Wikipedia challenged Encyclopedia Britannica and Linux took on Microsoft Windows, OpenStreetMap is battling Google Maps, and at least in some cases, it’s winning.