Maps are nothing new.
Humans have been recording details about the world in maps long before we had recognizable languages.
Over centuries, this has helped us find food, navigate the oceans, discover new lands, and drive social and political change.
Now, we’re using maps to underpin all kinds of tech innovation.
Even if we don’t always see them at work, mapping intelligence is doing the heavy lifting in the background.
From the car you drive and the package you ordered to the coffee shop you visited before work and the busy road you avoided on the commute home – all of this relies on deeply embedded maps to work at their best.
Digital maps are helping us move through the world at a speed that would have been unimaginable a hundred years ago.
How fast, easily, and far we can navigate is heavily reliant on a map’s detail, accuracy, and freshness.
So, how can we ensure and bolster the accuracy of mapping intelligence to continue developing tech that keeps the world moving?
Why Maps are the Backbone of Modern Tech
According to Jerry Brotton in his book Great Maps: The World’s Masterpieces Explored and Explained, “maps” are defined broadly as “a graphic representation that presents a spatial understanding of things, concepts, or events in the human world.”
However, when we think of maps today, we’re actually referring to data, how it’s used, and the purpose the end-user seeks to fulfil.
The Role of Maps in Various Sectors
Today, maps aren’t just used by individuals; they’re used by organizations across almost every sector, serving both individuals and other businesses.
In fact, over the past few decades, the number of use cases for mapping intelligence has risen tremendously.
Now, more than 20% of online searches rely on location data to provide an accurate result.
To keep up with this growth, the mapmaking industry must continually anticipate and accommodate evolving needs.
However, it’s just too expensive and complicated for individual companies to gather all the data and financial resources needed to meet those needs.
On top of this, the proprietary nature of most commercial mapping solutions means the tech can’t always be used widely or easily, hindering industry-wide innovation.
Challenges in Traditional Mapmaking
Until now, people creating new tech using maps had to do a lot of work to build their map system – from adding their own data to designing it and publishing it to their application.
Fortunately, there are alternative options available today.
Proprietary Maps
The most common option used today is to harness proprietary maps.
However, this limits an end-user’s control over the features and fixes made to a specific mapping solution.
This also determines the level of innovation possible based on the resources that a solution provider is willing to invest in their product and the speed at which they do so.
Open Source Maps
Another option is open source maps like OpenStreetMap (OSM), although many argue they’re not extensive enough for this to be a viable solution.
This is because open source maps are often built by a community of editors with their own priorities, not by a company specialized in geolocation – it’s essentially the “Wikipedia of maps”.
While the community identifies and fixes issues, in the time it takes to find a resolution, companies and therefore their customers can be left exposed.
The Hybrid Approach: Combining Open Source and Proprietary Mapping
Thankfully, open data has become so good over the past fifteen years that we can build on top of it to keep the mapping industry moving forward.
Instead of being constrained by the resources of a single solution provider, end-users can select a mapping technology partner that brings together the best of both worlds, combining proprietary mapping – including sensor-derived observations and probe data – with open mapping.
Validating and Integrating Data
Your solution provider must validate this open source data, checking for bad edits or data vandalization before integrating it with proprietary data.
If something isn’t quite right, data can then be quarantined, cross-referenced against other sources, and corrected accordingly.
These are the qualities end-users must check for when selecting an open, transparent, and collaborative mapping solution for commercial use or new innovations.
Future-Proofing Tech Innovation with Maps
For years, maps have been dutifully doing their job in the background.
Now, mapmakers can offer more agile and accurate solutions than ever before by combining open source and proprietary mapping data.
Ultimately, this will enable commercial users and tech inventors to worry less about making their own maps and focus on turning mapping data into something innovative.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the Role of Maps: Recognize the critical role maps play in modern technology and various sectors.
- Explore Alternative Solutions: Look beyond proprietary maps and consider the benefits of open source and hybrid solutions.
- Choose the Right Partner: Ensure your mapping technology partner validates and integrates data effectively.
- Focus on Innovation: Use accurate and up-to-date mapping data to drive tech innovation and keep your business moving forward.
Rethinking how maps are made and used is essential for accelerating tech innovation. By combining the best aspects of open source and proprietary data, we can create more accurate, agile, and effective mapping solutions that support the evolving needs of technology and its users.
