Have a look a this poster (also pdf):
Congratulations to Hans-Jörg !
Saturday, July 10, 2010
OpenAddresses receives an award at AGIT 2010
The OpenAddresses poster have been awarded during AGIT 2010.
Have a look a this poster (also pdf):
Congratulations to Hans-Jörg !
Have a look a this poster (also pdf):
Congratulations to Hans-Jörg !
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Donators of the week: Cities of Uster and Paarl
Friday, June 4, 2010
OpenAddresses.org ready for the world cup !
In a few day, the soccer world cup will start in South-Africa. OpenAddresses just received addresses from this country, particularly from Wellington.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hot to get an address csv file ?
Use the REST services to extract data from the OpenAddresses database.
If you want, for example, all the addresses of a city, make a simple URL like:
http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses.csv?city=Bottens&attrs=street,city,postcode,housenumber
It's also possible to create a zip file to reduce data transfer amount:
http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses.zip?city=Bottens&attrs=street,city,postcode,housenumber
As query parameter, you can use all the string and number attributes mentionned here.
So, don't hesitate to create new addresses, it's then easy to extract and use them ;-)
If you want, for example, all the addresses of a city, make a simple URL like:
http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses.csv?city=Bottens&attrs=street,city,postcode,housenumber
It's also possible to create a zip file to reduce data transfer amount:
http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses.zip?city=Bottens&attrs=street,city,postcode,housenumber
As query parameter, you can use all the string and number attributes mentionned here.
So, don't hesitate to create new addresses, it's then easy to extract and use them ;-)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Presentation about OpenAddresses.org
Hans-Jörg Stark created a presentation about the OpenAddresses.org project.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
100,156 addresses more: Thanks to Vancouver
With the open data initiative of Vancouver, we were able to import some addresses more.
Monday, May 17, 2010
12 millions... 13 millions addresses !
More than 2 millions new addresses with the import of the State of Indiana in USA. Thanks to the The Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) !
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The list of address donators growths !
Have a look at the 15 cities that just donated their addresses.
Here are the reasons that convinced these donators:
1. Spatial information is a key success
For companies, governments or private persons, the spatial information allows to make powerful analysis. Typically, companies can make geomarketing analysis, governments can make geostatistics, private persons can search for locations. The adress is the base information for a large amount of spatial analysis.International studies have shown that there is a huge potential in spatial data for economic growth http://www.crcsi.com.au/uploads/publications/PUBLICATION_324.pdf
If the address data are free, it unleashes a potential of innovation and creativity that has not been possible yet. Think of GPS: everybody uses it for free! If the US had not provided this service for free a lot of what we take for granted today would not be reality!
2. You search regularly for addresses
Who has never searched for an address ? NOBODY. We all need addresses and unfortunately, it's difficult to access them or they are provided by advertisement companies that have other ideas in mind and you are always dependent on their websites or services.
3. You are using geocoding tools ...
OpenAddresses provides geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
4. .. and also reverse geocoding tools
OpenAddresses provides reverse geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
5. You don't want to buy a license or have a maintenance contract
Do you ?
6. You believe in solidarity
Think that if you provide an address in your area, you could maybe use an address provided by someone else on the other side of the earth.
7. You dream of a free navigation system
When you buy a navigation system, an important part of the price is due to the price of the data stored inside. If addresses are free and open, the price of the navigation systems will be reduced.
It is still not possible to create open and free navigation systems. Together with the data of OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses allows the creation of fantastic orientation tools.
8. You agree with the Open Source philosophy
There are several aspects of Open Source that are widely recognized. Let's take for example the points mentionned in 2009 by the DoD:
- The continuous and broad peer-review enabled by publicly available source code supports software reliability and security efforts through the identification and elimination of defects that might otherwise go unrecognized by a more limited core development team.
- The unrestricted ability to modify software source code enables the Department to respond more rapidly to changing situations, missions, and future threats.
- Reliance on a particular software developer or vendor due to proprietary restrictions may be reduced by the use of OSS, which can be operated and maintained by multiple vendors, thus reducing barriers to entry and exit.
- Open source licenses do not restrict who can use the software or the fields of endeavor in which the software can be used. Therefore, OSS provides a net-centric licensing model that enables rapid provisioning of both known and unanticipated users.
- Since OSS typically does not have a per-seat licensing cost, it can provide a cost advantage in situations where many copies of the software may be required, and can mitigate risk of cost growth due to licensing in situations where the total number of users may not be known in advance.
- By sharing the responsibility for maintenance of OSS with other users, the Department can benefit by reducing the total cost of ownership for software, particularly compared with software for which the Department has sole responsibility for maintenance (e.g., GOTS).
- OSS is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and experimentation, where the ability to “test drive” the software with minimal costs and administrative delays can be important.
9. You wish to check your existing address data
By giving your addresses to OpenAddresses, you get in return the possibility:
- To compare your data with other addresses previously captured
- To be able to use a simple, yet powerful user interface to update them 3. to ask the community (the inhabitants) to check themselves if their address is correct
10. You need more addresses for your everyday tasks, but can't afford the large commercial datasets
... however, you may have some workforce available to capture and update local data. For example firefighters or electricity inspectors have a very good local knowledge of addresses, but it is very hard to have these addresses structured. By using OpenAddresses, all members of your organization work on a similar data structure and, in return for giving your addresses, you'll get the ones captured by others. Last but not least, in comparison to the commercial datasets providers, you decide how often you want your data to be updated.
Here are the reasons that convinced these donators:
1. Spatial information is a key success
For companies, governments or private persons, the spatial information allows to make powerful analysis. Typically, companies can make geomarketing analysis, governments can make geostatistics, private persons can search for locations. The adress is the base information for a large amount of spatial analysis.International studies have shown that there is a huge potential in spatial data for economic growth http://www.crcsi.com.au/uploads/publications/PUBLICATION_324.pdf
If the address data are free, it unleashes a potential of innovation and creativity that has not been possible yet. Think of GPS: everybody uses it for free! If the US had not provided this service for free a lot of what we take for granted today would not be reality!
2. You search regularly for addresses
Who has never searched for an address ? NOBODY. We all need addresses and unfortunately, it's difficult to access them or they are provided by advertisement companies that have other ideas in mind and you are always dependent on their websites or services.
3. You are using geocoding tools ...
OpenAddresses provides geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
4. .. and also reverse geocoding tools
OpenAddresses provides reverse geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
5. You don't want to buy a license or have a maintenance contract
Do you ?
6. You believe in solidarity
Think that if you provide an address in your area, you could maybe use an address provided by someone else on the other side of the earth.
7. You dream of a free navigation system
When you buy a navigation system, an important part of the price is due to the price of the data stored inside. If addresses are free and open, the price of the navigation systems will be reduced.
It is still not possible to create open and free navigation systems. Together with the data of OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses allows the creation of fantastic orientation tools.
8. You agree with the Open Source philosophy
There are several aspects of Open Source that are widely recognized. Let's take for example the points mentionned in 2009 by the DoD:
- The continuous and broad peer-review enabled by publicly available source code supports software reliability and security efforts through the identification and elimination of defects that might otherwise go unrecognized by a more limited core development team.
- The unrestricted ability to modify software source code enables the Department to respond more rapidly to changing situations, missions, and future threats.
- Reliance on a particular software developer or vendor due to proprietary restrictions may be reduced by the use of OSS, which can be operated and maintained by multiple vendors, thus reducing barriers to entry and exit.
- Open source licenses do not restrict who can use the software or the fields of endeavor in which the software can be used. Therefore, OSS provides a net-centric licensing model that enables rapid provisioning of both known and unanticipated users.
- Since OSS typically does not have a per-seat licensing cost, it can provide a cost advantage in situations where many copies of the software may be required, and can mitigate risk of cost growth due to licensing in situations where the total number of users may not be known in advance.
- By sharing the responsibility for maintenance of OSS with other users, the Department can benefit by reducing the total cost of ownership for software, particularly compared with software for which the Department has sole responsibility for maintenance (e.g., GOTS).
- OSS is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and experimentation, where the ability to “test drive” the software with minimal costs and administrative delays can be important.
9. You wish to check your existing address data
By giving your addresses to OpenAddresses, you get in return the possibility:
- To compare your data with other addresses previously captured
- To be able to use a simple, yet powerful user interface to update them 3. to ask the community (the inhabitants) to check themselves if their address is correct
10. You need more addresses for your everyday tasks, but can't afford the large commercial datasets
... however, you may have some workforce available to capture and update local data. For example firefighters or electricity inspectors have a very good local knowledge of addresses, but it is very hard to have these addresses structured. By using OpenAddresses, all members of your organization work on a similar data structure and, in return for giving your addresses, you'll get the ones captured by others. Last but not least, in comparison to the commercial datasets providers, you decide how often you want your data to be updated.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Why not use Google ?
Ovum's blog about that topic is particularly interesting.
Do you assume the risks of using proprietary plattforms ?
Keep in mind the following points about using proprietary plattforms:
* lack of assurances regarding the continuous provision or reliability of the service or that it will remain available for free in the future
* lack of control over the content displayed by the vendors on the platform - particularly advertisements
* lack of control over how the vendors use data that is provided by agencies
* the requirement to indemnify the vendors from any claims arising from the agency's use of the service.
* service interruption or unexpected termination
* inappropriate information or advertising being displayed on a map
* confidential information arising from the delivery of the service being used by the vendor in an inappropriate manner elsewhere in its services
* the agency's brand being used in an unwelcome manner
* the agency inadvertently being in breach of the terms of use of the free versions of the platforms.
And of course, data behind these services are never open and can be used only with the terms of services.
Do you assume the risks of using proprietary plattforms ?
Keep in mind the following points about using proprietary plattforms:
* lack of assurances regarding the continuous provision or reliability of the service or that it will remain available for free in the future
* lack of control over the content displayed by the vendors on the platform - particularly advertisements
* lack of control over how the vendors use data that is provided by agencies
* the requirement to indemnify the vendors from any claims arising from the agency's use of the service.
* service interruption or unexpected termination
* inappropriate information or advertising being displayed on a map
* confidential information arising from the delivery of the service being used by the vendor in an inappropriate manner elsewhere in its services
* the agency's brand being used in an unwelcome manner
* the agency inadvertently being in breach of the terms of use of the free versions of the platforms.
And of course, data behind these services are never open and can be used only with the terms of services.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Create addresses in Switzerland: easy !
The Swiss Statistics Office has allowed OpenAddresses to use their WMS has background information for OpenAddresses.org. The orange dots that you can see for example here are the address points from their WMS.
If you make a right mouse click in the map, a popup will be opened with a map containing the addresses information from the Swiss Statistics Office.
It's quite easy now to create addresses in Switzerland.
If you make a right mouse click in the map, a popup will be opened with a map containing the addresses information from the Swiss Statistics Office.
It's quite easy now to create addresses in Switzerland.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
One month with OpenAddresses
It's time to make a small status update one month after the Go Live of OpenAddresses.org.
First of all, the number of addresses has doubled. At this time, 11'010'776 addresses are available in OpenAddresses. Thanks all for your contribution !
Since the launch, several new things have been done in OpenAddresses:
- A routing function (see the routing accordion on the left).
- An upload function that allows everyone to transfer data files in OpenAddresses
- Improvements in the REST services: download csv or zip data, full text search http://code.google.com/p/openaddresses/wiki/RESTService
- A statistic tool presenting the number of addresses and the creators of the week: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/statistic
- An impressum page: http://www.openaddresses.org/impressum
- And the web site had an up time of 99.932%... it seems to work ;-)
Of course, we are still looking for addresses and address donators and the way will be long until OpenAddresses covers all the planet. Rome wasn't built in a day !
OpenAddresses faces now very interesting challenges. In may we plan to finalize the synchonization with OpenStreetMap. The data quality will also be one of the hot topics in the following month. The V1 should be live in June (between us, the codename is "Yes We Can").
But the biggest challenge is not technical. We need now to extend the OpenAdresses community. We have to formalize a bit the OpenAddresses organization. If you have the feeling that you can bring something to this community, don't hesitate to join it.
First of all, the number of addresses has doubled. At this time, 11'010'776 addresses are available in OpenAddresses. Thanks all for your contribution !
Since the launch, several new things have been done in OpenAddresses:
- A routing function (see the routing accordion on the left).
- An upload function that allows everyone to transfer data files in OpenAddresses
- Improvements in the REST services: download csv or zip data, full text search http://code.google.com/p/openaddresses/wiki/RESTService
- A statistic tool presenting the number of addresses and the creators of the week: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/statistic
- An impressum page: http://www.openaddresses.org/impressum
- And the web site had an up time of 99.932%... it seems to work ;-)
Of course, we are still looking for addresses and address donators and the way will be long until OpenAddresses covers all the planet. Rome wasn't built in a day !
OpenAddresses faces now very interesting challenges. In may we plan to finalize the synchonization with OpenStreetMap. The data quality will also be one of the hot topics in the following month. The V1 should be live in June (between us, the codename is "Yes We Can").
But the biggest challenge is not technical. We need now to extend the OpenAdresses community. We have to formalize a bit the OpenAddresses organization. If you have the feeling that you can bring something to this community, don't hesitate to join it.
Monday, April 26, 2010
OpenAddresses: new download and upload functions
The OpenAddresses REST services have been extended to support the data download and upload.
The download functions allows the user to export data as CSV or ZIP containing a CSV file. The nice thing is that you can use the power of the MapFish protocoll to export data from OpenAddresses. See some examples here.
The upload function can be used to transmit data to openaddresses. You find this function in an accordion on the left.
The download functions allows the user to export data as CSV or ZIP containing a CSV file. The nice thing is that you can use the power of the MapFish protocoll to export data from OpenAddresses. See some examples here.
The upload function can be used to transmit data to openaddresses. You find this function in an accordion on the left.
Monday, April 19, 2010
OpenAddresses.org podcasted
Don't miss the very interesting podcast recorded by Directions Magazine: Link.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Do you own geolocated addresses ?
Here are the top ten reasons to make them available through OpenAddresses:
1. Spatial information is a key success
For companies, governments or private persons, the spatial information allows to make powerful analysis. Typically, companies can make geomarketing analysis, governments can make geostatistics, private persons can search for locations. The adress is the base information for a large amount of spatial analysis. International studies have shown that there is a huge potential in spatial data for economic growth (see this text).
If the address data are free and open, it unleashes a potential of innovation and creativity that has not been possible yet. Think of GPS: everybody uses it for free! If the US had not provided this service for free a lot of what we take for granted today would not be reality!
2. You search regularly for addresses
Who has never searched for an address ? NOBODY. We all need addresses and unfortunately, it's difficult to access them or they are provided by advertisement companies that have other ideas in mind and you are always dependent on their websites or services.
3. You are using geocoding tools ...
OpenAddresses provides geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
4. .. and also reverse geocoding tools
OpenAddresses provides reverse geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
5. You don't want to buy a license or have a maintenance contract
Do you ?
6. You believe in solidarity
Think that if you provide an address in your area, you could maybe use an address provided by someone else on the other side of the earth.
7. You dream of a free navigation system
When you buy a navigation system, an important part of the price is due to the price of the data stored inside. If addresses are free and open, the price of the navigation systems will be reduced.
It is still not possible to create open and free navigation systems. Together with the data of OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses allows the creation of fantastic orientation tools.
8. You agree with the Open Source philosophy
There are several aspects of Open Source that are widely recognized. Let's take for example the points mentionned in 2009 by the DoD:
- The continuous and broad peer-review enabled by publicly available source code supports software reliability and security efforts through the identification and elimination of defects that might otherwise go unrecognized by a more limited core development team.
- The unrestricted ability to modify software source code enables the Department to respond more rapidly to changing situations, missions, and future threats.
- Reliance on a particular software developer or vendor due to proprietary restrictions may be reduced by the use of OSS, which can be operated and maintained by multiple vendors, thus reducing barriers to entry and exit.
- Open source licenses do not restrict who can use the software or the fields of endeavor in which the software can be used. Therefore, OSS provides a net-centric licensing model that enables rapid provisioning of both known and unanticipated users.
- Since OSS typically does not have a per-seat licensing cost, it can provide a cost advantage in situations where many copies of the software may be required, and can mitigate risk of cost growth due to licensing in situations where the total number of users may not be known in advance.
- By sharing the responsibility for maintenance of OSS with other users, the Department can benefit by reducing the total cost of ownership for software, particularly compared with software for which the Department has sole responsibility for maintenance (e.g., GOTS).
- OSS is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and experimentation, where the ability to “test drive” the software with minimal costs and administrative delays can be important.
9. You wish to check your existing address data
By giving your addresses to OpenAddresses, you get in return the possibility:
1. To compare your data with other addresses previously captured
2. To be able to use a simple, yet powerful user interface to update them
3. To ask the community (the inhabitants) to check themselves if their address is correct
10. You need more addresses for your everyday tasks, but can't afford the large commercial datasets
... however, you may have some workforce available to capture and update local data. For example firefighters or electricity inspectors have a very good local knowledge of addresses, but it is very hard to have these addresses structured. By using OpenAddresses, all members of your organization work on a similar data structure and, in return for giving your addresses, you'll get the ones captured by others. Last but not least, in comparison to the commercial datasets providers, you decide how often you want your data to be updated.
1. Spatial information is a key success
For companies, governments or private persons, the spatial information allows to make powerful analysis. Typically, companies can make geomarketing analysis, governments can make geostatistics, private persons can search for locations. The adress is the base information for a large amount of spatial analysis. International studies have shown that there is a huge potential in spatial data for economic growth (see this text).
If the address data are free and open, it unleashes a potential of innovation and creativity that has not been possible yet. Think of GPS: everybody uses it for free! If the US had not provided this service for free a lot of what we take for granted today would not be reality!
2. You search regularly for addresses
Who has never searched for an address ? NOBODY. We all need addresses and unfortunately, it's difficult to access them or they are provided by advertisement companies that have other ideas in mind and you are always dependent on their websites or services.
3. You are using geocoding tools ...
OpenAddresses provides geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
4. .. and also reverse geocoding tools
OpenAddresses provides reverse geocoding functions that you can freely use and implement in your own solutions.
5. You don't want to buy a license or have a maintenance contract
Do you ?
6. You believe in solidarity
Think that if you provide an address in your area, you could maybe use an address provided by someone else on the other side of the earth.
7. You dream of a free navigation system
When you buy a navigation system, an important part of the price is due to the price of the data stored inside. If addresses are free and open, the price of the navigation systems will be reduced.
It is still not possible to create open and free navigation systems. Together with the data of OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses allows the creation of fantastic orientation tools.
8. You agree with the Open Source philosophy
There are several aspects of Open Source that are widely recognized. Let's take for example the points mentionned in 2009 by the DoD:
- The continuous and broad peer-review enabled by publicly available source code supports software reliability and security efforts through the identification and elimination of defects that might otherwise go unrecognized by a more limited core development team.
- The unrestricted ability to modify software source code enables the Department to respond more rapidly to changing situations, missions, and future threats.
- Reliance on a particular software developer or vendor due to proprietary restrictions may be reduced by the use of OSS, which can be operated and maintained by multiple vendors, thus reducing barriers to entry and exit.
- Open source licenses do not restrict who can use the software or the fields of endeavor in which the software can be used. Therefore, OSS provides a net-centric licensing model that enables rapid provisioning of both known and unanticipated users.
- Since OSS typically does not have a per-seat licensing cost, it can provide a cost advantage in situations where many copies of the software may be required, and can mitigate risk of cost growth due to licensing in situations where the total number of users may not be known in advance.
- By sharing the responsibility for maintenance of OSS with other users, the Department can benefit by reducing the total cost of ownership for software, particularly compared with software for which the Department has sole responsibility for maintenance (e.g., GOTS).
- OSS is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and experimentation, where the ability to “test drive” the software with minimal costs and administrative delays can be important.
9. You wish to check your existing address data
By giving your addresses to OpenAddresses, you get in return the possibility:
1. To compare your data with other addresses previously captured
2. To be able to use a simple, yet powerful user interface to update them
3. To ask the community (the inhabitants) to check themselves if their address is correct
10. You need more addresses for your everyday tasks, but can't afford the large commercial datasets
... however, you may have some workforce available to capture and update local data. For example firefighters or electricity inspectors have a very good local knowledge of addresses, but it is very hard to have these addresses structured. By using OpenAddresses, all members of your organization work on a similar data structure and, in return for giving your addresses, you'll get the ones captured by others. Last but not least, in comparison to the commercial datasets providers, you decide how often you want your data to be updated.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
11+ millions OpenAddresses stored !!!
Who will be the next city, state, country to provide their addresses ?
Friday, April 9, 2010
GeoCoding and Reverse Geocoding with OpenAddresses
If you want to use the Geoding services provided by OpenAddresses, have a look at the page: http://code.google.com/p/openaddresses/wiki/RESTService.
The MapFish protocoll has been extended with a powerful full text search that can be used like that: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/?limit=3&attrs=street,housenumber,city&query=Gen%E8ve%20Vogt
You obtain a GeoJson back and it is possible to add a callback parameters: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/?limit=3&attrs=street,housenumber,city&query=Gen%E8ve%20Vogt&callback=myCallback
The MapFish protocoll has been extended with a powerful full text search that can be used like that: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/?limit=3&attrs=street,housenumber,city&query=Gen%E8ve%20Vogt
You obtain a GeoJson back and it is possible to add a callback parameters: http://www.openaddresses.org/addresses/?limit=3&attrs=street,housenumber,city&query=Gen%E8ve%20Vogt&callback=myCallback
139'230 new addresses...
... Thanks to Washington DC !
A global search tool has been implemented, too.
A global search tool has been implemented, too.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Routing in OpenAddresses.org
A new feature has just been added to OpenAddresses.org: the routing.
The routing itself is computed by the CloudMade service which uses the OSM dataset. OpenAddresses REST services are used for the address search.
The routing itself is computed by the CloudMade service which uses the OSM dataset. OpenAddresses REST services are used for the address search.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
New great features in OpenAddresses
Two new features have been added in OpenAddresses:
- A powerful search with auto completion. I love the power of Postgres FTS !
- An hover function on the address red dot, showing the address information without having to click on it.
Hope you like these additions.
- A powerful search with auto completion. I love the power of Postgres FTS !
- An hover function on the address red dot, showing the address information without having to click on it.
Hope you like these additions.
Activities of D-Day + 3
Several great news today: in 3 days, we have doubled the number of addresses and there are now exactly 10'200'314 addresses in the database !
Two new languages have been added: Luxembourg and Catalan and some bugfixes have been done.
We are now actively looking for address donators ! Everyone having access to free of rights addresses is welcome to inform us. It will be a pleasure to import them ;-)
Two new languages have been added: Luxembourg and Catalan and some bugfixes have been done.
We are now actively looking for address donators ! Everyone having access to free of rights addresses is welcome to inform us. It will be a pleasure to import them ;-)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
12/30/2009, three months ago
The project OpenAddresses.org started its launch last monday 03/29/2010. Before this D-Day, here is a small history of the project.
During the christmas break 2009, I sent an email to Hans-Jörg, the inititiator of openaddresses.ch. I just found my original mail:
I find your initiative openaddresses very interesting.
I'd like to know if you think that it could be valuable to store the adresses in OSM instead of openaddresses. OSM offers the possibility to store addresses (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:addr). OSM offers a large exposure, but still lacks of practical tool for address creation and management. So, openaddresses can act as address entry point to OSM and offers easy to use editing address functions (with convenient reference data).
And the final goal is for both projects to have a large, up to date and free data set to offer.
What is your point about that ?
This was the start of the story of openaddresses.org. The concept was well defined, but several things had to be done:
- Setup wiki, discussion group, mailing list
- Define a data model
- Setup servers
- Implement a new version with new technologies
- Translate in several languages
- Prepare the press releases and the launch
- Write documentation
- Test, test, test
But the most important thing was the ability to convince other persons to join the community. And here, we are very far of the technical aspects. It's only a question of personal relationships or networking. Steffi, Jean-Luc, Jeff, Lukas, Lucca, Lars, Yves and Yves J. are all persons that Hans-Jörg or I already knew. The fantastic thing is that I don't remember to have a big disagreement. All the discussions were very open and found general answers. This also probably means that the general concept was not so bad.
Since the launch went beyond our expectations (hundred of tweets, dozen of blogs, more than 5000 unique visitors in less than 3 days), we face several challenges for the next steps of OpenAddresses:
- The OpenAddresses community has to grow. For me, the reason is quite simple: we need to convince addresses owner to donate their addresses. The only way that I see is to have local contacts in order to spread the word. I simply want to state: EVERYONE SHARING THE SAME OPEN PHILOSOPHY IS WELCOME IN THE OPENADDRESSES COMMUNITY !
- The relation with OSM has to be clarified. Several discussions occurred and we need to handle the licensing and synchronisation aspects. OpenAddresses needs to work nicely with OpenStreetMap and I strongly believe that it is in the interest of both projects. I would be so happy that some OpenStreetMap members help us to clarify these aspects and help us to create this successful collaboration. The key point is that we share the same goal.
- The version 1 has to be launched. We received several feedbacks and, after the BETA, we have to launch the first release of OpenAddresses. By analyzing the site statistics, we can probably improve the communication. It appears that visitors comes mainly from central Europe. We should be able to reach persons of all around the world.
- But, the key point is to obtain free and open addresses. In two days, we received about 4.5 millions of new addresses. We need to take contact, ask the good persons convince of the benenefits (don't you like this search tool ?) etc...
- And we have to find some sponsoring. Everyone invested a lot of private time, but there is still some money to find in order to pay the hosting, for example.
I look forward for the three next months. Sure that it will be interesting ;-)
During the christmas break 2009, I sent an email to Hans-Jörg, the inititiator of openaddresses.ch. I just found my original mail:
I find your initiative openaddresses very interesting.
I'd like to know if you think that it could be valuable to store the adresses in OSM instead of openaddresses. OSM offers the possibility to store addresses (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:addr). OSM offers a large exposure, but still lacks of practical tool for address creation and management. So, openaddresses can act as address entry point to OSM and offers easy to use editing address functions (with convenient reference data).
And the final goal is for both projects to have a large, up to date and free data set to offer.
What is your point about that ?
This was the start of the story of openaddresses.org. The concept was well defined, but several things had to be done:
- Setup wiki, discussion group, mailing list
- Define a data model
- Setup servers
- Implement a new version with new technologies
- Translate in several languages
- Prepare the press releases and the launch
- Write documentation
- Test, test, test
But the most important thing was the ability to convince other persons to join the community. And here, we are very far of the technical aspects. It's only a question of personal relationships or networking. Steffi, Jean-Luc, Jeff, Lukas, Lucca, Lars, Yves and Yves J. are all persons that Hans-Jörg or I already knew. The fantastic thing is that I don't remember to have a big disagreement. All the discussions were very open and found general answers. This also probably means that the general concept was not so bad.
Since the launch went beyond our expectations (hundred of tweets, dozen of blogs, more than 5000 unique visitors in less than 3 days), we face several challenges for the next steps of OpenAddresses:
- The OpenAddresses community has to grow. For me, the reason is quite simple: we need to convince addresses owner to donate their addresses. The only way that I see is to have local contacts in order to spread the word. I simply want to state: EVERYONE SHARING THE SAME OPEN PHILOSOPHY IS WELCOME IN THE OPENADDRESSES COMMUNITY !
- The relation with OSM has to be clarified. Several discussions occurred and we need to handle the licensing and synchronisation aspects. OpenAddresses needs to work nicely with OpenStreetMap and I strongly believe that it is in the interest of both projects. I would be so happy that some OpenStreetMap members help us to clarify these aspects and help us to create this successful collaboration. The key point is that we share the same goal.
- The version 1 has to be launched. We received several feedbacks and, after the BETA, we have to launch the first release of OpenAddresses. By analyzing the site statistics, we can probably improve the communication. It appears that visitors comes mainly from central Europe. We should be able to reach persons of all around the world.
- But, the key point is to obtain free and open addresses. In two days, we received about 4.5 millions of new addresses. We need to take contact, ask the good persons convince of the benenefits (don't you like this search tool ?) etc...
- And we have to find some sponsoring. Everyone invested a lot of private time, but there is still some money to find in order to pay the hosting, for example.
I look forward for the three next months. Sure that it will be interesting ;-)
Friday, March 26, 2010
www.openaddresses.org BETA launched
Do you dream of free and open geolocated addresses ? or free and open geocoding and reverse geocoding services ? It's not a dream anymore, it's a reality ! After www.openaddresses.ch and www.openaddresses.at, www.openaddresses.org has been launched to collect worldwide localized addresses. This initiative of several people, universities and companies of central Europe aims to provide a web portail for the management of free and open addresses. The goal of www.openaddresses.org is also to collaborate nicely with www.openstreetmap.org by exchanging data. However, since localized addresses are very specific, we consider that it is appropriate to have a dedicated platform only for addresses.
Don't hesitate to add your own address, the address of your friends and of the friends of your friends ;-) If you'd like to be part of this effort, you can also provide address listing, orthophoto or whatever data that can be useful. We are also looking for persons willing to participate to the development, the translation, the system administration, the testing, the communication and so on ...
You'll find more information in the following documents:
* Frequently asked questions
* User guide
* Wiki
* Discussion group
Don't hesitate to add your own address, the address of your friends and of the friends of your friends ;-) If you'd like to be part of this effort, you can also provide address listing, orthophoto or whatever data that can be useful. We are also looking for persons willing to participate to the development, the translation, the system administration, the testing, the communication and so on ...
You'll find more information in the following documents:
* Frequently asked questions
* User guide
* Wiki
* Discussion group
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