[OpenLayers-Users] Question about map data licensing

[Christopher Schmidt]

On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 04:53:17PM -0500, Brad Redfearn wrote:
> I'm looking at OpenLayers as an alternative to Google Maps for  
> building an application with advertising around the map. I want to  
> avoid any license restrictions or policy changes that would force me  
> to shut off my clients' maps. So I was very excited to find out about  
> OpenLayers. However, it seems to me that OpenLayers is still tied to  
> Google (or other proprietary providers) for the actual cartography. Am  
> I missing something, or is this the case? Thanks in advance for your  
> input. Cheers.

OpenLayers is 'provider agnostic'; it is deliberately intended to be
able to read any source of data you may have to throw at it. Generally,
people who want hi-res satellite imagery are going to have to go one of
two routes, typically both proprietary:
 
 * Buy it from someplace like Digital Globe
 * Get it from Google, VE, Yahoo

If low-res satelliate imagery is what you need, there are some free
sources, like NASA and other projects.

If you're interested in street mapping, you will likely be interested
in:

  http://openstreetmap.org/

In the two-piece problem of software and data, OpenStreetMap provides
the data. By providing a stable, well supplied host of high quality map
tiles, which are completely editable by users, you have access to a
reasonably accurate streetmap of places where editors exist. In many
cases, OpenStreetMap data is significantly better than existing
commercial providers.

The Openlayers 2.8 release provides an easy way to use OpenStreetMap
data: simply include a Layer.OSM in your map, and you'll have access to
the OSM tiles, providing you with high quality cartography and data
under a CC-By-SA license.

Finally, many state and local governments are able to provide high
quality data -- for example, Massachusetts has some ortho imagery up to
a resolution of 15cm/pixel available for free download[1]. This data is
equal quality to anything that you can find on the web, even from the
commercial providers, and OpenLayers has no problem consuming this
imagery as a WMS. 

OpenLayers is the software; the data has to come from somewhere else.
Whether it is freely available data (like vmap0 or landsat), openly
available data (like OSM), or commercial data (like Google, Yahoo, MS)
is up to you: OpenLayers is all about giving you the option to make that
choice.

[1] http://www.mass.gov/mgis/colororthos2008.htm

Best Regards,
-- 
Christopher Schmidt
MetaCarta