[OpenLayers-Users] Just discovered OpenLayers -> free data sources for businesses?

[David Fawcett]

David,

The application that you are talking about would be a classic use of
OpenLayers, and the fact that it would be used by a for-profit
business is not uncommon.  In fact, a lot of the support for
OpenLayers has been by a for-profit company.

OpenLayers is just the application with no data services.  The cool
thing is that OpenLayers makes it easy to pull in data from many
different sources and many different data formats.

You will just need to find (or host your own) data services.  You
haven't really said what your data requirements are (scale, detail,
accuracy, currentness, etc.).  Here is a link that might help you find
some free/open data sources:
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Public_Geospatial_Data_Project.  You might
also look at OpenStreetMap:  http://www.openstreetmap.org/

If you need very current, very accurate address info, you are probably
going to have to buy it.  If you need reasonably good basemap data to
drop your points on, you could likely find something for free.

If you provide some more info about what your needs are, I am sure
that some people on the list can point you in some other directions
too.

David.

On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 8:31 AM, David Raasch <dr4296 at myoldhouse.com> wrote:
> Greetings All!
>
> I just stumbled onto OpenLayers this morning, but let me give a bit of
> background before I ask my question:
>
> I work at a 24-hour tech support call center for some proprietary software
> that has hundreds of client sites nationwide. A couple years ago, I
> developed a Google Maps application (in my spare time) that would pull in
> data points for client sites that had opened critical issues occurring at
> any given moment.  And, I programmed an email alert system into the whole
> thing.  When a new "outage" would appear, the app would not only throw it on
> the map, it would also email several key management people.
>
> In those days, this was viewed as a "gee-whiz" sort of thing and they put
> the whole thing on a wall monitor in an area where tours came through.  I
> gained a bit of notariety, since programming is NOT my primary job.
>
> But then, there was this big upgrade to the bloatware that encompassed our
> ticket-generating software.  The XML data service for that totally changed
> and I was more or less "locked out"....as our own in-house help desk started
> clamping down on security.
>
> OK, so now about three years have passed.   Some management people
> remembered this app and, in the wake of Katrina, asked if I could resurrect
> it.  (In the latter days of its existence, I had it also fetch a "current
> hurricane" XML feed.)
>
> And so, I dusted off the old code, changed a few things to fit Google Maps
> API version 2, and got ready to go.  But then, the question of licensing
> came up.
>
> I fired off emails to Google Maps (and Google Earth) and asked for their
> pricing schedules.  I then estimated traffic use (based on fairly
> intermittent use by....worst-possible-case-scenario: 150 simultaneous users
> for several days per year).  My estimates came well within the "first tier"
> of Google Maps Enterprise pricing ($10,000).
>
> So, I submitted that.  And the management that had encouraged me to dust off
> my code then said "we'll add it to NEXT year's budget".  (Yeah, right.)
>
> In the interim, word came back from Google Earth that if I we used THAT
> instead, there'd be ZERO cost! (Yeah, funny.  I guess the people in sales at
> Google Earth don't talk much with the people in sales at Google Maps.) So,
> I've been working on that and we're almost ready to go.
>
> However, I know that folks here will find using Google Earth much less
> interesting and useful.  Round vs. flat... Can only see half the world at a
> time... Have to download a separate app...  I can code a web page with
> Google Maps to do all sorts of things, but I can't really touch Google
> Earth's code....etc.
>
> Then, this morning, I stumbled upon the OpenLayers site.
>
> At first, I was quite excited that it seemed somebody was offering a mapping
> API for free!  But then, I started reading a bit more and it looks like,
> although the application is free, some of the various layer data sources are
> free for business use and some are not ????  Is that correct?
>
> With regards to what sort of layers I'm looking for, well, I think we'd just
> like some sort of terrain / satellite view and then accurate street maps.
>
> I know some folks might balk at the idea of me trying to get something for
> my division to use for free for business use, but hey, without it, my
> application's kind of a dudd.  I can't control what management is willing to
> spend.  Just looking for other possible options.
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -= Dave =-
>
>
>
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