this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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Time for a repeat comment: Organic Maps does everything Google Maps does (except traffic conditions), and is FOSS. Please encourage places to contribute business information to Open Street Maps.
I just tried it and found three dealbreakers instantly.
It doesn't have my address (I know I could add it but who knows what else it's missing)
It couldn't find any public transport routes in my area
There is no satellite view
I'm all for swapping apps, but Organic Maps doesn't even have my home address. And I live in a major metropolitan area.
Add it to OSM?
That solves the problem this time, but it doesn't help if I'm trying to navigate somewhere new.
If it doesn't have the address for a 30-year-old house in a major metropolitan area, then I just don't think it's a viable replacement for Google Maps, unfortunately.
Every time I try to navigate to an address that's missing in OSM, I just navigate to the nearest one instead. It's not a big deal.
And when I have 5 minutes of free time, I add the address.
That's how OSM works. There isn't a dev or company to blame, you can literally fix the missing data yourself. And that's the only way it works.
I wish OSM had the resources to make something akin to Pokemon Go but instead of capturing something, it adds it to the database.
You are in luck my friend: https://streetcomplete.app/
They have made it super easy and fun. I have been playing it for nearly a year and have made a pretty big dent in my local dense metro area.
This is actually incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, I was following this thread and wanted to say the same thing
I've kept updating shops that change, new houses, parking, etc... it's great. I even used it on vacation (when the SO wasn't looking)
My global rank is #1554 and ~#130ish in my local country, but #12 in another country I barely visit, so it shows where more people should ~~complain less~~ support more.
Wow good work, my global ranking is #2449.
Ha, yeah it's good that you slowly clear out your local area because my SO did not appreciate me trying to answer questions while we walked.
Found this thing yesterday. I've contributed to OSM more in a day than in the previous year. It's great.
oh yay!!
My test search for the UPS store up the street sent me 4km away. So...not great.
The traffic conditions is huge tho
Just last week, that philly plane crash, I saw exactly where the roads are closed and which roads are congested.
Just swapped apps. Thanks for the suggestion!
I use Google maps mostly to find out where things are, and unfortunately OSM does not have as many places as Google Maps. I can add one or two places I notice are missing (even though the phone interface isn't that easy) but Google Maps consistently has better information, so I mostly use organic maps for when I already know the address or already know the location is in its database.