A Participant in the Web of Platform - Participatory Mapping: New Data, New Cartography - page 48

based on voluntary contributions, thereby copying the OSM
principle 16 . This drew strong criticisms from observers of
recent developments in mapping and from OSM members.
The criticisms were mainly directed at the licenses applied to
the data coming from Web users 17 . Nevertheless, the two
services should not be divided too quickly as both shared the
same initial project of simplifying the access to geographical
information by using infrastructure that could overcome the
monopoly on this information by national institutes (such as
the French IGN or the UK Ordnance Survey) 18 .

Whether through platforms, APIs or mashups , once they
are published online, maps adopt the operating modes of
other Web applications. This change in the archi-text has
consequences on the data collection and on the overall
reliability of the application.

16 For example, the project “Mapping Korogocho” that aimed to map this
shantytown

of Nairobi in November 2010. See: http://google-

africa.blogspot.com/2010/11/mapping-korogocho.html.
17 Mikel Maron criticizes Google for not allowing the re-use of the data out
side of its services. See: http://brainoff.com/weblog/2010/03/16/1541.
18 http://osm.gryph.de/2012/02/google-is-not-the-enemy.