As you might have read, I moved out of Amsterdam last week. And while moving my stuff by car my friend asked me: ‘What a weird navigation app you have! What is it?’. Today I want to tell you about that weird app, haha. And one day I hope it will be the norm, as the world will be better off if we’d all use this app. I’ll tell you all I know about Organic Maps: a fair alternative to Google Maps.
Organic Maps
When I was looking for a good navigation app, I was looking for a couple of features. 1. I want the app to be free, to make sure that’s it’s accessible to everyone. 2. I want the data used to be open-source, so that no company can claim their ‘right’ on the data. Open-source means that anybody can see how the app is built, what the data used for the app looks like and that anyone can contribute to making the app better. 3. I want the organization behind it be a non-profit or a for-profit which donates all/most of the profit to charity. And 4: no adds whatsover. And last but not least: I want to be user-friendly (it doesn’t have to be the same as Google Maps, but good enough). Well, thanks to my cousin I found all that in Organic Maps.
The base: Openstreetmaps
Organic Maps is based on Openstreetmaps. I’ve written about Openstreetmaps before when I wrote about mapathons. Openstreetmaps is basically a free online map of the world, drawn by anyone who wants to contribute. Organic Maps has all the features that I just mentioned above. It’s a little less user-friendly than Google Maps, but I mean, Google is one of the biggest companies in the world and Organic Maps functions solely on volunteers and donations. I am willing to give up a bit of user friendlyness for all the other benefits.
Why Google Maps sucks
Why is Organic Maps a fair alternative to Google Maps? A few reasons. The most important one is that Google Maps tracks you. They collect all sorts of data when you use the app or the browser. Out of all this data they create a profile about you. Bases on these profiles from everybody, they sell advertisements opportunities to other companies. Speaking of bullshit jobs.. If a company makes money from collecting and selling your data for the purpose of advertisement, they do not add any value to this world. Advertisements suck (another reason why we don’t need Google Maps, it makes us see advertisements). And if any, they make the world a worse place because advertisement promote consumerism.
Organic Maps does not collect your data or earn money with your data. The app is based on the data from Openstreetmaps (which is a foundation as well) and they solely rely on donations. You don’t even have to be online to use the app. You can download all kinds of maps and use the app offline.
And also, I think maps of our world should be open data. Nobody should ‘own’ maps of the world. We all own the world and maps of it. Maps should be a public good. They’re something everybody should have the right to use, just like housing and water. No company should own this data alone. With Openstreetmaps and Organic Maps you get just that, a public good. Anyone can update the maps and contribute to it. The organizations rely on donations and volunteers, there’s no aim for money.
The end of Google Maps
I truly hope that I’ll see the end of Google Maps during my lifetime. If I picture my ideal world, I picture a world where everybody has access to maps of the world. Anyone, anywhere. We collectively work on keeping the maps up-to-date. No company owns the data, it’s a public good. I hope we can accomplish this by using Organic Maps. Without Google Maps we’ll stop collectively wasting our time and money to useless advertisements, which makes us freer and happier altogether. Let’s point a collective middle-finger to these big-tech companies with their useless products.
I have one last tip to do use Organic Maps: just download the app and delete Google Maps. This way you’re forced to get used to Organic Maps, which makes it easier to transition.
Yours sincerely,
Romee