Talk given at FOSS4G Denver, Wed, 09/14/2011. See http://2011.foss4g.org/sessions/openstreetmap-and-inspire-can-twain-meet The INSPIRE directive (http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu) aims to create a pan-European Union (EU), spatial data infrastructure to enable the sharing of spatial information across Europe. The directive requires that common specifications, based on OGC and ISO standards, are adopted by EU Member States. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free editable map of the whole world which is made by people like you. OpenStreetMap allows you to view, edit and use geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth. (source: openstreetmap.org) At a higher level INSPIRE and OSM have some similar goals like creating and adopting a common set of geospatial standards and building an international SDI where maps and data are readily available for purposes like routing and disaster management. Both are aiming to remain vendor-neutral and free from proprietary mapping monopolies. But in many aspects INSPIRE and OSM are complete opposites: INSPIRE has a top-down, formal, legislative, "GIS-" approach, defined mainly by National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies (NMCAs). The "de jure" standards are verbose (GML), containing many "optionals". NMCAs have ample geodata. End-users are in the first place governments. OSM on the other hand has a bottom-up, informal, "Neogeographic" approach is defined by its users. Standards for geodata and network APIs are developed but in a more agile and organic fashion. Geodata is the main project artefact that is created by users but also through imports of available open datasets. Enduser is you. With mainly differences between OSM and INSPIRE we could just stop here, but that is not the purpose of this talk. My aim is to show where these projects can learn from each other and how they could collaborate and possibly integrate at the technical level. Several scenarios will be elaborated. Why ? Well, basically for the good and future of mankind !

1. OpenStreetMap and INSPIRE:
Can the twain meet ?
Just van den Broecke FOSS4G
www.justobjects.nl Denver (CO), USA
just@justobjects.nl Sept 14, 2011

2. “Oh, East is East, and West is West,
and never the twain shall meet”
Rudyard Kipling, The Ballad of East and West, 1889

4. “Never the twain shall meet”
Two things which are so different as to have no
opportunity to unite.
Twain derives from the Old English twegen, meaning two. The phrase “never the
twain shall meet” was used by Rudyard Kipling, in The Ballad of East and West
(1889):
"Oh, East is East, and West is West,
and never the twain shall meet."
There, Kipling is supposedly lamenting the misunderstandings between the British
and the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.
http://feastoflanguages.com/?p=586

7. Collaborative project to create
a free editable map of the world
“The Wikipedia of Maps”
www.openstreetmap.org

9. EU legislation to create a pan-
European Union SDI
● sharing spatial information among EU public sector organisations
● public access to spatial information across Europe
“The Euro for Geodata and Maps”
http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu

13. try to
create,
maintain
and provide
maps and data

14. SDI

16. Common Objectives
● Vendor (Google/Yahoo/MS/..) neutral
● Free from proprietary mapping monopolies
● Adopt common set of standards/APIs
● Seamless, cross-border maps & data
● Not just maps, also raw data

17. Maps & data for any purpose
● Maps: base, topo, thematic
● Routing
● Name search
● Disaster management
● ...

19. Diffs – Process
formal informal
top-down bottom-up
legislation spontaneous
hierarchy network
waterfall agile
paid volunteered

20. Diffs – Standards
standards 1st implementation 1st
committee community
heavyweight (GML) lightweight (tags)
frozen living

21. Diffs – License
Services/data Services/data
multiple-options open/reusable
free-->closed ODBL
unclear
Tools Tools
up to NMCAs mainly FOSS
FOSS/proprietary some proprietary

22. Diffs – End-users
public admins
anyone
anyone ?

31. PoC
NMCA-to-OSM-to-INSPIRE
“OpenStreetMap as Esperanto”

32. http://inspire-foss.org
●FOSS for INSPIRE
●Google Code Project
●Mailing List

33. deegree INSPIRE Node

34. inspire-foss.org – ETL
GDAL/OGR
XSLT
NMCA INSPIRE
specific GML
data

36. Multiple ETLs
.
.

37. inspire-foss.org – osm2inspire
GDAL/OGR
XSLT
OSM INSPIRE
Planet GML
Data

38. OSM Esperanto
OSM OSM2
Import INSPIRE
OSM INSPIRE
Data GML
.
.

39. Quoting Kipling
Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the
twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great
Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed,
nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they
come from the ends of the earth!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_East_and_West