[Ubuntu-be] garmin&gps

[Nicolas Pettiaux]

2007/9/11, Amedee Van Gasse <amedee at amedee.be>:
>
> On Mon, September 10, 2007 20:46, Peter Stuart wrote:
> > is the issue here also concerning the
> > open sourcing of cartography?
> > are companies like tele-atlas
> > open source or not?
> > i might have a talk
> > with those guys
> > if it is not.
>
> What is the issue with the cartography? I don't know enough on the subject.
> * Most of cartography is well known mathematics.
> * The actual map data is copyrighted material, just like a book or a piece
> of software.
> * If a cartography company wants to ask €€€ for their map data, I don't
> see any problem with that? They made the investment: photograpghy,
> measurements, image processing software,...
> * If you want free maps, anyone can make (new) maps. You're just not
> allowed to copy existing maps.

Exact, but one of the issue, is that in Belgium for example, most of
the maps and datas are collected by the National Geographic Institute
(a former miltary department, now civil but still heavily connected to
the army) and they are paid by our taxes money. They charge for their
data, and sell the to private people as well as companies who
sometimes resell them.

Why pay multiple times for these data of IGN ? In the US for example,
data collected with public money become public.

THe proble is the same in many European countries as in Belgium

Nicolas
-- 
Nicolas Pettiaux - email: nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be
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