OpenStreetMap Foundation

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

OpenStreetMap Foundation provides governance, infrastructure, and support for the OpenStreetMap project, including hosting servers, coordinating fundraising, and organizing community activities

Target Customer

{"OpenStreetMap contributors (individuals and organizations)","OpenStreetMap data users and developers","Organizations considering corporate membership or sponsorship of the project"}

Key Differentiator

UK-registered not-for-profit that acts as the legal entity and custodian for OpenStreetMap infrastructure, owns and operates project servers, coordinates fundraising, and governs community processes while not controlling the OpenStreetMap project itself

Implementation Timeline

Not specified in the provided content

Pain Points

1Need for a formal legal entity and governance framework to support a global open geospatial project
2Management and hosting of critical OpenStreetMap servers and services
3Funding and coordination of community activities, events, and working groups with limited volunteer capacity

Key Features

1Ownership and operation of OpenStreetMap servers and services
2Membership management and fundraising (donations, payments, corporate members)
3Organization of the annual State-of-the-Map conference
4Coordination and support for working groups (communication, licensing, data, engineering, etc.)
5Public information on licensing, terms of use, and policy (ODbL, trademark policy, etc.)
6Public contact channels and board/advisory governance (board meetings, board member bios, etc.)

Target Customer Industries

Decision Makers

1Senior Site Reliability Engineer
2Board Member

Client Results

1Access to free, open geospatial data under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) for any purpose, including commercial use
2Sustainable infrastructure and governance for the OpenStreetMap project
3Community-driven collaboration and event organization (State-of-the-Map) and working group support

Competitive Advantages

1Data is free to use and open under a permissive licence (ODbL)
2Not-for-profit governance with a focus on growing, developing, and distributing free geospatial data
3Foundation-owned servers and formal legal entity provide stability and accountability
4Active community governance through board, advisory board, and multiple working groups
5Clear policies and licensing guidance, plus structured member and donor channels
6Affordable membership options (£15/year) or free for active contributors

Key Benefits

1Free, open data access under ODbL

2Robust infrastructure and server hosting for the project

3Structured governance and community processes (board, committees, working groups)

4Funding and support for events like State-of-the-Map

5Clear licensing guidance and policies for data use

Additional Product Information

Product Description

A UK-registered not-for-profit organization that supports the OpenStreetMap Project by providing legal structure, hosting infrastructure, fundraising, and governance coordination

Target Market

OpenStreetMap contributors (individuals and organizations) and OpenStreetMap data users and developers

Unique Value Proposition

The foundation serves as the custodial, infrastructural, and governance backbone for a worldwide open geospatial data project, enabling free data access and community-driven development without controlling the project itself

Technical Requirements

Data licensed under the Open Database Licence (ODbL); map tiles and tile usage policies; foundation servers run on donated resources

Pricing Model

Membership available for £15 per year; free membership for active OpenStreetMap contributors; donations accepted (via PayPal, bank transfers, etc.)

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