Overture Maps Foundation to compete with Google Maps

Leading tech companies are trying to develop mapping products with openly available databases

Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and TomTom have partnered with the Linux Foundation to launch Overture Maps Foundation which can potentially give competition to Google Maps.

Google Maps has been dominating mapping, however, the new partnership of leading tech companies is trying to develop mapping products with openly available databases and with the help of city planning departments.

In a press release, the executive director for the Linux Foundation, Jim Zemlin said, "we are excited to facilitate this open collaboration among leading technology companies to develop high quality, open map data that will enable untold innovations for the benefit of people, companies, and communities”.

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The product aims to deliver collaborative map building, a global entity reference system, quality assurance processes, and structured data scheme.

The group of companies is also looking for other partners to support the new initiative as mapping is quite a complex niche.