A GROUP of rival tech conglomerates has rele­ased its version of an open-source map to dent the dominance of Google and Apple maps.

The Overture Maps Foundation, formed by Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and TomTom, has released at least 59 million “points of interest,” such as restaurants, landmarks, streets and regional borders, according to CNBC.

The dataset was put together by collating, checking, and validating open source map data, as well as incorporating data collected and contributed by the Overture Maps Foundation’s members, Mashable reported.

The base map will also allow companies to build and operate their maps.

The release by Overture Map Foundation is significant as several apps use base maps in their service delivery. Ride-hailing apps, food delivery services, courier companies and even weather services use maps.

Currently, companies use Google and Apple data maps and pay them every time the map is accessed. However, these companies have limited control over the maps and Google and Apple don’t provide access to the underlying data.

According to TechCrunch, Overture is offering the underlying map data, and companies can use it to build their software on top of it.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2023