OpenStreetMap is a project aimed squarely at creating and providing free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them. The project was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive or unexpected ways.
Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. Some examples: HIV infections, wealth, private health spending, poverty, …
Found this great website. Now if we could only do something like this with more data in Canada… 🙁
Help liberate over 56,000 digital USGS maps. Donate or purchase maps on DVD to meet the ransom demand. Once the $1600 ransom is met, all maps will be handed over to the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive will make every map available for free download forever!
Read more at Free The Maps
HomeworkPublic Launch – CivicAccess
April 26, 2006
(Le texte francais suit l’anglais)
We would like to announce the launch of a new online space for Canadian civic engagement – Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and Data (aka: CivicAccess.ca). CivicAccess is being founded by librarians, civil servants, academics, lawyers, free- and open-source advocates, geomatics professionals and community planners from across Canada. We are motivated by the belief that open civic information and data are necessary for being engaged citizens in an “information society”.
Our goals are:
To encourage all levels of governments (county, municipal, provincial, federal) to make civic data and information available to citizens without restrictions, at no cost, and in useable open formats.
To encourage the development of citizen projects using civic data and information
Access to civic information and data help us make informed choices as voters. In addition it helps to ensure government transparency and accountability – essential elements of a democracy. These are the bits and bytes required to understand, critically analyze, and re-envision the communities in which we live.
As engaged citizens in our neighbourhoods, cities, and provinces we are working to develop a community of practice on open civic data in Canada.
This is an idea whose time has come. Please join us in making it a reality!
Founders: Darin Barney, Marcus Bornfreund, St�phane Couture, Patrick Dinnen, Daniel Faivre, Michael Geist, Stephane Guidoin, Michael Gurstein, Daniel Haran, Ted Hildebrandt, Alton Hollett, Cory Horner, Tracey Lauriault, Nathalie Leclerc, Michael Lenczner, Graham Longford, Hugh McGuire, Russell McOrmond, Robin Millette, Joe Murray, Michael Pilling, Joel Rivard, Gabe Sawhney, Phillip Smith and Marc Tuters.
To find out more:
Discussion List – http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca/
Website – http://civicaccess.ca/
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Lancement publique – Acc�sCivique
26 avril, 2006
Nous souhaitons vous annoncer le lancement d’un nouvel espace en ligne d�di� � l’engagement citoyen au Canada : Citoyen-ne-s pour un Acc�s Libre � l’Information et aux Donn�es Civiques (aussi d�sign� par Acc�sCivique). Acc�sCivique a �t� fond� par une vaste communaut� � travers tout le Canada compos�e de biblioth�caires, d’employ�s gouvernementaux, d’universitaires, de sp�cialistes du droit, de d�fenseurs des logiciels libres, de professionnels en g�omatique et d’acteurs du monde communautaire. Nous croyons fermement que des informations civiques libres d’acc�s repr�sentent un outil incontournable pour tout citoyen engag� dans un contexte de soci�t� de l’information.
Nos buts sont :
D’encourager tous les paliers gouvernementaux (municipal, comt�, provincial, f�d�ral) � mettre � la disposition des citoyens les donn�es et informations civiques dans des formats ouverts, sans restriction d’utilisation et ce gratuitement.
De supporter le d�veloppement de tout projet citoyen se basant sur les donn�es et informations civiques.
Un acc�s libre aux donn�es et informations civiques nous aide � faire des choix �clair�s en tant que citoyens et �lecteurs. C’est �galement un gage de transparence et d’imputabilit� de nos gouvernements, un �l�ment essentiel dans toute d�mocratie. Ce sont l� les �l�ments cl�s n�cessaires � la compr�hension, � l’analyse critique et � l’�laboration des communaut�s dans lesquelles nous vivons.
En tant que citoyens engag�s dans nos quartiers, nos villes, nos provinces, nous travaillons pour d�velopper une communaut� de pratique centr�e sur les donn�es civiques libres au Canada.
Le temps est venu de d�velopper cette vision. Joignez-vous � nous pour en faire une r�alit� !
Fondateurs : Darin Barney, Marcus Bornfreund, St�phane Couture, Patrick Dinnen, Daniel Faivre, Michael Geist, Stephane Guidoin, Michael Gurstein, Daniel Haran, Ted Hildebrandt, Alton Hollett, Cory Horner, Tracey Lauriault, Nathalie Leclerc, Michael Lenczner, Graham Longford, Hugh McGuire, Russell McOrmond, Robin Millette, Joe Murray, Michael Pilling, Joel Rivard, Gabe Sawhney, Phillip Smith et Marc Tuters.
Pour participer :
Liste de discussion – http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca/
Adresse Web – http://civicaccess.ca/