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My first thought is wondering what data FB hopes to acquire from making this tool available.

rainyMammoth 7y ago
exactly my thought as well. Whenever Facebook releases something we should all directly worry about what their real motives are.
- photojosh 7y ago
  They need good quality maps. I worry that they'll try to embrace and extend in some way.
letcree 7y ago
Their motivation is self-serving but I don't think it's so nefarious. They use OpenStreetMap in check-in posts to display map data around locations that Facebook users have visited, so improving OpenStreetMap in turn improves the quality of this feature.
zyang 7y ago
User location data is useless without the substrate of a proper map.
Groxx 7y ago
Training data from OSM volunteers, at the very least. Probably both cheaper and higher quality than e.g. mechanical turk.
gwern 7y ago
FB is far from the only big tech company which has sponsored OSM as a competitor to Google Maps (Microsoft/Facebook/DigitalGlobe/Telenav/FourSquare/Craigslist have all sponsored OSM to some degree; Apple, of course, went its own way and created Apple Maps). It's a reaction to Google Maps: a monopoly on high-quality up-to-date global maps with business location is dangerous to everyone else, as a chokepoint on mobile applications. It's less about 'acquiring data' and more about not being extorted by GM. Classic 'commoditize your complement' dynamics: https://www.gwern.net/Complement https://www.gwern.net/Complement
- gashad 7y ago
  Yes, see also "Corporate Editors in the Evolving Landscape of OpenStreetMap" https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/8/5/232/htm https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/8/5/232/htm Figure 3 demonstrates the scale of corporate OSM edits.
- rmc 7y ago
  Apple Maps is based on OpenStreetMap, and they use OSM in many countries. I believe they use OSM for turn-by-turn routing in Denmark (or was it Netherlands) (source: Apple gave a talk at the OSM conference (SotM) in 2018, but required it not be recorded).
andygates 7y ago
Cheaper location data than they'd get licencing one of the other map providers.
rmc 7y ago
They want to be seen to be doing something with computer vision/AI.

exactly my thought as well. Whenever Facebook releases something we should all directly worry about what their real motives are.

photojosh 7y ago
They need good quality maps. I worry that they'll try to embrace and extend in some way.

letcree 7y ago

Their motivation is self-serving but I don't think it's so nefarious. They use OpenStreetMap in check-in posts to display map data around locations that Facebook users have visited, so improving OpenStreetMap in turn improves the quality of this feature.

zyang 7y ago

User location data is useless without the substrate of a proper map.

Groxx 7y ago

Training data from OSM volunteers, at the very least. Probably both cheaper and higher quality than e.g. mechanical turk.

gwern 7y ago

FB is far from the only big tech company which has sponsored OSM as a competitor to Google Maps (Microsoft/Facebook/DigitalGlobe/Telenav/FourSquare/Craigslist have all sponsored OSM to some degree; Apple, of course, went its own way and created Apple Maps). It's a reaction to Google Maps: a monopoly on high-quality up-to-date global maps with business location is dangerous to everyone else, as a chokepoint on mobile applications. It's less about 'acquiring data' and more about not being extorted by GM. Classic 'commoditize your complement' dynamics: https://www.gwern.net/Complement https://www.gwern.net/Complement

gashad 7y ago
Yes, see also "Corporate Editors in the Evolving Landscape of OpenStreetMap" https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/8/5/232/htm https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/8/5/232/htm Figure 3 demonstrates the scale of corporate OSM edits.
rmc 7y ago
Apple Maps is based on OpenStreetMap, and they use OSM in many countries. I believe they use OSM for turn-by-turn routing in Denmark (or was it Netherlands) (source: Apple gave a talk at the OSM conference (SotM) in 2018, but required it not be recorded).

andygates 7y ago

Cheaper location data than they'd get licencing one of the other map providers.

rmc 7y ago

They want to be seen to be doing something with computer vision/AI.