What is MapQuest up to now?
Jul 9, 2010 @ 12:17 PM by Kumiko Yamazaki -- mapquestIn May 2004, Britta and I met as interns at MapQuest, shared an office, and quickly became best friends as our path towards geoglobaldomination was set. We bragged about working for MapQuest to all our friends and family, received tons of free atlases, and even gave them away as cheap Christmas gifts! Wouldn’t we all?
Then something happened in 2005. Google Maps was unveiled and MQ seemingly made no effort to change. Years went by, and nothing. MapQuest was an embarrassment!!
Fast forward to 2009 - MQ releases an iPhone app. I’m pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t one of those apps where you download once, and never use. I have used it to locate gas stations (needed to fill up rental car before returning it at the airport) and post offices. It’s just EASIER on MQ than Google Maps. Oh, and the symbol used to locate your position? Check out some of their icons.
It’s a minor feature that doesn’t add any value, but this was the first time I realized something was different about the MapQuest culture. It appealed to me!
And today, they launched something new AGAIN, less than two weeks after announcing the new MapQuest.
This time, it’s open.mapquest.co.uk which is built using data from OpenStreetMap! MapQuest took the latest OSM files, changed its style and look, added their navigation, and built a fully functioning map application from user contributed data. Read more about it here. It’s quite a breakthrough what they’ve done with OSM already, and on top of that, they have announced a $1 million OpenStreetMap investment fund.
They’re doing everything right these days!
Everyone, I haven’t worked for MapQuest since 2005 but I love what they’re doing over there. They were once THE major player in the mapping community and they’re fighting to regain some of the ground they’ve lost.
Kumiko Yamazaki: kyamazaki@mapkist.com