“OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project in the process
of building a free, Web-accessible, user-editable map of the world.
So far, most of its map data has come through user-contributed GPS
traces, but OSM has recently undertaken the bulk import of
government-collected data covering the entire United States. The
massive import will jump-start OSM’s US map coverage, but its sheer
size poses an interesting challenge to the project’s resources.“The traditional method of importing data to OSM is outlined on
the project’s wiki: Individual users collect GPS traces, convert
the tracks to OSM form, label any objects, then upload the result
to the OSM database. Map images themselves are rendered separately,
as needed…”