FINAL REPORT: Open Maps Mobile Search (OMMS)

OpenStreetMap data is comprehensive in many areas of the world, but for the purposes of a
maps app that aims to compete with Google or Apple's offerings, the A) data freshness, B) data
accuracy, and C) data richness all leave much to be desired. Additionally, OpenStreetMap
almost without exception lacks authoritative information from business owners about their point
of interest (POI). Overture Maps publishes some authoritative information but their data lacks
the richness that a maps app requires. Things like images, descriptions, frequently asked
questions, services offered and so on are all missing. Most larger businesses have invested
some amount of energy into Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which involves surfacing this
information online to be crawled and indexed by search engines. This project is a partnership
between E Foundation and OpenWebSearch in which E Foundation uses the OpenWebSearch
tools to crawl and provide to users web-based POI information about business in the open-
source and open-data mobile maps application of E Foundation. The goal is to make available
this POI information about business in E Foundation’s mobile maps app, to create a compelling
mobile maps experience for users on mobile that will allow users to confidently explore, learn
about and navigate to points of interest nearby.