CloudMade, the professional service around OpenStreetMap, is offering a pre-alpha web and mobile maps API to developers.
The interesting thing about the CloudMade API is easy access to OpenStreetMap data. Compared to commercial map data used in other APIs, like TeleAtlas or NAVTEQ maps, OpenStreetMap shows addtional features like footpaths, bike lanes or tramway tracks in urban areas. Not a crucial feature, right, but here OpenStreetMap is closer to traditional city maps, maps made for pedestrians, than others are. it’s surely an interesting aspect for providing tourism or travel mapping services. Nokia maps go into that direction too and provide special features like pedestrians navigation for instance.
Another point for OpenStreetMap is its appealing cartography. Since it’s possible to export and download OpenStreetMap as vector data, I wonder if the CloudMade API provides methods for manipulating and customizing visual attributes of the map, like colors or stroke widths. That would really make a difference compared to other mapping APIs. Service providers or developers could almost draw their own maps, make their mapping service visually different from others or just highlight map elements they want to emphasize.
Thanks to the export feature of OpenStreetMap’s web interface, I started using it as background map on my GPS device. A lot of places are still missing, some places aren’t as accurate as in other maps, but it’s pretty easy to cut a map slice out of OpenStreetMap’s web interface and load it onto a GPS device (instructions). [via Nick]