CloudMade Launches Free, User-Friendly Mapping Applications, Enabling Anyone to Create Rich and Detailed Maps - Mapzen and Mapzen POI Collector invite non-technical people to join the crowd-sourcing phenomenon and map their lives on OpenStreetMap... neighborhoods, parks, trails and slopes

  November 30, 2009 -- CloudMade Inc., the leading OpenStreetMap based provider of the commercial-grade mapping platform that allows developers to rapidly build mobile applications and websites, today launched Mapzen (Beta), and, Mapzen POI Collector. Mapzen, a web-based map editor, together with Mapzen POI Collector, an iPhone application, significantly reduce the complexity of editing and adding Points of Interest (POIs) to OpenStreetMap.

With these applications, CloudMade aims to significantly reduce the learning curve for newcomers wanting to edit or add to OpenStreetMap and improves the user experience for more experienced mappers, allowing them to spend less time editing and more time outside mapping.

OpenStreetMap.org, the Wikipedia-style map of the world, has over 190,000 users worldwide, increasing at a rate of 300+ people every day as more and more people discover the fun of mapping.

"As mapping moves more mainstream, with everyone from cyclists, hikers, skiers, rafters and runners wanting to get involved, the need for more user friendly map creation tools increases,"? said Nick Black, co-founder and Head of Products at CloudMade. "These applications have been built based on feedback from existing editors of the OpenStreetMap community. Mapzen and Mapzen POI Collector are the Swiss Army Knife of mapping, providing the essential kit, so literally anyone - even those just starting out - can build useful, functional and stylish maps."

Mapzen is a web-based, OpenStreetMap editing tool, which is easy to understand and use, with a short learning curve for both new and seasoned map editors. Features include:

       Intuitive user interface and workflow, dramatically reduce editing time;

       Multi-level undo and save modes reduce risk of making time-consuming mistakes;

       Built for social networks, so users can share their mapping experiences with Facebook and Twitter friends;

       Simple editing and adding of many types of map features including: roads, bicycle / hiking trails, tram lines, footpaths, bus routes, hospitals, schools, museums, zoos, nature reserves, parks and beaches;

       Add hundreds of POIs, ranging from: cycle parking, bicycle / car rental locations, view points, recycling points and water sources to convenience stores, car sharing sites, hospitals, nightclubs, garages, post boxes and ATMs.

To start using Mapzen visit: http://mapzen.cloudmade.com.

Mapzen POI Collector is an iPhone application that allows users to add and edit POIs directly to OpenStreetMap while on the go. Before now, to mark a POI on OpenStreeMap, users had to record them via a GPS device and then connect that GPS device to a PC; or mark the POIs on a paper map and then manually input them via a PC to OpenStreetMap.org.


 Available for free from the iTunes application store, Mapzen POI Collector lets users add several POIs in seconds thanks to a simple 5-step process:

      1. Locate yourself

      2. Select 'Zoom in and add POI'

      3. Select 'Add POI' and position it in correct place

      4. Add name, place type and detailed information, such as opening times, phone number and address

      5. Save

There are many POI categories to choose from, everything from trees, volcanoes and gas stations to ATMs, vets and picnic spots, so most interests are covered.

Mapping with Mapzen contributes directly to OpenStreetMap which can be freely distributed, shared and published under the Creative-Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. Customized maps based on OpenStreetMap can be created for commercial purposes using CloudMade's Style Editor (http://cloudmade.com/products/style-editor) allowing users to highlight specific map features such as rivers, cycle paths or roads and can be used in iPhone and other mobile applications or on the web. Developers interested in finding out more about CloudMade tools should visit the CloudMade Developer Zone at http://developers.cloudmade.com.

About CloudMade

CloudMade is the leading provider of the commercial-grade mapping platform based on OpenStreetMap. Its mapping platform and tools enable thousands of developers and organizations to create innovative geo-enabled products.

The CloudMade suite of products includes: NaviStudio (a package of modular components including off-board turn-by-turn routing and navigation, forward and reverse geocoding and local search); Style Editor for creating stylized and customized maps; Data Market Place, a Turkish bazaar of geodata for purchasing datasets, earning additional revenue with sponsored POIs and location based advertising or reselling privately owned datasets. CloudMade offers comprehensive libraries for both web and mobile developers wishing to build applications on CloudMade's mapping platform.

For more information visit www.cloudmade.com.

About OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is an online community of over 190,000 people who are making a free map of the world. Every day in countries all around the world, people just like you are walking, cycling, driving, running and sailing the roads, trails, paths and rivers of the world, making a map for anyone to use and share.

Find out more about OpenStreetMap here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page.