MapBox Continues To Innovate, Improve With OpenStreetMap

Summary: MapBox has a straightforward business model: take a good, open source solution; mix in open data and make a better map. It uses OpenStreetMap as a foundation to build open source mapping services that companies like Foursquare and USA Today find very appealing. Directions Magazine asked Zack Pasavento, MapBox media relations manager, where the company is headed.

Directions Magazine (DM): What was the opportunity MapBox exploited in offering enhancements to OpenStreetMap such as MapBox Streets or MapBox Terrain and “productizing” the solution? How did you position MapBox to attract new types of users?

Zack Pasavento (ZP): We need the best and most up-to-date data for the entire world - OpenStreetMap has that. Since the project started back in 2004, over a million people have registered to start adding data to the map. At MapBox, we take OpenStreetMap raw data and turn it into maps that power everything from Foursquare, to Evernote, to USA Today - now everyone is benefitting from the growing OpenStreetMap community.