OpenStreetMap calls for donations

The open mapping service OpenStreetMap has launched an appeal for funds to finance the purchase of a new server. The main components for OpenStreetMap are currently hosted on several small servers held in the Imperial and UCL colleges of London University. The OpenStreetMap Foundation now feels that it is necessary to buy a new server to improve the system's reliability and performance.

The server will be bought once the target of £15,000 has been raised. It will be used for evaluation purposes and as a fallback in case the existing servers should fail, enabling a quick recovery if problems occur. Users can donate through PayPal; other methods of payment are also available, including by credit card or electronic funds transfer.

Also relevant to the project's limited resources, the OpenStreetMap Foundation asks users to pay attention to its Tile usage policy, in particular avoiding heavy use of the Tile server. It points out that mobile phone apps would be likely to violate the policy by parallel downloading of map segments, placing excessive demand on the server. The webmaster expects a heavy demand for OpenStreetMap's integrated maps, and asks that users and developers, where possible, make use of alternative suppliers of the map tiles, such as CloudMate or MapQuest.

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