 | |
| Owner | Grab Holdings |
|---|---|
| URL | kartaview |
| Launched | 2009 |
| Current status | Active |
Content license | CC BY-SA |
KartaView, formerly called OpenStreetView and OpenStreetCam, is a project to collect crowdsourced street-level photographs for improving OpenStreetMap[1] operated by Grab Holdings.[2] Collected imagery is published under a CC BY-SA license and while some of the project's code is released as open source,[1] much of it (most notably, the mobile app) still require proprietary software to function.[3] This is one of the few alternative platforms that offer street view like Google.
Contributors gather imagery with their smartphones using an Android or iOS app.[1][4] It is also possible to upload images captured with other cameras. The KartaView app supports using an OBD-II dongle plugged into the vehicle; in concert with the mobile device's GPS, KartaView can derive more accurate image locations. The app also recognizes and processes street signs in real time while capturing imagery.[1] Once the imagery is recorded, it is uploaded, processed, and published to the website.[4]
OpenStreetMap editors can access KartaView images using the iD editor or JOSM plugin.[1]
KartaView's purpose resembles that of Mapillary. The main difference between the two is that KartaView's web and mobile apps are at least partially open-source (although no functioning open-source app can be built at least since December 2017, due to requirement of other proprietary components),[3] whereas Mapillary mobile app does not open source even that. KartaView also makes it easier for user to delete their uploaded photos in case they change their mind about contributing.[1]