• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Publish What You FundPublish What You Fund

The Global Campaign for Aid and Development Transparency

  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook

NEWSLETTER

CONTACT

  • Why it matters
    • Why transparency matters
    • The Story of Aid Transparency
    • What you can do
    • FAQs
    • Case studies
  • The Index
    • 2022 Index
    • Comparison Chart
    • Methodology
    • Index Archive
    • Tools
  • Our Work
    • Women’s Economic Empowerment
    • DFI Transparency
    • Gender Financing
    • Humanitarian Transparency
    • US Foreign Assistance
    • Data Use
    • IATI Decipher
    • Improving UK Aid Transparency
    • Webinars
  • News
    • News
    • Events
    • Blog
    • Reports
  • About Us
    • Board
    • Team
    • Friends of…
    • Our transparency
    • Annual Reports
    • Our Funders
    • Jobs
Show Search
Hide Search
Home / News / The World Bank demands open data in Google mapping project
news

The World Bank demands open data in Google mapping project

By Katie Welford | Apr 11, 2012 | News

The World Bank has confirmed that it will not support the use of Google Map Maker for citizen-mapping efforts unless it gives users free access to the map data they create.

The World Bank and Google have launched a project using crowd-sourcing to populate maps with the locations of public services in the developing world – a resource which could be used by many different groups in humanitarian and longer-term development work.

At present, all data which is input into Google Map Maker becomes the property of Google, and will not be freely available via any other channel. However, the Bank recently requested access to the Map Maker data for NGOs, humanitarian groups and other non-commercial groups, and has now clarified that it will not support the initiative unless there is a change in Google’s terms of service for user contributed information:

“…the World Bank only supports citizen-mapping efforts that give users free access to the map data they create. While citizens are free to choose the projects and tools that best meet their goals, our guiding principle is simple: if the public helps to collect or create map data, the public should be able to access, use and re-use that data freely.”

The World Bank should be applauded for its leadership on aid transparency and for responding to concerns of the open data movement. If the information input into Google Map Maker is made accessible to all, the added value and contribution it could make to development efforts will increase considerably.

Read the World Bank’s statement here.

Tweet

Primary Sidebar

NEWS Topics

Africa Agriculture Aid transparency Aid Transparency Index Australia Budget ID Canada China Climate Change Data Revolution Data use Data Visualisation Development Finance institutions DFI Spotlight DFI Transparency Tool European Commission Financing for Development France Freedom of Information Gender Germany GPEDC Humanitarian International Aid Transparency Initiative Japan Jobs Joined-up data Kenya Letters MDGs Newsletter Open data Open government Press Releases Publish What You Fund Road to 2015 Sustainable Development Goals Sweden UK United Nations US US foreign assistance Webinar Women's Economic Empowerment World Bank

NEWS CATEGORIES

  • Blog
  • Case studies
  • Events
  • News
  • Uncategorized

REPORTS

  • Aid transparency
  • Aid Transparency Index
  • China
  • Climate Change
  • European Union
  • Multimedia
  • United States

Twitter

  • We’ve developed an exciting new approach for analysing identified needs of climate vulnerable countries against int… https://t.co/OLq5Si88I9
    Aug 4, 2022
  • After the 2022 Aid Transparency Index launch, @GMIngramIV & @sallyppaxton reflect on the performance of the US age… https://t.co/vmJjjQPqZJ
    Aug 3, 2022
  • Thank you @CGDev for hosting “Where is the money for women’s economic empowerment?” webinar. Huge thanks also to… https://t.co/SNRdlUU1on
    Aug 3, 2022
FOLLOW US
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook

Publish What You Fund. China Works, 100 Black Prince Road, London, SE1 7SJ
UK Company Registration Number 07676886 (England and Wales); Registered Charity Number 1158362 (England and Wales)