OpenStreetMap

Surveying the New England Quarter

By Mikel Maron

OpenStreetMap is a wikipedia-like project to create a free map of the entire world, open to contributions from anyone. Myself, Chris Corbin, and many others are working on OpenStreetMap in Brighton, and aim to complete the map this spring.

Walking the roads
We go out with GPS units, walk the roads, collect traces of where we've been, and use our software to build the map. One of the best things about doing OpenStreetMap is discovering all the hidden details of Brighton, the places off the beaten track. My Brighton and Hove has added a lot of history and color to our explorations.

The New England quarter
OpenStreetMap is the first mapping organization to produce a map of the 'new' New England Quarter. The New England quarter is the largest redevelopment currently in Brighton, transforming the disused yards into housing, schools and businesses. nostuff has lots of detailed photos of the work.

Keeping an eye on changes
There are new roads, like Stroudely Road leading to the station, and Kingscote Way, a pedestrian lane through new housing. The Ordnance Survey has not yet collected, redrawn and distributed these new developments, and probably won't for a year or two. Google Maps and Multimap will be even longer. Right now, OpenStreetMap shows that New England Road is closed for construction, and the new paved pedestrian path from Cross Street...and we'll be keeping a close eye on changes to keep OpenStreetMap up to date.

There's a great feeling to being the first mapper in a place, a new exploration and discovery...right in the middle of Brighton!