This is the best case of "competition is good for consumers" I've seen. Google Maps has such a head start compared to anyone else, and is the de facto way many people navigate; Apple Maps has only been able to catch up in the US thanks to the dominance of iPhones.
Because of this, rather than trying to compete on the same playing field, their competitors just gave it away completely free for anyone to build off of. I'm not sure I've seen anything quite like this before, but, as someone who has no substantial stake in any of the listed companies, I'm happy to see it.
“Automotive Navigation Data” (AND) [since renamed GeoJunxion] is a leading provider of location, routing, mapping and address management are donating a street network of the entire Netherlands. Yes, an entire country.
A tiny part of the globe, but I think under a better license because, IMO, 100% compatibility with OpenStreetMap is very important.
Because of this, rather than trying to compete on the same playing field, their competitors just gave it away completely free for anyone to build off of. I'm not sure I've seen anything quite like this before, but, as someone who has no substantial stake in any of the listed companies, I'm happy to see it.