http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10399029-250.html
Crowdsourcing cartography with PublicEarth and OpenStreetMap

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/technology/internet/17maps.html?_r=1
Some people think map data is so valuable that it should be free. OpenStreetMap, a nonprofit group whose mission is to make free maps that can be reused by anyone, has some 180,000 contributors who have mapped many countries in varying levels of detail. The maps are used on a White House Web site that tracks community service opportunities and in many iPhone applications, among other places.