evanwill
commented
1 year ago @maehr I like the idea of adding OSM as an option, and the idea of OSM as open data platform. As you note, Esri_WorldStreetMap is free to use, but not open data. As you probably realize, the current options are taken from Leaflet Provider Demo.
The reason why OSM was not already added as a default option, is my confusion on their guidelines for use of their tile server.
Their documentation seems to suggest that their tile server should only be used for limited testing. e.g. Using Tiles says "Apart from very limited testing purposes, you should not use the tiles supplied by OpenStreetMap.org itself. OpenStreetMap is a volunteer-run non-profit body and cannot supply tiles for large-scale commercial use. Rather, you should use a third party provider that makes tiles from OSM data, or generate your own."
The Tile Usage Policy seems to say something similar, but sounds maybe a bit more open to direct usage of the tile server (?). It says "Heavy use (e.g. distributing a heavy-usage app that uses tiles from openstreetmap.org) is forbidden without prior permission from the Operations Working Group."
So when we were setting up the options years ago, I was hesitant to add OSM since it seems like putting a CB collection into production, even though the use is probably small and not really "large-scale commercial use", it still might go over that intention for "limited testing" usage? Would having it as default in the template be "heavy use" if many people create their own CB collections? I am unclear about that. Do we need to reach out to OSM for clarification?
maehr
This pull request adds OpenStreetMap (OSM) as a new leaflet provider and sets it as the default map tile provider. OSM is an open source and community-driven mapping platform that provides up-to-date and accurate data, especially in areas where the contributors are active, while Esri_WorldStreetMap is a proprietary service (if I am not mistaken).