The ideal project for geeks who enjoy exploring the real world is to get involved in open source mapping. I have been mapping my own area for about 5 years and there is still plenty more to do. I am a contributor to fosm.org. We are a small and friendly group of people and welcome any new contributors. If you are tired with some of the BS associated with the most well-known open source mapping project then please give us a try.

Some useful fosm.org resources,

Mapnik map rendering (currently GB and Australia only):

   map.4x4falcon.com

Country extracts (currently Australasia and selected European countries only):

   fosm.org/planet/country_extracts

Garmin format maps (currently Australasia and Great Britain only):

   www.kevinpeat.com/fosm/garmin

Download and extract these files, remove the country suffix and copy the gmapsupp.img file to your GPS receiver. There are some more complete instructions available here. These files are produced using mkgmap.

Reconciliation of fosm data with OS Locator (shows missing GB streets):

   www.kevinpeat.com/fosm/os_locator

There is a gpx file for each Ordnance Survey district which contains a waypoint and a bounding box for each named highway that the reconciliation cannot match in fosm. You can just open these files in josm, etc. as a background layer. Currently all differences are highlighted even if it is just an apostrophe that is different. The not:name tag is respected and the reconciliation also searches for alt_name tags as well.

All data and images from fosm.org are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, CC-BY-SA 2.0. The OS Locator reconciliation is based on Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2010.

If you have any problems or comments about the Garmin format files or the OS Locator reconciliation then please drop me a mail at kevin 'at' kevinpeat.com. Check out the fosm.org homepage for more information on getting started with the project.

For me at least, one of the best things about living in Devon is easy access to Dartmoor National Park which IMHO is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. I have walked all over the moor and have put together a topographic map at www.dartmoorhiking.co.uk using freely available data from fosm.org and the Ordnance Survey. One day I will get around to putting together a more comprehensive Dartmoor site, but in the meantime, check out Richard Knight's Dartmoor Walks and the Legendary Dartmoor site to get an idea of what Dartmoor is all about.

If you enjoy the moors then consider joining the Dartmoor Preservation Society who do a lot of good work in keeping the moor as we would all like it to be.