OpenStreetMap - How could we use this data?

Has anyone an idea how we could use this map service instead of google maps?

https://www.openstreetmap.org/

It doesn't seem to be very accurate where I live. One building is missing, the road layout is far from accurate accurate and when I enter my address, it points to a general area of about 200 metres away. In another instance just around the corner, there's a large building on a property which is a large garden, carpark. It has the potential, but like the commercial alternative phone books, it's pretty useless until it's accurate. 

Interesting concept however.

Inaccurate. Well that's disappointing. I was going to use that.

Hi Deano. Try your own address and see how you go. Mine was out by well over 200 metres. Google Maps is spot on. The new program shows a slightly complicated intersection where I live when in fact it's a straight- forward T Intersection. There was a brilliant module on Oxwall which I paid for. That's what you need. Instead of entering your address and then going to the Google Map to locate it, this module allows you to enter your address on Google Maps, it fills in the address fields for you and then presents the map on your profile page. I used it on Oxwall and it was great. I'll be in touch.

I had already. My area is pretty accurate. I have looked at others, and all have limits on usage. Not as bad a google maps has become, but still limited. The map quest api does not even show buildings. It's just a map of the roads. Plain unless you use hybrid mode which overlays a satellite image which shows the road layouts are accurate.

Well i have been up all night trying to compile a static version of ffmpeg with pthreads enabled, and finally succeeded. I need to get some sleep.

I'm an ex taxi driver and I know from experience that many people have been killed because of bad maps. My company which was the largest in Australia demanded we use the now famous Melway Street directory or we weren't allowed to start the ignition. I've used Google Maps to travel thousands of kilometres and it's more accurate than my Garmin ever was. It even said "Broken down car 5km, tow truck in assistance" and sure enough it was spot on.  If anyone plans to use a map, it should be the best available unless it's for a dating site.

I see that OpenStreetMap is based on information supplied by Bing, so have you considered Bing? I haven't done much research but OSM seems to lack any detail anywhere. Google Maps is by far the best in our area, but Bing isn't far behind. Its satellite or aerial views are often far better. OpenStreetMap is like a fold-out map. It's okay for showing streets, but not addresses.
I was of the opinion that Google Maps still offered a free service for the average punter, so I'm wondering why you would consider something more inferior? 

examples attached.

Google maps is not really free anymore. Or rather i don't trust it. https://www.shoredigitalinc.com/google-maps-is-no-longer-free/

Basically you have to link your api key to a billing account. There is free usage, but if you happen to go over, you get billed. This is the part i don't like, and refuse to do.

That is why i am looking to replace it. I will not be the only one that will refuse to do this.

The page i linked to describes what was being done a couple of years ago. It's even worse now. Now there is a free trial. Once it's used, you start getting billed. No more free time each month.

That's a good reason for wanting to change. In my case it's just another item I can remove from my site because nobody is that interested in using the feature anyway. I guess the question is, if people do need a map, is the one you're looking at good enough or will it just be wall paper? That's something only the user will know. It's probably the least of our worries right now, but good luck with your final choice.

Maps can be useful depending on the site.  If you have a site where people plan meetings and you say, we will meet at Joe's Cafe at 13:23, then it would be nice to have a map showing the location and maybe even print out directions for them.

Google has long been the last resort for me; I just don't like what the company has become and I avoid doing business with companies I don't like.

This is my third try at sending this. Have a look at the screenshot when I pressed Submit.

I agree @Geek_Girl, but Open Street Maps is useless for that, especially where I live. I have a web site listing clubs in our area and I need a small map to show the location. As I mentioned in a previous post, OSM displayed a very large building in the grounds of one club and in another instance the clubhouse wasn't even there.

Maybe Deano could write a module where the member enters an address and the module then goes to Google Maps, takes a screenshot and places it in a block, much the way the current module does. That would save the site having to constantly refer to Google maps and save everyone money. I'm not a programmer, but I can't see why that wouldn't work. It's a bit like the program going to a members computer to upload a photo.  Well sort of.

Food for thought.

Perhaps. A lot of sites use various methods to prevent automated scripts from scraping data from their site. I am sure google uses all that trickery to prevent anything but browsers and their api from accessing the data.

The current module uses a API provided by google to get the map. It's the use of that API that is costing the money. Getting the maps without the use of the API may not be possible.

I'm sure you're right, but I just had a quick look at Bing Maps and there seems to be some kind of offering there. Have a look at https://www.bing.com/maps/embed-a-map and the attached image.

Maybe it only works for non automated users, but I'm not smart enough to work it out.

Regards.

OSM is like Wikipedia. It is being built by a society, regular people, who are just drawing it, by looking at their window nearby. And thus the accuracy depends on a location. In a large cities it is pretty accurate and very detailed according to our experience. In small cities perhaps it isn't. 
Another advantage of a open maps is that there are a lot of nice custom layers that can be used instead of a default ones. A lot of examples you can find here: 

http://leaflet-extras.github.io/leaflet-providers/preview/index.html