( WIRED ) -- Last month , when Zack Ajmal was planning a vacation to Italy , he set out to find the first thing that a traveler would need in a foreign land : a map . But digital maps of Rome and Venice for his Garmin GPS device cost almost $ 100 . So instead , Ajmal turned to OpenStreet Map , a community-driven maps database . A user-edited map of cycling routes in Perth , Australia , available on OpenStreetMap 's site . `` It worked out pretty well , '' the Atlanta-based engineer says . `` I found Open MTB , which had outdoor hiking and cycling maps with not just roads information , but also trails , short cuts and little known routes . '' Ajmal is among roughly half a million users who are eschewing proprietary maps information from GPS companies and instead going with crowdsourced versions , which they then load onto their GPS devices and smartphones . The key to these map hacks is OpenStreetMap . Founded in 2004 , OSM is to maps what Wikipedia is to encyclopedias . The site offers maps that can be edited , customized and loaded on to devices for free . Want to go whitewater rafting but need to know where the rapids are ? There 's a map for that . Or to know all the interesting points along the river Nile ? There 's a map for that . And it 's all based on the OpenStreetMap data . `` The value is that it is a richer map with more up-to-date information because anyone can fix things , '' says Steve Coast , one of the founders of OpenStreetMap . `` Users get access to the underlying data and not just a picture of the maps . '' Consumer map data is currently a duopoly split between two mapping providers : Nokia 's Navteq and TomTom 's Tele Atlas . The two provide the mapping data that powers almost all commercial map applications and devices . But maps from these providers are extremely restrictive in how they can be used . Want a map of the best hiking trails in the country or a walking tour of Rome ? Traditional GPS services ca n't offer that . For adventurous geeks that calls for a DIY fix . `` OSM maps are a little new on the scene , '' says Rich Owings , who runs the GPStracklog.com website and is the author of the book GPS Mapping . `` Most people in the U.S. were not using them until recently , but now there are iPhone apps based on it . '' Getting OpenStreetMap is easier on some devices than others . In Garmin systems , it 's as simple as taking one of the available maps and dropping it into a folder on the device . `` It 's really hard to mess up your GPS doing this , '' says Owings . `` And if you have questions you can always ask the community to help you out . '' Owings says he loaded maps of Ecuador on his Garmin unit in about 30 minutes . `` It 's not as clean of a map as one you can get from the Garmin store but they are pretty wonderful and have very good coverage . '' For TomTom systems , getting OpenStreetMap can be a more difficult process . TomTom uses a proprietary mapping format , says Coast . That means a tricky process of converting OpenStreetMap into a TomTom-compatible format . OpenStreetMap has also been used to create iPhone apps such as MotionX , which is targeted at hikers , skiers and bikers ; B.iCycle , a cyclometer that shows burned calories , trip distance and trails ; and ATM @ UK , which shows all ATM locations in Great Britain . The OpenStreetMap project is a cartographer 's dream come true , says Randal Hale , who has a GIS consulting business . Hale has created custom maps for a few clients using OpenStreetMap and has put OSM-generated maps on his Garmin unit . `` With the professional mapping software , I have to purchase a license to use their version , which is expensive and I ca n't use the data for analysis , '' says Hale . `` With OpenStreetMap , I download it , make cartographic edits and hopefully I have made it better for the next user . '' Meanwhile , traditional navigation companies are also reaching out to users for help on data . For instance , Nokia kicked off a pilot project at the University of California at Berkeley to collect traffic information through GPS-enabled cellphones . Users could download the software for free and use it to check on road conditions on their phones . At the same time , the software would report data about its users ' positions to a central database , enabling the researchers to assemble traffic data in real time . Google has also said it will add nationwide real-time traffic data to its maps by collecting anonymous location data from Google Maps users . Still , community-created maps and navigation information remains a small niche , appealing only to `` GPS techies '' who are willing to take risks , says Owings . `` There 's not a lot of public awareness because many people do n't even know they can do this with their Garmin or cellphone , '' he says . But if you are planning to go to Berlin later this year , take a look at the OpenStreetMap site . Germany is expected to become the first country in the site 's database to be fully mapped by contributors . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com .
About half a million users are embracing crowdsourced versions of digital maps . OpenStreetMap offers maps that can be customized and loaded to GPS devices . Crowdsourced maps can show hiking trails , whitewater rapids and other features . Developers are creating iPhone applications based on these maps .