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I have no issues with open data for non-commercial use. But I don't see why giant global corporations need to get our data for free. I think we'll just need to disagree on that point.
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As a note, you can already download the 2018 imagery from the Kitchener site as it is, but I don't know what license restrictions that comes with. So Google, or anyone else, could already have the imagery (data) if they wanted.
What if that global company takes that open data and uses it in a way that results in additional insight, interest, or investment in the community from which originated?
I have the same problem with Statistics Canada charging users (often other government bodies like the City or Region) for certain data products and tables that are not made freely available on the StatsCan website. The data has already been collected, processed, and reformatted (and paid for) let it be free and used to generate ideas, knowledge, and wealth. I don't think StatsCan does it for profit, only cost recovery, but it seems inefficient.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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Billionaires can't make money offering access to Waterloo Park, though. And just like billionaires visiting Waterloo Park, any and all Google staff are able to visit and view the latest satellite images.
Clearly I'm in the minority here, though, and most people are happy to give our data to Google for free, so this is my last comment on this topic.
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Google has updated their 3D imagery for KW. I'm guessing it was captured September of last year on a weekend morning.
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01-12-2021, 10:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-12-2021, 10:46 AM by TMKM94.)
Google Street view has been updated for Some areas of Kitchener-Waterloo. It looks like from at least The Burger King on Northfield in Waterloo to King and Victoria. I haven't looked at every street yet but noticed some is still the older footage.