i've also been wondering about the direction that mfm is taking.
If you asked me 8 years ago what i wanted when the first img file was compiled - I would say to see the maps officially published by Garmin. It would have been such a wild dream wouldnt it? If you asked any of the mappers (past and present) and all contributors alike - what would they like most? Their answer would probably be to see their handiwork recognised by Garmin.
8 years later - here we are - agreement signed and sealed with Garmin. The day has come and it is a most humbling experience indeed.
There are others around the world like us who do this kind of community mapping work and we are proud to be the first amateur mappers to contract with Garmin - perhaps opening the way for future collaborations in other regions. This is as much as a first for Garmin as it is for community mappers - it was a grope-fest at first but things thankfully ironed themselves out eventually.
And how our maps have grown over the years - something every single contributor and mapper can be proud to call as our own. It belongs to everyone here. And it will continue to belong to everyone.
There have been conflicts - which perhaps is inevitable - and we cannot stop people from throwing accusations. But just think back for a moment - the how's and why's and what we do here at malsingmaps : the love for gps, the love to see the map get better and better and maybe .. just maybe .. recognition by Garmin. It never was about money. BTW, we made absolutely no money out of this deal so you can keep all the conspiracy theories on the backburner!
We here at MSM don't believe we created enemies but rather enemies were created out of us. We hold no grudge against anyone and are more than willing to accept anyone with open arms. Time to set aside differences. Letting go of the paranoia. As our past is a testament : we have refrained from making any allegations or mudslinging (even though some say that our silence has been very detrimental to us).
This Garmin deal puts a new dimension on things. If there ever was a goal that we set from Day One - it was this. And this is only the beginning .. We are only beginning to understand the tip of the iceberg as far as Garmin map functionalities are concerned and we would only get better at it as map versions go. Junction View is only one. There are tons more.
As much as this is a milestone for MSM, it also is a new beginning for us. Are you up to the challenge? Your mapping fingers getting itchy? Got boatloads of tracklogs stashed in your PC?
To tell you the truth, i havent had the time to let everything sink in these past few months. And sitting here now, writing this - i fumble with the words, thousands of thoughts cross my mind and i must confess i am awash with emotions. 8 years in the making. This is not my achievement. This is the achievement of everyone here (past and present). This guys and gals - is for you.
P.S. I let the Garmin official announcement to tell you what goodies are on the way
i dont really dwelve into politics but in which direction is mfm heading to ?
free maps for life ?
contendors and a step above msm ?
a lifetime non profit community based project ?
just a crummy question, feel free to delete it if inconvinient.
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