Tag:source=Google
 source = Google
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| Description |
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| The use of this tag typically indicates a copyright violation that needs correction, with a notable historical exception for 2010 Haiti earthquake imagery. |
| Group: annotations |
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| Status: in use |
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The tag source=Google (or similar variations like source=Google Maps, source=Google Satellite, or source=Google Street View) generally indicates data that has been improperly copied from Google's services into OpenStreetMap.
Generally, it's strictly prohibited to copy, trace, or derive data from Google Maps, Google Satellite/Aerial imagery, Google Street View, or any other Google service for OpenStreetMap.
Why this is prohibited
- Copyright: Google's map data and imagery are copyrighted by Google and/or its data suppliers.
- License Incompatibility: The terms of use for Google's services are incompatible with the OpenStreetMap license (ODbL). Importing data from Google would violate Google's terms and place OSM at legal risk.
This means you should NOT:
- Trace roads, buildings, or other features from Google's aerial/satellite imagery.
- Copy addresses, points of interest (POIs), business names, or road names from Google Maps.
- Use Google Street View to gather information like building attributes, speed limits, or turn restrictions.
Historical Exceptions
There have been extremely rare, specific, and explicitly authorized instances where Google temporarily granted permission for OSM to use certain imagery for humanitarian purposes, typically during disaster response.
- 2010 Haiti Earthquake Response:
- Google provided specific imagery layers for use by the OSM community during the humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
- Details can be found at WikiProject_Haiti/Imagery_and_data_sources/Old#Google_Imagery.
- This permission was temporary, specific to that event and imagery, and has long since expired.
- Other Discussions:
- There have been past discussions regarding specific, isolated cases where Google imagery might have been considered under special circumstances. One such discussion can be found in the talk mailing list archive from January 2010, seen here: https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/2010-January/047236.html.
- These discussions generally highlight the exceptional nature of such permissions and do not represent a general allowance.
Important Note on Exceptions
These historical exceptions were temporary, explicitly granted by Google for specific datasets and limited timeframes. They do not grant any ongoing or general permission to use Google data. Any data sourced under such an exception should ideally be tagged more specifically (e.g., noting the specific humanitarian event and imagery vintage if known) rather than just source=Google.
What if you find source=Google?
If you encounter data tagged with source=Google, it is highly likely to be a copyright infringement unless it demonstrably falls under one of the very narrow historical exceptions.
- Investigate: Check the history of the object(s). When was it added? By whom?
- Correct: If the data is a copyright violation, it should be reverted or remapped using permissible sources.
- Teach: If appropriate, politely inform the mapper about OSM's sourcing policies.
Always use imagery and data sources that are explicitly permitted for use in OpenStreetMap. A list of available imagery can usually be found in your editor (e.g., JOSM, iD) or on the Aerial imagery wiki page. For other data, consult Potential Datasources.