All organizations · GSoC 2026 · Data, End user applications

OpenStreetMap

Create and distribute free geodata for the world

OpenStreetMap is a crowdsourcing project that creates and distributes free geographic data for the world. Our data is collected by hundreds of thousands of contributors around the globe and released with an open-content license. We allow free access not only to our map products, but all the underlying map data, which powers websites and apps used by billions of people worldwide. OSM data can be freely used in both open and closed source software, and has attracted many commercial users. Still, the success of OSM wouldn't be possible without open source software and volunteer developers. The database, website and API running on our own servers, the editing tools used by contributors to improve the map, and many of the most popular libraries and end-user applications within the OSM software ecosystem are all open source software, and developed through a community-driven process. As our Google Summer of Code participation spans this diverse set of software projects, most of which are maintained as independent efforts under the OSM umbrella, contributors will encounter a wide range of programming languages, paradigms and use cases. We hope that we have interesting challenges to offer …

  • python
  • javascript
  • c++
  • docker
  • glTF
  • databases
  • web
  • routing
  • ui
  • geodata

Project ideas

16 ideas on its 2026 ideas page; of the 16 that state a difficulty: 1 easy, 10 medium, 5 hard. Sizes: 6 medium, 10 large. 13 mentors named.

  1. Nominatim - Categories large hard
  2. Nominatim - Improve import performance large hard
  3. Make closures.osm.ch production ready large medium
  4. Valhalla - Automated Routing QA: Build a regression testing framework for routing & guidance quality large easy
  5. Valhalla - Parking Lots large hard
  6. Valhalla - Make Landmarks prod-ready medium medium
  7. Valhalla - Make GTFS/public transit prod-ready large hard
  8. Valhalla - Enhance Pedestrian Routing medium medium
  9. Customizable Planetiler Profiles and MapLibre Style Optimization large medium
  10. The Tileserver Tradeoff Observatory: Automated Performance Measurements large medium
  11. DuckDB Backend for the Martin tileserver large medium
  12. Port iD's tag validation logic and UI to Go Map!! medium medium
  13. AI extraction of information from camera captured images large hard
  14. iD editor: UI for opening hours medium medium
  15. Create a web application for tagging presets medium medium
  16. Client-side 3D model rendering and editing for 3DMR medium medium

Read the ideas page. Ideas are for scope reference; never copy one into a proposal.

History

In GSoC since 2016, 11 years. Projects per year: '16: 4, '17: 5, '18: 5, '19: 5, '20: 4, '21: 4, '22: 4, '23: 4, '24: 4, '25: 5, '26: 5.

On GitHub

52 repositories pushed to in the last year. Main languages: HTML (13), CSS (10), Dockerfile (8), JavaScript (7), Ruby (4), C++ (3).

Links and channels

go deeper in your terminal
git-into-gsoc org "OpenStreetMap" --shortlist
git-into-gsoc repos "OpenStreetMap"
git-into-gsoc issues --org "OpenStreetMap"
or ask your assistant:
"Which OpenStreetMap repositories merge
newcomers' pull requests, and which beginner
issues are still free?"

Those commands read live data: which repositories merge outside pull requests, and which beginner issues nobody has claimed. Install in two minutes.