Null Island - a node of contention in OpenStreetMap
Peter Mooney, Levente Juhász
Null Island is where the prime meridian meets the equator at (0,0) longitude and latitude. While Null Island is a fictitious, dimensionless, point object, its existence stimulates vigorous debate making it worthy of serious consideration. Many examples exists illustrating how Null Island impacts OSM discourse. Our study considers what the geographic oddity of Null Island means for OSM. The main contribution is a structured knowledge-based resource facilitating understanding of Null Island’s impact on OSM. This socio-technical and philosophical investigation of Null Island can become a catalyst for deeper discussions and debates in OSM around mapping practices.
