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MapBox OSM
Great maps were everywhere in 2013. Some seemed destined to go viral. Some were stunning to see. Others had noble intentions and interesting stories to tell. Lots were made by people who aren't professional mappers.
Here are some our favorites. It's by no means an exhaustive list (and we were paying closer attention to new maps after we launched Map Lab in July), so if we missed one you think we were crazy to leave off this list, let us know in the comments.
Above: The million-plus amateur cartographers who volunteer their time to plot roads, streets, and even shrubbery for Open Street Map were busier than ever this year. The beautiful map above, created by MapBox, shows how the database has grown since its inception in 2004. Hot pink areas are newly mapped, blue and green areas are older. (There's a zoomable version on Mapbox's website). OSM's database of more than 21 million miles of roads and 78 million buildings, keeps finding new uses, such as helping first responders to disasters like this year's typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Image: MapBox/OpenStreetMap contributors
