OpenStreetMap community

Deutsche Post and DHL switch from Google Maps to Openstreetmap

The Deutsche Post and DHL no longer use Google Maps when tracking. Instead, they rely on maps of Openstreetmap.

Deutsche Post and DHL have switched internally to Openstreetmap when it comes to functions that access map data. With this step, all functions of DHL or Deutsche Post should continue to be usable for customers as usual. Only the look of the map material is different from Google Maps at Openstreetmap.

Officially, this step was not announced by Deutsche Post or DHL. Anyone, who displays the position of the DHL vehicle in the map, when tracking parcels in the future, does not see this with map data from Google Maps. This applies both to parcel tracking on the DHL website and in the DHL app.

For many other services from Deutsche Post and DHL, the map material from Openstreetmap is now also used. This applies, for example, to the search for DHL locations, for finding mailboxes, post offices or packing stations on the Deutsche Post website.

This should reduce costs

Since there is neither an announcement of the change from Deutsche Post nor from DHL, the reasons for this step remain unclear. Costs are likely to have played a role. For the use of Google Maps, Deutsche Post had to pay fees to Google. The data of Openstreetmap is licensed under a free license and may be used without payment of license costs.

It is not known whether the Deutsche Post or DHL is planning new features that may not be feasible with the map material from Google Maps and can now be achieved by switching to Openstreetmap.

The international project Openstreetmap was founded in 2004 and provides its map data without charge. They are created by the commitment of volunteers and convince again and again with more details than map data from commercial providers such as Google Maps. All data on roads, train routes, rivers, hiking trails, forests and houses are collected by the participants themselves.