Geocoding and Routing are often critical services for spatial applications but past open source efforts to meet these needs have suffered from a variety of limitations. With no universal solutions, developers creating open source applications often need to turn to commercial 'black boxes' which may be expensive or lacking in flexibility. This talk reviews the progress of an informal OSGEO group working to consolidate foss efforts in this area.

After a brief introduction to the central problems involved in geocoding and routing, there will be a survey of the current state of open source offerings and how they compare to commercial services. The talk will conclude with a look at the discussion group's progress and goals and an invitation to get involved.