MapQuest, a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL, is planning to be the first large mapping company to embrace open-source mapping at scale.

Additionally, AOL announced a $1 million fund to support the growth of open-source mapping in the United States.

"AOL's investment in open source mapping data and technology represents rare foresight in recognizing that the future of map data will be a commons,” said Steve Coast, Founder, OpenStreetMap. “That map data won't only be free to use but also much better than the maps you're used to.”

MapQuest has announced the beta launch of http://open.mapquest.co.uk/ built on OpenStreetMap data for the UK. The beta platform will be a stand-alone offering and will live alongside MapQuest’s existing UK platform, which is based on commercially available map data.

The new fund will support projects in specific communities over the next year to help expand and enhance the geographic data available to developers, designers and other users as part of AOL’s commitment to open-source technology.

“MapQuest is the first large-scale mapping site to embrace the open-source community,” said Jon Brod, Executive Vice President of AOL Ventures, Local and Mapping. “We believe this investment in openness and innovation will not only pay significant dividends for our MapQuest and AOL users and developers, but also for the greater local and mapping ecosystem worldwide.”

AOL’s $1 million grant will help fund local initiatives to identify and plug gaps in information in open-source mapping data about specific U.S. communities covered by Patch. Patch offers news, business listings, recreation, events and other information in communities across America. The Patch network currently covers communities in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, with new sites constantly coming online.

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