SHOWCASE
The map is alive and kicking.
Witness how quickly the OpenStreetMap is gaining coverage in this video.
The more than 400,000 contributors world-wide make this the fastest growing and most dynamic digital map. It is bound to become the most detailed map available until 2013. There are already some countries (e.g. Germany), in which the OpenStreetMap richness in data has already surpassed those of all commercial competitors.
A great example for the instant mapping capabilities and how both powerful and useful the OpenStreetMap project can be found at the visualizations gallery of ITO World and in this video by ITO World.
They have also created one of the greatest visualisations of the tremendous pace of the OpenStreetMap progression in 2008, which you can see below.