tile server

We discussed previously how to import a single OpenStreetMap extract and avoid processing the huge, complete OSM dataset. What if your area of interest is smaller than the whole planet, but larger than a single extract?

This is what the Luxembourg extract from the previous article looks like.

But what if we want Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg?  read more »

The OpenStreetMap database gets bigger every day. The dataset is freely licensed and available in what we call a planet file. This means that if you want the OpenStreetMap dataset, you can have it. This also means that you are dealing with the entire dataset, for the whole planet, even if your interest is limited to a smaller area. If your interest is geographically limited, pushing around 6G¹ more data than you need to push around seems wasteful.  read more »

In July 2009, Peter Miller wondered aloud on the OpenStreetMap-talk mailing list, if detailed rendering of golf courses was coming to OpenStreetMap? It's a fair question and one that has run through the mind of any OpenStreetMap enthusiast who has spent an afternoon at a good walk ruined.  read more »

Why does Mapnik render so much of Germany and so little of Cleveland?

That's a great question from one regular reader.

Let's go through how to get Mapnik to render the areas that interest you. Follow along and I'll make this general enough that you can render Cleveland, Columbus or even Cincinnati!  read more »

If you are reading these articles in the order that they are published, then there are several steps missing between Make your first Map and this one. Sorry. I'll fill in the rest soon. This appears not yet to be documented elsewhere. So it is probably worth jumping ahead for this one.

This article deals with OpenStreetMap API v0.5  read more »

Background

Come on. The new highway shields are nice, but the map in North America just isn't there yet. Our continental cousins may be satisfied with generic oval highway markers, but that just doesn't measure up in the New World.

The new markers, shown above, turned up on mapnik recently. They seem more refined than the rectangular signs used previously and they are very pretty. But they just aren't right for North America.  read more »

OpenStreetMap provides Free geodata and Free Software tools to use that data. A previous article demonstrates building an OpenStreetMap tile server. This article demonstrates populating it with OpenStreetMap geodata and having your server create a nice picture of a map for you.  read more »

Build your own OpenStreetMap server. Build your own what?

OpenStreetMap is the editable World map of everything. It is the Wikipedia of maps. It is to other on-line maps as Wikipedia is to Britannica. And it is awesome in every possible way.  read more »