Book Image

OpenStreetMap

Book Image

OpenStreetMap

Overview of this book

Imagine being able to create accurate maps that look how you want them to, and use them on the Web or in print, for free. OpenStreetMap allows exactly that, with no restrictions on how or where you use your maps. OpenStreetMap is perfect for businesses that want to include maps on their website or in publications without paying high fees. With this book in hand you have the power to make, alter, and use this geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on the Earth.OpenStreetMap was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive, or unexpected ways. This book will allow you to take control of your own maps and use them smoothly. This book introduces the reader to the OpenStreetMap project and shows you how to participate in the project, and make use of the data it provides. No prior knowledge of the project is assumed, and technical details are kept to a minimum.In this book, you'll learn how easy it is to add your neighborhood to OpenStreetMap using inexpensive GPS equipment, or even no GPS at all. You'll find out how to communicate with other mappers working in the same area, and where to find more information about how to map the world around you.Once you have your area mapped, you'll learn how to turn this information into maps, whether for use in print or online, large or small, and with the details you want shown. The book describes several rendering methods, each suited to different types of map, and takes you through a tutorial on each one.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
OpenStreetMap
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
Preface
4
How OpenStreetMap Records Geographical Features
Index

A quick tour of the front page


The project's main "shop front" is www.openstreetmap.org. It's the first impression most people get of what OpenStreetMap does, and is designed to be easy to use, rather than show as much information as possible. In the following diagram, you can see the layout of the front page. We'll be referring to many of the features on the front page throughout the book, so let's have a look at what's there:

Most of the page is taken up by the map viewer, which is nicknamed the slippy map by mappers. This has its own controls, which we'll cover later in the chapter. Along the top of the map are the navigation tabs, showing most of the data management tools on openstreetmap.org. To the right of these are the user account links.

Down the left-hand side of the page is the sidebar, containing links to the wiki, news blog, merchandise page, and map key. The wiki is covered later in this and other chapters. The news blog is www.opengeodata.org, and it's an aggregation of many...