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

Planet files


A Planet file is a dump of the entire OpenStreetMap database to an XML file, containing the latest version of each feature in the world at the time it was produced. If you need OpenStreetMap data in significant quantities, downloading a Planet file is the best way of getting it, and for very large quantities of data, it is the only way of doing so.

We'll go through how you can obtain a planet file or other files based on it here. We'll cover the tools you can use to process a planet file in the next chapter.

The main Planet site

All Planet files are initially stored at http://planet.openstreetmap.org/. At present, one full planet file is produced every week, usually on Thursday morning GMT. Between full Planet files, a series of files containing the edits made to the database are produced, called diffs, short for differences, after the files used to change the source code of software. OpenStreetMap diffs use a customized file format, and you have to use tools specifically written...