Map rendering using OpenStreetMap

Question

Does OpenStreetMap just provide GIS data? To render maps and have a browser based UI to show maps with data, would a developer need to use something like Mapnik?

score 4 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 30 '16 at 17:35

4

OpenStreetMap provides data yes, and you'll need specific tools to make map with them. You first need to put the data in a true GIS format, which OSM is not. Think about PostGIS, an osm2pgsql tool is designed for that. Then, you'll need a rendering tool, i.e. a cartographic engine. You can use Mapnik or MapServer. Tilemill or Kosmtik can help you designing your map styles. Take a look here.

edited Jun 30 '16 at 17:35

reducing activity

1,985
2
36
64

answered Mar 13 '12 at 14:13

Guillaume Sueur

56
3

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered May 23 '14 at 08:26

2

yo can export data form OpenStreetMap and render your own map. Take a look at http://www.slideshare.net/jones139/rendering-openstreetmap-data-using-mapnik http://www.slideshare.net/artemp/mapnik-sotm-2007

answered May 23 '14 at 08:26

Hasan Ramezani

5,004
24
30

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 15 '12 at 21:29

1

There's a fuller list of rendering libraries for OpenStreetMap data here, both free and commercial.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Renderer

Disclosure: I am the developer of one of them.

answered Jul 15 '12 at 21:29

Graham Asher

1,648
1
24
34

Harry Wood · Answer 4 · 2018-07-05T11:55:27.517

OpenStreetMap provides map data out to a wide sprawling ecosystem of different downloads and tools offering developers different map-making and map using possibilities. Here is a diagram I drew which captures some of this:

So the data comes out of the core of OpenStreetMap, in the form of 'planet downloads', one big unwieldy blob of XML (and diffs), but from there it fans out into a range of other offerings to developers, many of which are provided by 3rd parties. Taken together "OpenStreetMap & Friends" provide lots of possibilities.

If you are inclined to run your own rendering system, then yes, Mapnik is a good choice. Powerful and scaleable (most successful OSM tile servers run Mapnik), but takes a bit of setting up. You normally load OSM XML data into PostGIS, and run mapnik from that (tutorials on switch2osm.org)

If you are not inclined to run your own rendering system (for more lightweight web development tasks this seams reasonable!) you don't have to! You can configure LeafletJS or OpenLayers or others to fetch map tiles from a tile server run by somebody else. There are many providers. See the providers list on switch2osm.org and the Tile Servers list.

Map rendering using OpenStreetMap

4 Answers4