More 3D Edifice Maps

There are or in addition to then interesting experiments going on displaying 3d edifice views on OpenStreetMap. Mapzen's Vector Tiles map demo shows edifice footprints at lower zoom levels in addition to 3d buildings when yous zoom inward on the map.

The map includes a seat out of controls to alter the perspective of the map view, to alter the lighting effects in addition to to add together diverse effects to the map (check out the 'elevator' view).

You tin import the 3d buildings into your ain maps past times using the Mapzen Vector Tile Service API.


OSM Buildings is a pretty awesome JavaScript library for visualizing OpenStreetMaps edifice geometry on interactive maps. Check out this Building Shadows demo to persuasion an event map which includes 3d buildings in addition to edifice shadows which are subject on the appointment in addition to fourth dimension of day.

The map includes 2 slide controls to conform the seat of the Sun past times the fourth dimension of 24-hour interval in addition to past times the fourth dimension of the year.


F4map is an amazing 3d map built amongst OpenStreetMap data. The map includes or in addition to then incredible 3d buildings, 3d trees in addition to fifty-fifty the H2O is animated. The shadows on the map are inward real-time in addition to reverberate the seat of the Sun in addition to thus motility throughout the day.

Use the ctrl primal amongst the upwards in addition to downward arrow keys on your keyboard to alter the angle of the map.

Openstreetmap Worldwide Coverage

Martin Raifer has released a beautiful map of OpenStreetMap Node Density. The map provides a full general overview of OpenStreetMap's global coverage.

Each pixel on the map shows the set out of nodes at that location. When comparison areas on the map yous withdraw to demeanour out a classify of population normalization calculation inwards your head. For illustration key Commonwealth of Australia appears darker on the map than merely about of the Australian coastline. This is to a greater extent than than probable due to the fact that urban conurbations are mainly on the coast together with thence at that spot volition endure to a greater extent than map features than inwards the less densely populated areas inwards the pump of Australia. You too withdraw to squall upward that the map uses a Web Mercator projection together with thence this makes it to a greater extent than hard to compare locations at dissimilar latitudes.


In Europe the Netherlands seems to convey the highest node density. Is this because the Netherlands has a huge set out of OpenStreetMap contributors or merely a reflection of the relative urban density of the country? In the USA California shines out, specially key San Francisco together with Bakersfield. My approximate is that Bakersfield inwards detail must convey a pretty dedicated squad of OpenStreetMap contributors.

Live Boston Develop Maps

If y'all desire to rail trains inwards existent fourth dimension on the Boston MBTA y'all similar a shot convey a choice of 2 unlike maps.

The Boston Train Track shows the electrical flow set of Boston trains on an OpenStreetMap. The trains are color-coded yesteryear trouble as well as the prepare markers dot the direction of travel. If y'all desire to a greater extent than data y'all should banking concern fit out the Live MBTA map.

The Live MBTA is non every bit pretty every bit the Boston Train Track map. The purpose of OpenStreetMap transit lines gives the Train Track map an aesthetic edge. However the Live MBTA includes to a greater extent than data nearly the private trains, including the prepare number, the trains' goal as well as whether a prepare is on fourth dimension or is running late.

The Live MBTA map every bit good gives y'all a few options nearly which trains as well as routes y'all desire to visualize on the map.

Open Mapping The Opened Upward Seas

OpenSeaMap extends OpenStreetMap coverage to render a costless global crowd-sourced nautical chart. The map uses OpenStreetMap map information alongside additional layers designed to aid marine navigation too render information on ports too harbors.

OpenSeaMap includes a trip planning tool which allows you lot to plot a course of teaching alongside get-go too terminate coordinates for each phase of a marine journey. The trip planning tool calculates the full distance of the course of teaching too allows you lot to export tracks alongside a listing of all waypoints. It is also possible to download OpenSeaMap itself for offline role on a computer, GPS device, band or PDA.

The online map includes the selection to thought worldwide real-time send too boat positions using information from Marine Traffic. The Marine Traffic layer shows the real-time seat of vessels too information close the type of vessel, the vessel's length too information close its electrical flow course of teaching & speed.

Mapping The Increment Of Openstreetmap

OSM Then as well as Now allows you lot to persuasion OpenStreetMap coverage around the globe inwards 2007 side-by-side amongst today's OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMap was started inwards the U.K. inwards 2004. OSM Then as well as Now shows that past times 2007 OpenStreetMap was even thence a largely European project. By 2007 European cities, such equally London, Amsterdam as well as Berlin had been comprehensively mapped. Conversely coverage inwards the balance of the globe was really patchy as well as practically non-existent inwards almost countries.

Even inwards many European cities OSM inwards 2007 was nowhere close equally comprehensive equally it is now. The screenshot inwards a higher house shows the map of Paris. You tin sack clearly encounter that inwards 2007 (on the left) although the route map was fairly detailed the map was largely complimentary of points of interest, edifice plots as well as other map features.


However Paris inwards 2007 was even thence mapped inwards far to a greater extent than exceptional than nation Washington D.C.. In 2007 Washington D.C. did convey a few major roads mapped only the lean coverage meant that OSM inwards 2007 could never actually convey been used to navigate the U.S. of A. capital.


Because OSM is a crowd-sourced projection its increase depends on its mightiness to attract active members. The Stats page on the OpenStreetMap Wiki has some useful data on the ascension popularity of OSM. Back inwards 2007 OSM had less than 50,000 members. It is straightaway rapidly approaching two 1000000 registered users.


In 2011 Skobbler created this prissy timelapse video showing the increase of OpenStreetMap coverage inwards Europe. The video shows the increase of OSM inwards Europe betwixt 2006 as well as 2011.

2,500 Historic Maps Of Germany

Virtuelles Kartenforum 2.0 is a collection of over 2,500 geo-referenced historical High German maps.

Using the Virtuelles Kartenforum portal you lot tin search for an historical map yesteryear name. You tin too search yesteryear appointment attain together with yesteryear location. To search yesteryear place you lot tin pan together with zoom the map together with all the available historical maps inside the electrical flow map bounds volition survive listed inward the map sidebar.

Select an historic map from the results together with you lot tin stance it equally an overlay on an OpenStreetMap. You tin overlay equally many historical maps over the modern map equally you lot similar together with you lot tin command the opacity of each map that you lot bring added.

Google Mug Maker

Over the concluding calendar week Google has been running a sweat encouraging people to locomote for gratis inwards social club to assist Google improve its map data. The timing of this sweat has coincided amongst Google's divulge of its Google Map Maker tool inwards Taiwan, Russian Federation together with Malaysia.

Google Map Maker relies on people donating their fourth dimension together with unloose energy for gratis to assist improve Google Maps. Using the tool you lot tin add together roads, railways, edifice outlines together with other map features to Google Maps together with (once moderated) they may look on Google Maps.

Why should you lot locomote for free? 

If you lot regularly purpose Google Maps therefore you lot volition presumably produce goodness at to a greater extent than or less signal from edits made past times Google Map Maker contributors. By becoming a contributor yourself you lot volition also last helping improve Google Maps for other users.

However the master copy beneficiaries of your gratis locomote volition of bird last Google. Google's massively profitable Adsense programme depends to an extent on Google's local cognition together with mapping data. So past times working for gratis for Google you lot tin assist Google increase its profits margin.


Another declaration regularly pose frontward past times Google inwards back upward of Map Maker is that Google Maps API developers volition produce goodness from whatever improvements that they brand to Google Maps. That does look to last a practiced argument. At to the lowest degree it for sure was a practiced declaration earlier Google started charging developers for using the Google Maps API.

Since the introduction of charges nosotros forthwith convey a province of affairs where you lot tin contribute map information to Google for gratis together with therefore Google may accuse you lot to to purpose that rattling same map data. That is why many map developers convey started calling the system Google Mug Maker.

What You Should Do Instead

If you lot are interested inwards mapping simply determine that you lot don't desire to last a business office of the Google Mug Maker system therefore you lot produce convey alternatives.

OpenStreetMap is an openly licensed map of the world, created past times volunteers. Contribute your mapping fourth dimension to OpenStreetMap together with the information you lot contribute is available to you lot every bit business office of its opened upward license.

If that sounds similar a ameliorate bargain to you lot therefore cheque out the Getting Involved, Mapping Projects together with Mapping Parties pages on the OpenStreetMap wiki.

Mapping The Ebola Response

The OpenStreetMap of Guéckédou earlier HOT mapping

The electrical flow Ebola outbreak started inward Guéckédou, inward southeastern Guinea. The affliction shortly spread to other nearby Republic of Guinea towns as well as and thus to Republic of Liberia as well as Sierra Leone.

One of the biggest problems for aid agencies as well as wellness organizations inward responding to the crisis was the lack of skillful maps inward the areas where Ebola has been most prevalent. This is why the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) started the 2014 West Africa Ebola Response.

HOT industrial plant to ameliorate OpenStreetMap coverage to assist responses to disasters as well as crisis to a greater extent than or less the world. In West Africa HOT has been working difficult to ameliorate OpenStreetMap information inward companionship to aid help agencies invention as well as co-ordinate their disaster reply teams.


The OpenStreetMap of Guéckédou afterward the HOT 2014 West Africa Ebola Response

The resultant has been a huge improvement of OpenStreetMap coverage inward West Africa, especially inward the areas most affected past times the electrical flow Ebola outbreak. You tin cheque out the improvements inward OpenStreetMap inward West Africa yourself past times using Harry' Wood's Before as well as After OpenStreetMap tool. This tool uses a slider command which allows you lot to compare the electrical flow OpenStreetMap coverage to the OpenStreetMap coverage earlier the start of the HOT 2014 West Africa Ebola Response.

Here are links to the maps of  Guéckédou, Kissidougou as well as Macenta, 3 of the offset towns to endure hitting past times the electrical flow Ebola outbreak. You tin purpose the Before as well as After OpenStreetMap tool inward all 3 towns to stance how OpenStreetMap had side past times side to no coverage earlier the HOT response. Now all 3 towns convey extensive route maps as well as medical as well as wellness facilitates are also mapped.

You tin larn to a greater extent than nearly HOT past times visiting the Ebola reply wiki page.

Mapping Province Use

Today I've been showcasing to a greater extent than or less of the interactive maps designed yesteryear High German spider web developer Hans Hack. One of my favorite of Hans' maps is Flächennutzungstool, an interactive map which allows you lot to inquiry a map of FRG for province use.

Flächennutzungstool (Land Use Tool) shows how province is used based on OpenStreetMap data. The map includes 3 drawing tools (circular, rectangular too polygon) which allows you lot to pick out an surface area on a map of FRG to run into the proportion of dissimilar province usage.

After you lot pick out an surface area on the map, features are automatically colored yesteryear province use. The colors betoken residential, commercial too greenish infinite province purpose inwards the surface area selected. As good equally coloring features on the map yesteryear province purpose a graph is drawn inwards the map sidebar to exhibit the proportion of province purpose for each classification inwards the surface area which you lot convey selected on the map.

Map Shirts, Skirts Together With Scarfs

With Christmas fast approaching you've belike already started thinking nearly what you lot volition hold out buying that fashion-conscious cartophile who has everything. Well why non purchase them a mapped shirt, skirt or scarf?

Monochōme is a novel online-shop specializing inwards a make of map themed vesture items. The site features a handy lilliputian map tool which allows you lot to conduct the street map for whatever place inwards the world. Once you've chosen your favorite place you lot tin as well as thus purchase a shirt or skirt featuring your chosen street map.

Monochōme features ii dissimilar OpenStreetMap derived map styles. One of the styles is a tasteful gray-scale map as well as the other features edifice footprints.


Alternatively, if you lot are buying mortal who is the outdoor, adventurous type, as well as thus you lot mightiness desire to purchase them something from SplashMaps. Splashmaps are wearable, washable, all atmospheric condition maps which tin non entirely aid you lot navigate exactly tin also continue you lot warm.

Like Monochōme, SplashMaps also includes a handy lilliputian map tool which allows you lot to conduct the place you lot desire featured on your wearable map. SplashMaps are also derived from OpenStreetMap data.

3D Piste Maps

Piste,io is a novel website (currently inwards beta) which allows you lot to thought 3d maps of your favorite European skiing resorts. Piste.io uses existent meridian information to generate impressive realistic interactive 3d maps of ski resorts amongst ski run information from OpenStreetMap.

Piste.io uses WebGL, in addition to hence you lot volition demand a WebGL enabled browser. It too seems to demand a proficient graphics carte du jour in addition to hence may crash your browser on older computers. However, if you lot produce bring a fast figurer amongst a WebGL enabled browser you'll bask whetting your skiing appetite amongst a few dry out faux ski runs on Piste.io.

Openstreetmap Inward 3D

Cycling the Alps is i of the few websites that makes heavy role of the Google basis API. Now that the API has been deprecated past times Google Cycling the Alps has begun looking at alternatives.

This map of the Alpe de Huiz Tour uses the Cesium JavaScript library for creating WebGL 3D globes. The map includes 2 map layers, a Bing Maps satellite stance too OpenStreetMap's route map.


Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 3d globe is non ever the best approach for map visualizations simply they tin operate good for visualizing bicycle routes. In item a 3d stance of a route is able to render a groovy overview of the summit demands of a item cycling route.

All The Roads Inward Japan

Mapbox has released a gorgeous map of all the roads inwards Japan. OpenStreetMap inwards Japan entirely shows roads in addition to streets in addition to omits all over map features.

The roads on the map are colored yesteryear the final appointment that they were edited on OpenStreetMap. Roads colored blueish haven't been edited since 2007. The yellowish roads convey been edited inwards the yesteryear year. The Mapbox shipping service on the map includes a link to a full-screen map. The map embedded inwards the shipping service nevertheless includes a push to apace toggle to sentiment close-ups of major cities on the map.


If you lot similar the Japanese route map you lot mightiness too similar Andrew Hill's map of the States rivers. This map shows all the States rivers colored yesteryear the administration of flow. The U.S. Rivers Colored yesteryear the Direction they Flow map entirely shows the colored river locations on a dark background to usage a visually hitting map of the United States.


Railroads: H5N1 Staple inwards World Growth is a neat interactive map showing entirely all the world's railway lines in addition to no other features. There are plenty railway lines unopen to the globe for a recognizable map of the basis to appear.

Looking at the emergent map the quondam eastern bloc countries inwards Eastern Europe seem to convey the densest concentration of railway lines. The map too clearly shows, via the absence of railway lines, some of the world's final remaining non bad undeveloped areas, such every bit the Brazilian pelting forest, the Saharan Desert in addition to the Australian Outback.


Using the Google Maps API's Styled Maps characteristic it is possible to usage a similar map showing entirely the world's roads. When Google outset released the selection to means maps I created this World Road Map.

Unfortunately when you lot zoom out Google Maps does non exhibit roads, in addition to thus at the lowest zoom levels you lot larn a blank map. However the wages of Google Maps showing dissimilar details at dissimilar zoom levels is that to a greater extent than roads seem every bit you lot zoom inwards on the map. At lower zoom levels you lot entirely run across highways in addition to major roads on the map but, every bit you lot zoom in, you lot get to run across the whole route network appear.

The Opentoiletmap

The Great British Public Toilet Map is a map of populace accessible toilets inwards the UK. The map shows the place of the nearest populace toilets together with toilets that the populace are costless to use. This includes toilets inwards shops, cafes together with other venues, if their proprietors allow their role past times non-customers.

If yous percentage your place amongst the Great British Toilet Map it volition present all the nearby populace toilets. The 5 nearest toilets to your electrical flow place are indicated on the map past times numbered markers. If yous direct a toilet's marking yous tin thought details on the facilities available, such every moment babe changing, wheelchair accessibility together with whether at that topographic point is a accuse for use.

The Map Poster Maker

There seems to endure a growing induce to plow interactive digital maps dorsum into newspaper maps. When they hold off this adept it is tardily to encounter why.

Mapiful is a novel website which allows yous to usage in addition to gild large prints of your favorite locations to a greater extent than or less the world. The Mapiful sorcerer allows yous to search for whatever place on an OpenStreetMap, educate the zoom marker in addition to define the text of your map print.

When yous are happy alongside your creation yous tin in addition to therefore buy your impress for the gist of $55.

Visualizing 10 Years Of Openstreetmap

Mapbox has released an animated map visualizing the increment of OpenStreetMap information over the 10 years since the projection started. Ten Years of OpenStreetMap shows how OpenStreetMap has grown inwards 10 years from a map of a few London streets to 1 of the approximately detailed maps of the world.

The animated map reveals how OpenStreetMap has specially developed inwards the final five years from largely a map of the U.S.A. of America too Europe into a genuinely global map.


Martin Raifer's OpenStreetMap Node Density too provides a full general overview of OpenStreetMap's global coverage. Each pixel on the map shows the release of nodes at that location. Martin Raifer's map shows OpenStreetMap node density every moment of June 2014.


Of cast OpenStreetMap is an ongoing projection to map the world. The the world is e'er changing too OpenStreetMap needs to reverberate those changes. Therefore dedicated volunteers approximately the the world are e'er working to amend the map.

OSMlab's Show Me The Way provides a real-time sentiment of OpenStreetMap's contributors inwards action. Using satellite imagery from Bing Maps 'Show Me The Way' provides a captivating visualization of the ever improving OpenStreetMap project.