The hacker's guide to OpenStreetmap
OpenStreetmap
(OSM) is a free web map based on
freely-licenced map data provided by
a large community of contributors. The map data consists of a huge geospatial
database with global coverage, and its licence allows custom map generation,
enhancement and other hacks by all comers. However, its usefulness is reduced
by the fact that its documentation is a patchy, poorly interlinked set of wiki
pages distributed across multiple sites. Use of the data requires a complex
set of tools, and comprehensive accounts of how they work together are thin on
the ground and hard to find with search engines.
This set of pages tries to provide better documentation than official sources
(not a high bar) and link to external pages that are helpful and up to date. I
will start out by describing the toolchain used for displaying a map in a web
browser as used on openstreetmap.org and then proceed to successively more
customised setups.
Options and URL format of the OpenStreetmap web app
The way from the geospatial database to browser-viewable map images
Basic and advanced tips for doing your bit for the community project
Render map tiles for offline viewing using the canonical toolchain
Render and view complete map regions
Understanding and modifying the old standard style in Mapnik XML format
Changing the projection, adding hill shading and contours, adding supplementary data and more
Standard tools are centred on web maps, but custom formats and processing is feasible
Where to obtain geographical data, its file formats, and tools to process them
Overview of scripts and small programs from all parts of this guide
Manuals of OpenStreetmap-related tools online, or links to documentation elsewhere.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany License 
TOS / Impressum