OpenStreetMap

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OpenStreetMap of Chester
OpenStreetMap of Chester

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project to create free content maps using data from portable GPS devices and other free sources.

Contents

OpenStreetMap was founded in July 2004 by Steve Coast. In April 2006 OSM began a process of transforming itself into a foundation.

"The OpenStreetMap Foundation is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data and to providing geospatial data for anybody to use and share."
Raw GPS data (tracklogs) for Hedge End
Raw GPS data (tracklogs) for Hedge End

The most common source for data uploaded onto OSM is from handheld GPS units. Many contributors use a tool such as GPSBabel to convert GPS data from its raw (NMEA) format or from proprietary formats to GPX format (an XML application). Data is collected in WGS84 format as latitude / longitude, and is typically displayed in the Mercator projection. The Geo microformat is used on the descriptive pages for each location.

The OpenStreetMap website provides an Ajax-style viewer [1] for browsing maps online.

An SVG rendering engine [2] is used to produce images and printed maps.

OSM data can be viewed in NASA World Wind using this add-on

A user account is required before editing map data; these are available at no cost, and the public are encouraged to contribute.

  • GPS tracklogs provide nearly all data, and are augmented by:
  • Local knowledge
  • Public domain sources:
    • Landsat 7 satellite imagery
    • Prototype Global Shorelines (PGS)
    • TIGER data of the United States
  • Commercial satellite and aerial imagery from Yahoo! Maps

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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