OpenStreetMap
Book Review: OpenStreetMap: Using and Enhancing the Free Map of the World
A review of OpenStreetMap: Using and Enhancing the Free Map of the World by Ramm, Topf and Chilton
This book is a great introduction to, and overview of, the OpenStreetMap project, with plenty of detail and pointers to further information, all of which is sure to get the reader hooked in the realm of open geodata.
As an open source community-oriented project, there is a lot of information already available on the OpenStreetMap wiki website, but it can be disjointed at times, and difficult to get a good overview of the project. This book provides a good alternative, condensing all the information you need to start updating the map, using the map data on GPS devices, and also gives plenty of examples to developers keen on using the wealth of map data in their own projects.
The chapters of the book are broken up into small enough chunks that readers can easily dip in and out, while also providing plenty of information to refer back to during mapping.
The first half of the book is geared towards those readers who want to get started mapping their surroundings and contributing geographic information to the OpenStreetMap project. The second half goes into more detail about the technical aspects of OpenStreetMap, introducing the data API and other ways of accessing and modifying the data for use in third party projects.
Throughout the book, readers are given links to the OpenStreetMap wiki for further information about topics, should they be interested in finding out more.
This book would be of interest to a range of different audiences, from walkers and geocaching enthusiasts keen to explore and document their surroundings, to GIS users wanting to know more about emerging sources of geodata, and web developers who are looking for maps or a new source of information to use in their projects... or anyone else who has an interest in geography and how emerging technologies are helping develop the subject.
New maps of the Isle of Man
Last week I launched a section on themap.im to show a gallery of maps of the Isle of Man. The aim is to create localised maps for different towns and villages around the Island, so for example you could bookmark a map of Castletown, Colby or Cregneash, or any other place listed in the gallery.
The maps got some great coverage with a BBC Isle of Man article, which has generated a good amount of interest in the site. The more people the map is available to, the sooner we can iron out any issues in the map data. There may be the odd typo, things accidentally added in the wrong place, or things that are missing completely, so all feedback is welcome.
For me, building this site is a great opportunity to use Drupal to help promote OpenStreetMap data, using the OpenLayers mapping library (and Drupal module) to display the maps on the site, and I'm looking forward to building the site out further.
Welcome to the new map of the Isle of Man
Re-posted from themap.im blog
With less than a week to go until the third Isle of Man mapping day - to be held in Douglas on Saturday 2nd October - we are launching a new version of themap.im with the aim of helping to promote the new map of the Isle of Man.
For over four years, volunteers have been building up the map of the Isle of Man as part of the OpenStreetMap project, creating a map of the Island that can be used by anyone, not only as an online map, but also as a source of information for their own projects. themap.im is one such project, built by Dan Karran with the aim of promoting this new map of the Isle of Man and showing what can be done with open data to help promote local businesses and organisations both within the Island and to a wider audience.
The site will continue to grow from this initial stage, to include an online directory of much of the information contained within the map, and an ability to simply update any of that information, which we will then use to update the OpenStreetMap project itself.
If you are interested in this new map of the Isle of Man, please do come along to the Velvet Lobster at 10am (or 1pm) on Saturday to the mapping day for an introduction to the OpenStreetMap project, what it's all about, how to update the map, and how to use the information in various ways.
Isle of Man mapping day
On Saturday 2nd October we will be holding the third Isle of Man mapping day for the OpenStreetMap project and it's open to anyone.
If you're on the Isle of Man and interested in maps, new technology or are just keen to get out and about and explore Douglas for the day, why not come along to join us on the mapping day to find out more about the project and get an introduction to mapping.
We'll meet for a coffee in the morning (from 10am) at Velvet Lobster on the North Quay in Douglas, and after a short introduction to the project and chat about how to get started mapping, we'll head out onto the streets to add some detail to the open map of the Isle of Man. After a while (1pm) we'll meet back at the Velvet Lobster for a bite to eat and chat about the morning's mapping, before heading back out. At 3pm we'll meet up at the cafe again and to introduce you to the basics of making your own updates to the map.
If you're keen to use the maps yourself, we can help you get set up to do that, and point you to some of the useful services available that use data from OpenStreetMap.
Want to find out more? Drop me an email to dan at karran dot net, tweet me @dankarran or give me a shout on 07736 314138. If you'd like to come along, I'd appreciate if you could let me know in advance, so we have an idea of how many people to expect.
Using OS OpenData to improve OpenStreetMap
On 1st April, Ordnance Survey released a lot of their data under an open data licence, allowing it to be used freely (with an attribution to say where it came from) and incorporated into other open data projects like OpenStreetMap.
The OpenStreetMap project started off in the UK because Ordnance Survey was so restrictive over the use of their data, so this has been a great win for the project, though the release of the data doesn't make the project any less likely to continue. This is partly because of the project's aim to create an open map (and open map data) for the whole world, and partly because in many parts of the UK, OpenStreetMap actually surpasses the level of detail that Ordnance Survey has released as part of their OpenData package.
Where the Ordnance Survey data comes in very useful for the OpenStreetMap project is in areas where we don't (yet) have much map data, as well as for areas where we do have a lot of data, for checking that our data is accurate and complete.
A little while ago I noticed that Canvey Island hadn't had much attention in OpenStreetMap, with just a few roads that had been added by a couple of users over the past two years or so. Curious about the place (and for some reason, partially imagining it to be a little like Coney Island in New York) I started to read a little about it, and thought about visiting, but the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to fill in the map. The result is below.
The OS OpenData allowed me to add roads (and most of their names), museums, libraries, pubs, schools, churches, camp sites, caravan sites, chalet villages and some natural features. Where things on the OS map didn't show names, it was often possible to pick these up from photos on the excellent Geograph project and from other research on the internet.
Once I'd got most of the tracing work done, I also got in touch with the two local contributors I had identified, one of which got back to me straight away (despite not editing the map since last year some time), and added in any extra information he could, such as the extent of parks and recreation grounds.
I think this is a great example of one open data project being advanced by the availability of data from other sources and projects.
If you want to help mapping an area (it's probably best to improve the map in areas that you know rather than mapping an area like this that you don't know that well...), just follow the instructions on the OpenStreetMap wiki.
