OpenStreetMap

Using and improving the free world map

Using the fictitious Kleinau an der Sobel, the book demonstrates how a village is mapped for OpenStreetMap.

The Book

This is the website for the German language book "OpenStreetMap: Die freie Weltkarte nutzen und mitgestalten". Some of the content on this site is only available in German. There is no English language version of the book yet.

OpenStreetMap is a map of the whole world which can be used and improved by anyone. Using an open community process, thousands of people from around the world collect geodata in a central database.

The book gives a comprehensive overview about the community, the data model, and the software. It will put you in a position to use this growing collection of geodata for your own projects.

The book also explains in detail how the geodata is collected and edited for OpenStreetMap. If you want to help improve the map, this book is the ideal starting place.

2nd Edition

The 2nd, revised and extended edition was published in March 2009.

For the new edition we have updated nearly all chapters and images. Seven chapters are new and many have been extended. The book has grown by 64 pages - from 288 pages in the first edition to the current 352 pages, including 32 color pages.

The most important changes:

• Update of OSM data format and API to version 0.6
• New chapter on the editor Merkaartor
• New chapter on the rendering application Kosmos
• Many additions and updates in the map features descriptions
• New chapter on advanced tagging with explanations to addresses/house numbers, routes, and much more
• New chapter on mapper tools: Data View, Data Browser, OSM Inspector, ITO OSM Mapper, and Tagwatch
• Many updates to the chapters on Mapnik, Osmosis, and routing and mobile applications
• New chapter for "advanced editing"
• Completely revised chapter on import and export of OSM data

1st Edition

The 1st edition was published in February of 2008, it is out of print.