Open Street Map (OSM)-based projects are characterized by highlighting some of the cartographic peculiarities, within the massive collection of open data offered by OSM.
The Thunderforest project uses this data offered by OSM to make thematic maps of different kinds:
- Open Cycle Map: shows the network of walkable paths for bicycles
- Transport: highlights the different routes both by road and rail existing
- Transport dark: shows the same transport map but with a night style
- Landscape: makes the differences between different types of natural landscapes
- Outdoors: designed for hiking, cycling, skiing and other outdoor sports
- Pioneer: Old American West-style transport map, with emphasis on rail lines
- Mobile Atlas: paper atlas style
For lovers of topography the Open Topo Map project offers a high quality mapping based on the official styles for such representation. Elevation data is obtained from the Shuttle Radar Survey Mission (SRTM).
Covering only Europe we find MTBmap, a project that arises from the need to carry out cartography oriented to the realization of routes for both cycling and hiking. The official routes are highlighted, using different colors depending on the characteristics of them.
4UMaps is a project specialized in representing the data that can be useful for hiking, climbing, mountain biking or other outdoor sports. In its cartography the elements in natural spaces such as: roads, tracks, peaks, fountains, elevation lines, natural elements, etc. stand out.
One of the most interesting projects but unfortunately it has declined and has not been updated since 2013 is Map1.eu. The goal is ambitious, to try to recreate an online map with OSM data similar to high-quality prints.
Extracting the characteristics of each route nourishes the Waymarked Trails project. Specialized in obtaining trails for hiking, cycling, mountain biking, horseback riding, skiing or skating. Having a certain approval in the field having been marked and arranged for the practices of them. An example would be the Camino de Santiago, where we can see what its routes are and we can even download the track from its website.
Another project that offers us thematic layers is GIScience Heidelberg where we can project on the map different elements such as contours, shaded relief, roads or administrative boundaries.
Gradually we will try to complete the catalog of projects that take advantage of the data offered by OSM.
