Rendering
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Rendering of a map is the process of making a visual image on the basis of raw geospatial data and tags. The word often applies more specifically to the production of a raster image, or a set of raster tiles, but it can refer to output in a vector-based format. "3D rendering" is also possible taking map data as an input. The ability to render maps in new and interesting styles, or highlighting features of special interest, is one of the most exciting aspects having open access to geodata. Developers in and around the OpenStreetMap community have created a wide variety of software for rendering OpenStreetMap data. The data can also be converted to other data formats for use with existing rendering software.
Rendering on OpenStreetMap servers
The most obvious examples of rendering OpenStreetMap data, are those found on the openstreetmap.org homepage. Click the layer picker button on the right to switch between layers showing different rendering styles. There are several layers created using Mapnik software including the default 'Standard' layer. To understand more about the infrastructure involved in rendering and serving these tiles' map styles, see Component overview and Mapnik Rendering.
There are limitless dimensions of flexibility involved in rendering. Most rendering software supports some kind of stylesheet for controlling things like colour, line widths, text orientation, icons for points of interest, and many very subtle visual factors.
Server and command line tools
| Name | Target platforms | Target languages | License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carto | JavaScript | N/A | Apache v2 | convert CartoCSS style sheets into Mapnik's own XML styling language |
| Mapnik | Windows, macOS, Linux | C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java | LGPL | The most popular server-side 2D map renderer. Requires PostgreSQL and various C++ libraries. Designed to be fast and is suitable for tile generation on high-end servers but it isn't particularly easy to set up. |
| MapOSMatic | Cross-platform | Python | AGPLv3 | Can render maps with a grid and street index. Written in Python/Django + mapnik. |
| Smrender | Cross-platform | C | GPLv3 | a rules-based rendering engine written in C |
| TileServer GL | Cross-platform | BSD | Tile server for raster and vector tiles. | |
| Map Machine | Cross-platform | Python | MIT | A simple renderer for OpenStreetMap with custom icons intended to display as many tags as possible. |
Client-side GUI applications
| Name | Target platforms | License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosmtik | Node.js | WTFPL | CartoCSS style development tool (style preview) based on Mapnik. |
| Maperitive | Windows, macOS, Linux | Proprietary | local file (.osm, .osm.bz2 and GPX) desktop rendering application, with rendering rules defined in a text file. Generates BMP, PNG and SVG output. Not designed for high performance rendering or huge volumes of data, but easy to set up and flexible, and a good option for one-off rendering (e.g. a map of your city). It also has a tile generator, hillshading, elevation colouring and lots of other features. |
| OSM2World | Java SE | LGPL | Tool that creates 3D realistic models from OSM data files |
| OSMBuildings | JavaSript (WebGL) | ... | Tool that creates 3D models from OSM data files |
| OSM go | JavaScript | GPL | Tool that creates 3D simple models with selectable OSM-Objects from OSM data files |
| Phototiler | Linux, macOS, Windows | Proprietary | A tool to create high quality maps using photo-realistic shading and vector tile data. |
| TileMill | Windows, macOS, Linux | 3-clause BSD | development environment for CartoCSS styles |
Client-side libraries
- Main article: Frameworks
| Name | Target platforms | Target languages | License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CartoType | Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Unix, Web Assembly | C++, C#, Java, Swift, Objective C | Proprietary | Rendering and routing library. Uses OpenGL ES hardware acceleration. Customizable style sheets and route profiles. Supports perspective and 3D buildings. |
| GLMap | iOS, Android | Objective-C, Swift, Java | Proprietary | Offline or online vector map rendered on device using OpenGL ES |
| libosmscout | Linux, macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Qt | C++, Java | LGPL | Offers simple, high-level interfaces to offline rendering and routing functionalities based on OpenStreetMap data. |
| Mapbox Maps SDK | Android, iOS, Web | Kotlin, JavaScript, Swift | Proprietary | Displays Mapbox-hosted and offline Mapbox Vector Tiles using OpenGL ES and WebGL |
| Mapbox Unity SDK | Cross-platform | C# | Apache/BSD | Provides data for generating custom 3D scenes in Unity |
| MapLibre GL JS | Web | JavaScript | BSD | Community led fork derived from Mapbox GL JS v1.13 prior to their switch to a non-OSS license |
| MapLibre GL Native | Android, iOS | Java, Objective-C, Swift, Interface Builder | BSD | Community led fork derived from Mapbox GL Native 1.6.0 prior to their switch to a non-OSS license |
| Mapsforge | Android, Java ME | Java | LGPLv3 | free and open toolbox that enables the community to easily create new OpenStreetMap-based applications. Provided tools and APIs include solutions for map rendering, route planning and navigation, POI indexing and search, map overlays and more. |
| MapTiler JavaScript Maps SDK | Web | JavaScript | BSD | Fork of MapLibre GL JS |
| Prettymaps | Cross-platform | Python | GNU AGPLv3 | 2D raster and vector graphics rendering using Python. Based on osmnx, matplotlib and shapely libraries. |
Historical
The following renderers are no longer maintained but are of historical interest:
- AlaCarte - A tile rendering engine for Windows and Linux. No project progress since 2016. AGPL
- Hardware accelerated real-time rendering, .NET, proprietary, using graphics card to render images in real-time, instead of displaying prerendered tiles
- Kartograph – AGPL licensed Python framework to create SVG maps, officially dead since 2016
- Kartograph, LGPL, JavaScript library to display vector generated maps in any browser
- Kendzi3d – plugin for JOSM, allows viewing of edited data in 3D
- Kothic JS – JavaScript, BSD, full-featured JavaScript map rendering engine using HTML5 Canvas. It was initially developed as a JavaScript port of Kothic.
- Kothic – GPLv3 licensed, Python, a MapCSS/0.2 python rendering engine (project is dead, last activity in 2015)
- LunaRender, Windows, Lua, MIT license, XML2SVG renderer
- Mapbox GL – Originally BSD-licensed and available for Android, iOS, macOS, QT, and the Web. Superseded by MapLibre (open-source) and Mapbox Maps SDK (proprietary).
- Mapweaver - Successor of mapgen.pl Perl rendering, OSM to SVG and with Inkscape to PNG or PDF, automatic map key. Supports street and POI lists, grids and coordinate overlays. Automatic extraction of desired place out of OSM file. Not running under Windows.
- MapSurfer.NET - proprietary, .NET, framework for map styling and publishing (rendering, caching) geospatial data to the web
- Memphis – a map-rendering application and a library for OpenStreetMap written in C using eXpat, Cairo and GLib. It's licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License.
- Osmarender - XSLTs which does OSM XML to SVG transformation. tiles@home was a project which uses Osmarender to create a tile set for serving a map layer alongside Mapnik's, but Osmarender can also be a good option for doing one-off renderings. SVG format allows you to do post-processing tidy up tweaks (see other options below). It was withdrawn from the main map at osm.org on 1th March 2012.
- osmbrowser – can load large areas of OSM data and render them in vector graphics.
- osmrender.pl - simple maps easily drawn with a Perl program. Uses *.osm as input.
- XNavigator, Java SE, GPLv2, 3D renderer, last release in 2012 according to OSM wiki page
- Osm2pov - Tool for creating isometric maps from OSM data
- Pyrender – a collection of ideas, and some code in Python for various rendering server steps
- Tangram – 2D and 3D map renderer using WebGL by Mapzen
- Tangram ES – 2D and 3D map renderer using OpenGL ES by Mapzen
- TileSweep – a tile server for Mapnik
- VTM – cross-platform vector tile renderer developed by the OpenScienceMap project
See also
- Creating your own tiles - Various options with quick descriptions
- List of OSM based Services - mainly a list of different map renderings
- Category:Renderers - wiki category for pages about renderers
- 3D Development
- OSM on Paper
- GPS tracks#Rendering