Leveraging OSM (Open Street Maps) to Build a Crowd Sourced Map of PMA (Pretty Much Anything)
MaptimeLA Loves Open Street Maps (OSM). But did you know it's much more than just streets and buildings? People from all over the world have mapped all kinds of things - from water fountains to water falls, from ferries to funiculars. Why they didn't call it "Open Funicular Maps" we may never know. But what we do know is that you're free to use any of this data in your own mapping projects.
So join us for an overview of the strategies and tools you can use to leverage the crowd sourced data in OSM to build a map of just about anything. And if it's not already in OSM, we'll talk about how to get it up there.
The goal of the workshop will be for you to walk away with a better understanding of the capabilities of OSM, and your very own map of custom OSM data published on the web. Impress your Friends/Moms/Cats!
We'll be working with some CSS, HTML, and Javascript - including the great Leaflet mapping library. Apart from these, we'll be using some web based tools to extract the data we need from Open Street Maps.
Homework
Maptime is hands-on, so don't forget to bring your laptop! There are a few things you can do before hand to prepare for the evening:
- Install a text editor which we'll use to edit the code for your web map. Like toothpaste, there are too many choices, and they are all pretty much fine. For example https://www.sublimetext.com/3
- Install Python which we'll use as a local server so you can see the web map your code generates. https://www.python.org/downloads/ (try the 3.5.1 version, but either should be fine) If you get hung up, no worries, we can show you at the workshop.
- Set up a GitHub account (https://github.com/) and install git. Git comes in a graphical flavor for pointing and clicking: https://desktop.github.com/ and a command line flavor: https://git-scm.com/. Either is fine. We'll use it to publish your map and share the code that powers it.
What is Maptime?
Maptime is, rather literally, time for mapmaking. Our mission is to open the doors of cartographic possibility to anyone interested by creating a time and space for collaborative learning, exploration, and map creation using mapping tools and technologies.
This open learning environment for all levels and degrees of knowledge offers intentional support for the beginner. Maptime is simultaneously flexible and structured, creating space for workshops, ongoing projects with a shared goal, and independent/collaborative work time.
Inspiration for Maptime comes from both hack nights and knitting circles. Both are models of spaces for people to create and learn together. Our goal is to provide this space with an open heart and without pretension. You can bring your own projects to work on, or just hang out and socialize or ask questions. Some people are experts, and some people are just getting started, but all of us are learning, so why not do it together?