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I'm just getting started here to see if we can use OSM for our campus maps. Anyway, I'm in the middle of a large project creating a map of our campuses for print using Adobe Illustrator. needless to say, all of the building shapes are drawn already in Illustrator. Is there any way to make use of those shapes in OSM, or should I just resign myself to redrawing everything that is missing, and editing what is there already.

I'm loving the editing tools so far BTW.

asked 18 Jun '13, 19:39

URcommunications's gravatar image

URcommunicat...
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Unfortunately, this isn't really practical. Illustrator files aren't georeferenced in any way - that is, there's no way of stating within the file that a certain point on the map relates to a certain location in the world. So you'd have to find some way of getting that information in, then translating to a format that an OSM editor can read (say, shapefiles).

It might be possible for really clever people with maximum GDAL-fu, or by using an Illustrator plug-in such as the (paid-for) MAPublisher. But even as an inveterate Illustrator user and author of one of OSM's editor programs, I wouldn't attempt it.

One possible compromise is to save the maps from Illustrator as raster images (using the Save For Web... command), then use the PicLayer plugin for the JOSM editor to help you trace them into OSM. You'll still have to do the laborious tracing work, but at least you'll have your original maps to work from.

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answered 18 Jun '13, 19:47

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Richard ♦
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edited 18 Jun '13, 19:47

Thanks. I'm not worried about tracing work; at least it would be more accurate than me just having a printout next to me while I stare at the screen. :) Thanks.

Mike O

(18 Jun '13, 19:50) URcommunicat...
(18 Jun '13, 19:58) andy mackey

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question asked: 18 Jun '13, 19:39

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last updated: 18 Jun '13, 19:58

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum