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What I want: to download a specified area (greater Los Angeles) from openstreetmaps to my computer. Then I need to transfer it to my Nokia N900 so I can use the maps offline.

What I've tried: the only thing that works is to use modRana's own download function on the phone. That takes forEVER, tends to lose map tiles, and always loses the connection long before it's done. (LA is big.) The result is I never have the part I need when I need it.

I've also downloaded some of the zipped files, such as US-West, but then I can't figure out how to get modRana to use it.

Now I saw jTiledownloader (I have version 0-6-1, latest) which allows you to provide the url to a map, e.g. http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=8/33.816/-117.988 , fill in how many levels of layers you want, and hit download.

Except nothing happens. This is rather frustrating. I saw on another thread a long explanation talking about needing Java 7 or some such. Say it ain't so. This is what I get after the command "java -version": java version "1.6.0_26" Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_26-b03) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.1-b02, mixed mode)

There has GOT to be some nice easy straightforward way to download map tiles for offline use. It's the one thing everyone (who knows it's possible) wants from maps.

What am I missing?

asked 16 Nov '13, 04:21

quixote7's gravatar image

quixote7
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accept rate: 0%

edited 16 Nov '13, 17:17

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554


You are missing that downloading map tiles is ... not really a good way to view maps. If possible do not download map tiles, download vector data (may require that you use another app which offers vector maps). Note that if you are downloading tiles from osm.org you might get blocked soon, please respect our tile usage policy - we are running only on few donated resource and scraping tiles is creating a high load. As a side effect: it takes forever and consumes much space on your device (depending on the area and zoom levels).

Looking at Maemo#Map_display_features I see Gosmore or Osm2go which would be good, however both seem to be dead. Maybe you find some other apps. Workaround: get a new Android device. ;-)

permanent link

answered 16 Nov '13, 12:46

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554
accept rate: 18%

Thanks for the info! Yes, I realize about load on the servers. I set the options to minimize that. My issue is this: I don't care what I use, so long as it's linux/open source. (Not Android open-except-for-every-app-that-matters. Sorry!) I'd be delighted to use vector-based maps.

I've been trying to solve the problem of some easy way to get OSM offline on my N900 for years now. I don't have much time to spend on it, so I haven't got very far. The problem is I find answers like the following how to run OSM on android. (I can't tell from the time stamps what year it was written.)

In general, you can have a look at the OSM wiki about Android.
There are some apps that display OSM based maps offline -> search for "offline" there.
And some of them are opensource ... so it is up to you to inspect the sourcecode and find out how each one is working.

I'm not a programmer. I actually can't do any of that at all. I can follow a step-by-step and don't mind using text editors on config files (or I wouldn't be using linux, right? :D).

The best interface I've found (the last time I looked was about two years ago) is modRana, which is why I'm using it. (Maybe OSM.org could work with MartinK of modRana to come up with a pre-packaged version for us lazy/stupid people??)

The thing that gets me about all this is there is a HUGE unmet demand for offline maps which people could easily use on their phones. If OSM could provide something simple for the rest of us, it would become a global household word within months.

Anyway, all this is a long way of saying please, please, please, could somebody provide a step-by-step showing how one

  • A) selects the area of interest in the maps. If the only way is to download entire packaged chunks, like US-West, then okay, fine. Then, most important,
  • B) how to make it readable by a user-friendly map package/app on the phone.

(16 Nov '13, 16:43) quixote7
1

@quixote: If you are not scared of config files and so on, look into the programs I've pointed to. Maybe you can get Gosmore or Osm2go to run. Or look at the other apps - some others offer offline modes, but use also bitmap data. Maemo seems to have very few users and is not used anymore on current devices, right? So developer interest declines. For Android (which is also Linux and also free - at least it could be) there are great apps like OsmAnd which offer what you are looking for.
Maybe somebody else has better news for you...

meta: For your specific problem with jTiledownloader you could create an extra question here, or maybe better ask at Talk:JTileDownloader (seems to be quite active there and being used as a bug discussion). At least I think it would be better to not mix that with modrana or Maemo problems.

(16 Nov '13, 17:37) aseerel4c26 ♦

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question asked: 16 Nov '13, 04:21

question was seen: 6,523 times

last updated: 16 Nov '13, 17:37

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