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Hello,

I want to use maps for an Indian city. When I view the maps there is not much detail on it but when I attempt to edit the map, there are more details available which were not visible when I was viewing the map. Why is this the case? Please advice.

Thanks Siddharth

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asked 06 Sep '11, 09:14

Sid%20I4GY's gravatar image

Sid I4GY
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accept rate: 0%

A link to the city in question might be useful (using the permalink button at the bottom-right of the map) - that we can have a look at it.

(06 Sep '11, 11:06) SomeoneElse ♦

OpenStreetMap is not a map in the first place; it is a database. An editor will usually show you all objects present in the database, whereas a map will usually only show a selection of features. This selection may be made for reasons of cartography, or rendering speed, or interest - a map for cyclists will certainly show other features than one for motorists.

The map style used on the main "mapnik" layer on www.openstreetmap.org is the same for every place in the world, so if the Indian city you are looking at has a relatively low feature density in OSM you might be tempted to think: "Why aren't restaurants shown sooner, there's enough room on zoom level 12 but they only show up when I toom in to zoom level 17!" - but think of what that would do to a densely mapped place like central London.

You are free to create your own rendering though, based on the same OpenStreetMap database, that shows any (or all) features. Some pointers are given in the answer to "How do I render my own maps for my Website?".

permanent link

answered 06 Sep '11, 09:28

Frederik%20Ramm's gravatar image

Frederik Ramm ♦
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accept rate: 23%

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question asked: 06 Sep '11, 09:14

question was seen: 5,146 times

last updated: 06 Sep '11, 11:06

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