2024: announcing the year of the OpenStreetMap vector maps | OpenStreetMap Blog

3 comments

Ooh, really cool!
I dont understand what will change. I made small contributions to osm years ago using josm and i basically had to draw shapes using coordinate points to fit the space occupied by the buildings as seen in the satellite image. Are those not vectors? What do they mean here when they say vectors are coming to openstreetmap?
- This affects people more that export OSM data to other platforms. You as a user may notice visual improvements as they scale better.
  
  Vector tiles represent a significant advancement in how map data is processed and presented. Unlike traditional raster tiles, which are static images with pixels, vector tiles are like the ‘SVGs’ of the mapping world: you get lines and points. This stores geodata in a format that allows for dynamic styling and interactivity, enabling the user to adapt the visual appearance of the map without altering the data. If that sounds like what you’ve seen on other maps, you are right! Vector tiles have become industry standard in interactive maps that, unlike openstreetmap.org, don’t get updated often, and where you can simply recalculate your whole database occasionally.