OSM maps for Navitel - promising navigation. OpenStreetMap - free GPS maps In addition, there is everything that is in topo maps

In this article, I will share simple and convenient tools (maps and programs) that I use myself to plan my simple walking routes and navigate them in the process.

Disadvantages of topographic maps of the General Staff

Topographical maps of the General Staff (usually paper or already scanned) are good because they provide high-quality standardized information about the area. But sufficiently detailed maps are not always possible. And they cannot be used “quickly” by opening the cards on a computer or smartphone. They are not represented in their entirety and each area has to be searched individually and in advance.

After performing a certain dance with a tambourine, you can link a scan of the map to the coordinates in special programs and load it into the navigator. But again, this needs to be done in advance, you need a navigator, skill and time. And if you decide to just take a walk on vacation in a huge park or suddenly get lost somewhere in nature (especially in mountainous area) and want to find a trail? In such a situation, an application installed once on your smartphone will certainly help you out.

In addition, there are other goodies that are missing from topographic maps, which I will talk about later.

However, it is worth mentioning a good service that connects maps of the General Staff into a unified online map - Routes.ru. But so far I have not found such maps in applications on smartphones.

- modern topographic maps

For myself, I long ago found a replacement that covers most of my goals (simple tracking). These are maps built using OpenStreetMap (OSM) data.

These are open non-profit online maps all over the world, created jointly by the participants of this project.
To create maps, data from personal GPS trackers, aerial photography, video recordings, satellite images and street panoramas provided by some companies, as well as project participants.

In fact, it is data about objects created by a huge community of people different ways. And anyone can freely build maps based on this data.

So why is OSM better? topographic maps of the General Staff?

1. Completeness of coverage. They represent the whole world.
2. Detail and precision provided information about the area and location of objects.
3. Hiking trails. A large number of accurate information about hiking trails based on GPS trackers. Moreover, this is precisely what allows you to use the map for direct navigation along the trails. And if you find yourself in conditions of unexpectedly fallen snow and a swept path, poor visibility, such information will help you find the lost path. This has saved me more than once.
4. Lots of easy to use programs and services for all kinds of devices and operating systems using these cards. All thanks to an open license. Most of them provide the ability to save maps offline on your device for navigating the area without using the Internet.
5. Opportunity map export in all sorts of formats. Be it PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF, PostScript or even Garmin and Polish format for other navigation programs.
6. Some programs and services overlay data from other maps and sources on these maps supplementing information and functionality. For example, data from Wikimapia
7. If you have internet, you can download the desired area on the spot.

In addition, there is everything that is in topographic maps:

1. Terrain type. Rocks, forests, fields, rivers, ponds and everything else.
2. Availability altitude information(OpenCycleMap, Landscape, OpenTopoMap).
3. Water sources

The list of advantages is far from complete and represents only what most clearly reflects the advantages from my point of view and for my purposes (tracking).

OSM based maps

The main and first map built on this data has the same name OpenStreetMap and is located at the address of the project itself. Often represents more useful information about the terrain than the next two, but does not display heights.

These maps are available online both on the osm website itself and on its own domain.
The most interesting layers for tracking with elevations are OpenCycleMap and Landscape itself (available only at http://www.opencyclemap.org).

The Landscape map (layer), in my opinion, provides more information about the area.

I recently discovered these cards. Despite their name, they are also built on the OpenStreetMap database, but are more reminiscent topographic maps and are similar in many ways to the Landscape layer mentioned above.

Wikimapia
The slogan of the project: “Let's describe the whole world!” An international project, an online geographic encyclopedia whose goal is to mark and describe all geographic objects on Earth. And they cope with this very successfully. Wikimapia has more than 2.4 million registered users and more than 26 million objects added to the map (as of 2016). On its website the project uses different cards, including OSM. It displays these objects on them. Wikimapia data is often used by other services to overlay on their maps.

Computer programs with OSM cards

To plan a route on your computer, you can use online maps in your browser. But this is not entirely convenient.

I use the program SAS.Planet for Windows. The program accumulates all of the above cards, except Landscape. As well as many other cards including General Staff cards from the service Routes.ru, GooglMaps, YandexMaps and many others.

You can overlay data from other maps and databases on one map, thus creating personal information content. Allows you to plot routes, measure distances, save marks, export maps and data to other formats. Allows you to connect a navigator and much more.

Most people's knowledge of OSM is usually limited to: "It's a map that ordinary people draw, like Wikipedia." Further, one often hears that OSM cards not suitable for tourism, because there is no relief, passes, etc. This is not so, and I was convinced of the need to write an educational program.

• What OSM actually is;
• Why do tourists need it?
• How to obtain information from OSM when planning a hike;
• How to use it already on the route;
• A little about drawing (addition) OSM.

What is OSM?

This is not the map you see on openstreetmap.org!

95% of the population who have heard about OSM go to this site, see this and, reasonably, do not experience a special outburst of emotions.

OSM is a database. To make it easier to understand, imagine a file with a plate where the coordinates of points or lines are written in the first column, and what these points and lines mean in the second column. This sign is OSM. Of course, I have now simplified the sign, but the main thing is that you understand that OSM in its original version is just such a boring sign, and not a beautiful multi-colored map or even a picture.

The data from this plate is used to make…. anything!

From electronic cards for tourists to electrical circuit diagrams or a poster on the wall with a diagram of bus routes in your hometown.

One of the OSM maps for viewing from the screen of a desktop computer or phone. (Open Topo Map) One of the OSM maps for the Garmin portable navigator
three-dimensional map for the blind, printed on a 3D printer based on OSM data. They do. Germany electrical grid map
sea ​​map at http://map.openseamap.org/
OSM map in popular mobile application Maps.me

Everyone who creates a graphical representation of OSM chooses, to their own taste and color, how certain objects will be presented there. And will they introduce themselves at all? As you can see in the pictures above, those who needed a map of electrical networks ignored all objects in the OSM database, except those related to electrical networks. But the creators of Maps.me, when making a map for navigation in the populated area and nearby, did not include power lines, mountain passes and fords in their map. Creators sea ​​map they fish out a completely third thing from the database.

That is, if I really want, I can make a map where only seas, benches and wells will be displayed. And the seas will be red, the benches will look like the UN flag on the map, the wells will be displayed on the on a large scale(when, what scale is shown can also naturally be different) and will be drawn with crosses. My psychedelic map will be updated (pulling up-to-date information from OSM servers) every full moon (Whoever decides, but I love the full moon!). No one will need such a card, but in theory it is possible :)

That's why there is no list " Legend on OSM maps." For each graphical representation (OSM/rasterizer type - you can find different names) it will be different. I will tell you below how to receive information from OSM. This will be interesting even to those for whom the symbols on maps are intuitively clear, because, as you probably understand, There is not a single OSM map that would immediately display everything that is in the database.

Why do we need this?

You can read more about the maps used to prepare for the hike from me.

Yandex and Google maps they are not applicable for forests and mountains - I hope this is clear. No paths, no necessary objects, no relief. Corporations are not interested in being distracted and drawing a path along which in a year a person will pass 100. It is not interesting to display a spring in the forest, and the passes are needed by such a small number of their clients that they will most likely never appear there.

But in OSM there is a lot of information that a) does not fit on the map b) is not cartographic in principle. If a competent OSM specialist has walked around the area before you, then you will receive a lot of information that you are usually used to receiving from the reports of sports tourists. ( By the way, in reports they sometimes lie and embellish reality because of the motive, crusts and categories, but the OSM editor has no motive to lie.) And here this information is immediately tied to the area, and not in the form of text. If the area is poorly drawn, it means you are out of luck and it is in your hands to fix it.

I will show you the simplest way to extract interesting additional information from OSM, which does not require installing any programs.

Tags, this is of course cool, but OSM also provides the ability to plot a route (prepare a track for a hike) along trails/roads automatically, rather than manually clicking on the map. This can be done in the application on Android (there is also a package of maps from here) or on the website gpsies.com (the main thing when saving the track is to check the box that this is your plan, and not the actual track), or in the SAS Planet program ( it's bad here).

OSM on route

OSM are vector maps, so they are convenient to use in navigators (automatic routing along tracks, zoom changes without loss of quality, object search). As usual, we have a choice between Garmin and a smartphone.

OSM maps for Garmin navigator

Convenient OSM assemblies that are suitable for tourists under a backpack, daily updates:

• https://maptourist.org/osm-garmin - the entire former USSR + Mongolia. The link contains the file gmapsupp.zip, by unpacking it and putting it on the memory card in the device in the Garmin folder, you will receive a map of everything former USSR. There are also separate files for the Federal Districts of the Russian Federation and Mongolia. This assembly displays passes with categories;
• http://garmin.openstreetmap.ru/federal/ - Russia with files by federal districts (the archive must be unpacked using, for example, 7zip and simply thrown onto the memory card in the device in the Garmin folder);
• http://gis-lab.info/data/mp/# - regions of the Russian Federation and some countries in separate files. There are also instructions for filling, including through Base Camp.

In OSM, users are constantly making changes, and the above builds are constantly updated, so by uploading the map right before your trip, you will receive the latest version.

Many maps do not have contour lines. They can be supplied separately.

The relief files are permanent, so I collected them here: https://yadi.sk/d/olnB_ueyxHJW0g They are also easy to upload. After installation, you will see relief files as separate items in the list of device maps, which allows you to disable them when they are not needed and interfere with viewing the map.
Follow the link for the readme file, horizontal lines for all of Russia and separately for the rest of the world from 60*NS to 56*SW. You can download both files immediately and torrent files. The horizontal lines represent a gluing of data from space scanning of the Earth SRTM and ASTER GDEM.

Garmin seems to have been sorted out.

OSM in a smartphone

There are a lot of options here. The simplest one is:

The OSMAnd application did not impress me because I could not download a non-OSM map offline. Since on a hike I use a smartphone also as a backup storage for maps and satellite images.

A little about drawing (addition) OSM

Ideally, you should complete the map before and after the hike.

• Before the hike- to prepare as much as possible a card for your loved one. You can mark forests, rivers, ridges, clearings, and roads visible on satellite images.
• After the hike- because it’s interesting and to share the information you collected during the hike. Much can only be mapped after you have seen it for yourself. The quality of the trail, the number of sites for tents, springs, wells in villages, the depth of the ford, etc. and so on

The simplest editor is right in the browser. It's called iD. Go to https://www.openstreetmap.org

If you are doing this for the first time, you will have to register (your login and password will be useful for other editors).

It is very simple, but there are few possibilities, many things in it take a long time and are not convenient, and something can easily be broken.

It would be best to master the JOSM editor. This is already a separate program on the computer. There are a lot of bells and whistles, the ability to add a bunch of satellite images, upload your tracks and points, look at the entire history of changes in an object, etc. and so on. The main thing is that the editing process takes place offline, any action can be easily canceled with the usual Ctrl+Z. When you’re done, click the “send data to server” button, the program will check your edits, offer to check the box “I want someone else to check my edits” (check it first), and ask you to indicate the source of data about the new package of changes. And only after this the changes will be sent to the server where the database is stored. On the map of the openstreetmap.org site, changes will be displayed immediately, in those assemblies for Garmin that I threw above - every other day, and, for example, the same maps.me updates the map once a month.

Instructions for using JOSM: https://josm.openstreetmap.de/wiki/Ru%3AIntroduction

Video instructions in which it all starts with setting up the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7UdJrX8nGM

These two instructions (if you wish, you can find more, including on YouTube) will teach you the technical part. To find out exactly what tags are used to designate certain objects, use the search in OSMWiki (search box at the top right). With a little experience, you will remember the tags you use and will be less likely to visit the Wiki.

Common beginner mistakes:

• draw under the rasterizer. Let's assume that you use maps.me for navigation. He doesn't draw passes ( mountain_pass=yes), this rasterizer was not created for mountain hiking. But you want to see the passes in maps.me on your smartphone. And you start marking passes like tourism=viewpoint ( This tag is supposed to mark places with good view) , which is displayed in maps.me. This is not correct, since in meaning these are different objects, which are clearly described in Wiki. And it’s your problem that your rasterizer doesn’t show something. For another person, everything may be fine, and he needs to distinguish a pass from a viewpoint. Even if no rasterizer displays what you need, if the database is maintained properly, then it is possible to create a suitable rasterizer for your purposes or make changes to an existing one. For example, I was missing https://maptourist.org/osm-garmin rtsa_scale =* in the assembly for Garmin. If you write everything down in solid text on one line, then the electronic brain will not cope. If you have information that you don't know how to tag, but is useful to the end user, write it into the tag value description=*. For example, I write to the point shop=hardware (hardware store) information about whether I found purified gasoline for burners there.
• redraw from other maps.In general, this point was invented in the West because of all sorts of legal and financial problems. Yes, Google and Yandex will be very against it if you start using their maps, which they spent money on, for the sake of a map that is distributed for free. But this rule, as they say: “not a bug, but a feature.” It allows me to guarantee that the path that I see on OSM was drawn from a GPS track by people who actually walked there, and the clearing is visible on a satellite photograph, and not copied from a General Staff map that has not been updated for decades. Of course, the trail on OSM could also be overgrown, but when preparing for the hike, we look at all available maps, and if the trail is drawn on all maps, then we will be sure of its presence, and if it is not on some map, we We will no longer count on it so much and we will plan our actions accordingly. And if maps begin to be redrawn one after another without checking reality, then it will be nonsense. In addition, you already know how to look at the date of creation of the trail in OSM in order to estimate its presence at the moment, and you know how to delete an object if it still doesn’t exist on the area.

We often hear that since OSM can be edited by anyone, then someone can come there who will erase everything or draw schizophrenic nonsense. If this happens occasionally, experienced users can successfully identify it and fix it. Yes, and it’s too complicated and it doesn’t bother vandals to register somewhere and spoil the card. The abundance of users, of course, increases the number of people unfamiliar with the technical part of mapping, but there are also more and more experienced users who can correct beginners.

This was an introductory course to OSM. That's enough for a start :)

Join the hikes through my group.

You can’t go anywhere without navigation, especially considering the state of our roads. Have you noticed that your navigator is not stable? Then you need to download OSM maps for Navitel as soon as possible. They contain all the necessary information about populated areas countries, these maps show POIs such as restaurants, bars, and cultural venues.

OSM maps for Navitel are something more than regular navigation. This is a project created by enthusiasts with their own hands. The service provides raster maps of the area, and navigation services based on them create the maps that we are accustomed to. This approach makes it possible to organize navigation as accurately as possible.

The OSM project is a completely non-profit project. This means that all maps are provided free of charge under a public domain license. Moreover, Open Street Map acts as a wiki, which allows everyone to make changes to the maps and this makes OSM even better, higher quality and more popular.

Why should OSM be used?

Open Street Map has a number of advantages over other projects of a similar nature:

• accuracy;

Navitel OSM maps are so detailed that with a 99% probability, every hump and uneven terrain that is on the maps will be found in real life. This is due to the fact that maps are constantly being improved by the OSM community on the Internet. As a result, edits are made, old versions are updated, and new maps are improved.

• free distribution;

The project is supported by donations. This made it possible to absolutely download all OSM maps for Navitel. At the same time, the quality will be far from worse than that of paid services.

• wide girth;

Unlike most projects, OSM maps for Navitel cover the entire Earth. Therefore, using them, you are guaranteed to know how to get to the place you need in an unfamiliar country or continent. Moreover, OSM is superior in accuracy to some of its paid “brothers” - TomTom/Tele Atlas. According to the study, Open Street Map is 27% more accurate than these maps.

• convenient use;

Maps can be imported into any convenient format - PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF or PostScript. Also, it is possible to load them into Garmin, GisRussa.

The WIKI format allowed OSM to create a unique mapping project. After all, the fact that maps are finalized by local residents provides undeniable advantages. Firstly, the accuracy is extremely high, and secondly, reliability is ensured. And thirdly, this is the general availability of the OSM map for Navitel. You can download them on our website completely free of charge and without SMS.

Read about how to install cards.

Overview map of Russia (Russia-overview)
Altai (Russia-AL)
Altai Territory (Russia-ALT)
Amur region (Russia-AMU)
Arkhangelsk region (Russia-ARK)
Astrakhan region (Russia-AST)
Bashkiria (Russia-BA)
Belgorod region (Russia-BEL)
Bryansk region (Russia-BRY)
Buryatia (Russia-BU)
Chechnya (Russia-CE)
Chelyabinsk region (Russia-CHE)
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (Russia-CHU)
Chuvashia (Russia-CU)
Dagestan (Russia-DA)
Ingushetia (Russia-IN)
Irkutsk region (Russia-IRK)
Ivanovo region (Russia-IVA)
Kamchatka region (Russia-KAM)
Kabardino-Balkaria (Russia-KB)
Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia-KC)
Krasnodar region and Adygea (Russia-KDA)
Kemerovo region (Russia-KEM)
Kaliningrad region (Russia-KGD)
Kurgan region (Russia-KGN)
Khabarovsk Territory (Russia-KHA)
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Russia-KHM)
Kirov region (Russia-KIR)
Khakassia (Russia-KK)
Kalmykia (Russia-KL)
Kaluga region (Russia-KLU)

These are unofficial free cards. They are created by the Internet community OpenStreetMap (OSM). Another undoubted advantage is that they are not made by one person; each registered user can make changes to the map. Constantly updated and in many regions have more up-to-date information on this moment than official cards.

Instructions for installing OpenStreetMap maps for Navitel Navigator:

1. Make a copy of the memory card (just in case)
2. Copy the necessary *.nm2 files to any folder on the device or memory card (for example /sdcard/NavitelContent/Maps/AtlasOSM). If the regions do not border each other, then in order for the route to be laid correctly, add a file with overview map Russia (Russia-overview-osm-nm2).
3. In the Navitel program, open Menu - Settings - Map - Open atlas - middle icon with a folder at the bottom - select a folder and click “ok” (green checkmark)
4. After the indexing process is completed, the maps will be available for navigation

IMPORTANT! Maps of the OSM project are created in the only NM2 format; they work perfectly with the Navitel Navigator navigation program version 5.0.3 and lower without failures or limitations (better in version 3.5). Also, OSM maps work well on versions of Navitel Navigator up to 9.10.xxxx