Quezi

Paper map of Birmingham from OSM data (photo by nick_bl - CC-BY)

It’s easy to find maps online. Google Maps, for starters. But Google’s licensing terms don’t allow you to use those maps offline, and they contain an embedded watermark. So where can you find maps that you can legally reprint on a business card, or on a party invitation, or even to sell as maps in a shop?

The Open Street Map project is a collaborative mapping site that has mapped much of the world, and anyone may use their maps for pretty much any purpose under a Creative Commons license.

You can choose the area, zoom in as much as you like, turn the display of various features on or off, and render your map as a PNG-format graphic or a PDF file.

All you need to do in return is to acknowledge the source, and to allow others in turn to copy your version of the map. The rendering software can take care of the acknowledgement by adding “openstreetmap.org” in small writing in the corner of the map.

If you’re feeling community-minded, you can even fire up your GPS and do some updating of the map for your local area. I mapped the streets around where I live, and it’s a lot of fun!