Tuesday, September 15, 2020

The Building Height Histogram Map



I've seen lots of interactive maps which visualize building height data by color. These interactive maps color individual building footprints to represent the height of every displayed building. The result is usually a very colorful map which helps to show where the tallest (or shortest) buildings are concentrated within a city.

What these maps don't do is provide you with any data on the number of buildings of different heights within an area. Which is where the Rendering OSM Objects in Mapbox GL interactive map comes in. This map includes a dynamic histogram which tells you how many buildings of each height there are within the current map view.



Drag the map around and the histogram will automatically update to show you the number of buildings of different heights in the map view. A small inset map also provides a 3D view of all the buildings which provides a neat overview of where the buildings of different heights are actually situated.

There are many reasons why you might want to show the number of buildings by height in a defined area. For example, many residents in my neighborhood are currently fighting a planning application for the development of a tall block of apartments. This map could be used to show the current number of local buildings of different building heights. It could help to highlight how a taller building would look very out of place in this neighborhood. 

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