Visualizing Ten Years of OpenStreetMap

Mapbox has released an animated map visualizing the growth of OpenStreetMap data over the ten years since the project started. Ten Years of OpenStreetMap shows how OpenStreetMap has grown in ten years from a map of a few London streets to one of the most detailed maps of the world.

The animated map reveals how OpenStreetMap has particularly developed in the last 5 years from largely a map of the United States and Europe into a truly global map.


Martin Raifer's OpenStreetMap Node Density also provides a general overview of OpenStreetMap's global coverage. Each pixel on the map shows the number of nodes at that location. Martin Raifer's map shows OpenStreetMap node density as of June 2014.


Of course OpenStreetMap is an ongoing project to map the world. The world is always changing and OpenStreetMap needs to reflect those changes. Therefore dedicated volunteers around the world are always working to improve the map.

OSMlab's Show Me The Way provides a real-time view of OpenStreetMap's contributors in action. Using satellite imagery from Bing Maps 'Show Me The Way' provides a captivating visualization of the ever improving OpenStreetMap project.