How Our Maps Become Art
OpenStreetMap Data
Every OwnHomeMap poster is generated from real geographic data sourced from OpenStreetMap (OSM), the world's largest collaborative geographic database. Founded in 2004, OSM is maintained by over 10 million volunteer contributors across 190+ countries. The database indexes over 130 million mapped streets, over 500 million buildings and millions of points of interest. The data covers 99% of urban areas worldwide and is updated daily by the community. Unlike proprietary maps (Google Maps, Apple Maps), OSM data is free and open, allowing us to transform it artistically without restriction. Every street, square and path documented by this global community becomes a line in your wall art piece.
Road Hierarchy
Not all roads are equal. Our algorithm distinguishes 5 levels of road hierarchy, each with a distinct thickness and color in each theme. Motorways and expressways (motorway/trunk in OSM nomenclature) are rendered as thick 3px lines, forming the city's backbone. Primary roads appear at 2.5px, secondary roads at 2px, residential streets (residential/living_street) at 1.5px, and pedestrian paths (pedestrian/footway) at 0.8px. This 5-level system creates a natural visual hierarchy that instantly identifies urban structure: grand boulevards stand out from neighborhood alleys, and pedestrian zones distinguish themselves from traffic axes. Each theme defines a specific color for each level, meaning the same data produces 17 different artistic interpretations.
Water & Parks Layers
Beyond the road network, OwnHomeMap integrates natural elements that define each city's character. Water bodies are extracted via OSM tags natural=water (lakes, ponds, reservoirs), waterway=riverbank (riverbanks) and waterway=river (waterways). Green spaces are identified by tags leisure=park (public parks), landuse=grass (lawns, meadows) and landuse=forest (forests, woods). Each element is rendered as a colored polygon according to the chosen theme and superimposed on the road network in a precise z-order: water appears at layer 0.5 (under roads), parks at layer 0.8, ensuring realistic rendering. These natural elements add an organic dimension that contrasts with the geometry of streets and reveal each city's unique geographic identity — the Seine in Paris, the Tiber in Rome, Central Park in New York.
17 Unique Themes
OwnHomeMap offers 17 artistic themes, each defining a unique palette of 8 to 12 colors that transforms the same data into a radically different work. Each theme specifies colors for background, 5 road levels, water, parks and text. Available themes include: Terracotta (warm earth tones), Noir (minimalist black and white), Midnight Blue (elegant deep blue), Blueprint (technical plan style), Neon Cyberpunk (fluorescent colors on dark background), Japanese Ink (sumi-e style black ink), Warm Beige (natural beige tones), Pastel Dream (soft pastel colors), Sunset (sunset tones), Ocean (marine blues), Forest (forest greens), Emerald (emerald green), Copper Patina (patinated copper), Monochrome Blue (blue harmonies), Gradient Roads (road gradients), Contrast Zones and Autumn. From minimalist to vibrant, from classic to contemporary, each palette tells a different story.
Typography & Personalization
The typographic layer is the most personal element of your poster. OwnHomeMap offers 9 carefully selected fonts covering major typographic families: classic serif (timeless elegance), modern sans-serif (clean lines), and handwritten (personal touch). Text is fully customizable: city name in large format, country name as subtitle, GPS coordinates in DMS format (degrees, minutes, seconds — e.g., 48 51' 24" N, 2 21' 3" E for Paris), and a free personal message. Each typographic element is automatically positioned for optimal visual balance, with spacing and centering calculated by poster format. Typography appears at z-layer 11, above all other elements, ensuring perfect readability on all themes.
The 5-Layer Rendering Pipeline
Every OwnHomeMap poster is generated by a rendering algorithm that superimposes 5 layers in a precise order (z-order). This layering system ensures a realistic and aesthetic rendering where each element is visible without obscuring others.
Water bodies
Lakes, rivers, canals and banks are rendered first as colored polygons (OSM tags: natural=water, waterway=riverbank, waterway=river). The water layer forms the landscape base and appears under all other layers.
Parks and green spaces
Public parks, forests, meadows and green spaces are overlaid on water (OSM tags: leisure=park, landuse=grass, landuse=forest). These green polygons add an organic, natural dimension to the map, forming color islands amid the road network.
Road network by hierarchy
The road network is rendered above water and parks, organized in 5 hierarchy levels: motorways (3px), primary roads (2.5px), secondary (2px), residential (1.5px) and pedestrian (0.8px). This is the poster's main layer, the one that defines the city's character. Each theme assigns unique colors to each level.
Fade gradients
Fade gradients are applied to the top and bottom of the poster to create an elegant vignette effect. These gradients soften the map edges and create visual space for typography. The gradient color matches the chosen theme's background color, ensuring a smooth, natural transition.
Typography and custom text
The top layer contains all typographic elements: city name (customizable font and size), country name, GPS coordinates in DMS format and optional personal message. This layer is always visible, above all other elements, ensuring perfect readability regardless of theme or road network density.
OpenStreetMap vs Other Map Sources
OwnHomeMap exclusively uses OpenStreetMap data rather than Google Maps, Apple Maps or other proprietary sources. This choice is deliberate and offers major advantages. First, OSM data is free and open (ODbL license), allowing us to transform it artistically without restriction — impossible with Google Maps or Apple Maps whose terms of use prohibit visual modification. Second, OSM offers superior detail level for elements relevant to our posters: precise road classification in 5+ levels (motorway, primary, secondary, residential, pedestrian), detailed identification of green spaces and water bodies with specific tags (leisure=park, natural=water, landuse=forest). Third, the 10-million-strong OSM community updates data daily, while proprietary maps are updated by internal teams on longer cycles. Finally, OSM data covers 190 countries with 99% urban area coverage, including small towns and villages often absent from proprietary maps.
Frequently Asked Questions About Map Data
Is the map data up to date?
Yes. OwnHomeMap uses OpenStreetMap data, which is updated daily by a community of over 10 million volunteer contributors. New streets, road modifications and new developments are typically integrated into the database within days of construction. This means your poster reflects the current state of your city, including recently built streets.
Are all cities in the world available?
OpenStreetMap covers 99% of urban areas worldwide across 190 countries. Major cities (Paris, New York, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona...) have extremely high detail levels. Small towns and villages are also covered, with detail depending on local OSM contributor activity. In rare cases, very isolated areas may have limited coverage, but this affects less than 1% of requests.
Why are some elements (buildings, POIs) not displayed?
OwnHomeMap is designed to create wall art, not navigation maps. We deliberately display only the most aesthetic layers: the road network (5 hierarchy levels), water bodies and green spaces. Individual buildings, points of interest (restaurants, shops) and transit lines are not displayed as they would visually overload the poster and reduce its artistic character. This simplification choice is what transforms a utilitarian map into art.
What is the difference between the 17 themes?
Each theme defines a unique palette of 8 to 12 colors applied to all poster elements: background color, 5 road levels (motorway, primary, secondary, residential, pedestrian), water, parks and text. For example, the Noir theme uses a black background with white roads for a minimalist effect, while Neon Cyberpunk uses a dark background with fluorescent colored roads (pink, blue, green) for a futuristic effect. Terracotta uses warm earth tones, and Japanese Ink evokes traditional black ink drawing. The same map data produces 17 radically different artworks.