Sigh. I’m learning things again.
I couldn’t stand it. I had to play with the map data myself. I like maps and I’ve worked with them a lot over the years, but always in the context of, like, Google maps with fearsome copyright protections.
The idea of playing with free map data using free tools was just too tempting.
Of course, the tools to do this are hella complicated. At least, tools like QGIS are. The simple Java tool Java Open Street Map editor is more amenable to the casual tinkerer.
If you want to play, go to Open Street Map, pan and zoom to the place you want to map, export to an .osm file and import it to your preferred tool. Have fun!
The image is Mount Teide on the island of Tenerife, the highest point in Spain, visualized by Saber Razmjooei using QGIS.
January 22, 2026 — 6:02 pm
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