About OpenCycleMap

OpenCycleMap is a global map for cyclists, based on data from the OpenStreetMap project. OpenCycleMap was started in 2007 by Andy Allan and Dave Stubbs, who were mapping south west London by bike and who wanted a visualisation of the bike routes they were mapping for OSM. Over the years the coverage and scope of both OpenStreetMap and OpenCycleMap have expanded beyond all expectations.

We take the global OpenStreetMap planet file, and process it into a PostgreSQL database. Maps are then generated on-demand using the powerful Mapnik map rendering library. The map style rules have evolved over the years and are currently being developed in CartoCSS. OpenCycleMap was originally hosted on a single server, but has now expanded to almost a dozen machines in a datacentre in Germany.

The OpenCycleMap map tiles are now used in a huge number of third-party sites and applications. If you are a developer and are interested in using these maps in your own project, site, app or device, there are full details available on the Thunderforest site.