[OSM-newbies] layers in OSM?

[Richard Weait]

On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 11:17 AM, Xan <dxpublica at telefonica.net> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Perhaps it's outside the scope of this list, but I will try. I'm just
> curious. Is there any way of seeing "layers" of things in OSM: the layer of
> shops (only things tagged with shop= ), the layer of bus stops, the layer of
> bus routes, the layer of industrial areas, the layer of the waterstreams....
>
> Perhaps one time we want one show the rivers in the map. Why we have to see
> the residential highways?
>
> Good if in some future the users could choose layers in OSM map, I think.
>
> Any hint?

Dear Xan,

Yes, it is possible to see layers of OpenStreetMap data.  BUt it isn't
really an "OpenStreetMap question".

Displaying layers is really a matter of your rendering choices.  To
see an example, the wikimedia server has this
http://toolserver.org/~osm/styles/?zoom=15&lat=43.65148&lon=-79.38008&layers=B000T0TF0000T0TFFF

That link shows street lighting, bicycle trails, parking and
surveillance cameras at the moment.  If this were your server you
could easily render separate layers for shops, sport fields, coffee
shops, bowling alleys,... what ever your choose.

To do this for your own server, you would render a base layer, and
separate tile layers of your choosing.  The overlay tile layers would
probably have a transparent background, or translucent background like
the "lighting layer" shown.

Does this help?

Best regards,
Richard