[OSM-talk] Actually using OpenStreetMap - how to get vector data

[Igor Brejc]

Hello,

While we're on the subject of OSM usability: I have a different 
issue/question/problem regarding the access to the OSM data.

While I find OSM web maps to be quite usable and all, I think the 
biggest strength of OSM (apart from its community, of course :) ) is 
having an access to the raw (vector) map data and not just image tiles 
like Google et al. For a long time I was dreaming about creating a 
desktop/mobile application for cyclists and hikers which would utilize 
the vector data for suggesting cycling/hiking routes, calculating the 
time needed and so on. The map area would not necessarily be a large one.

The problem is fetching the data - the only viable option I see is using 
OSMXAPI, but its server is overwhelmed and will limit the download size 
in the future (from what I read on this list). Using planet dumps seems 
to me a bit too unfriendly from the end-user perspective - they would 
have to download quite a large quantity of data.

I have the similar problem with providing map data to users of Kosmos. 
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards,
Igor