Streets GL
A real-time 3D map renderer for visualizing OpenStreetMap data with WebGL2, featuring eye-candy graphics and on-the-fly geometry generation.
What is Streets GL?
Streets GL is a real-time 3D map renderer that visualizes OpenStreetMap data in a browser using WebGL2. It generates geometry on the fly to display buildings, roads, terrain, and other map features with advanced graphics like PBR shading, postprocessing effects, and dynamic environments. The project aims to make open geospatial data explorable and visually validating for the mapping community.
Developers and mapping enthusiasts interested in high-fidelity 3D geospatial visualization, open data advocacy, or integrating advanced real-time rendering techniques with OpenStreetMap.
It offers a visually rich, open-source alternative to proprietary 3D mapping tools, with a focus on modularity, custom rendering pipelines, and support for real-time effects—all built from scratch for flexibility and performance.
Overview
🗺 OpenStreetMap 3D renderer powered by WebGL2
Use Cases
Best For
- Visualizing OpenStreetMap data in 3D with realistic lighting and shadows
- Building interactive 3D map applications with custom rendering pipelines
- Experimenting with advanced WebGL2 techniques like deferred shading and PBR
- Creating educational or promotional tools for open geospatial data
- Developing real-time terrain and building visualization for urban planning
- Integrating modular rendering components (e.g., render graph, bitmap fonts) into other projects
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring automated, real-time updates to map data (tiles are updated manually 2-4 times a month)
- Teams needing a production-ready mapping library with extensive documentation and community support
- Applications targeting low-end devices or environments without WebGL2 and a modern discrete GPU
Pros & Cons
Pros
Implements advanced graphics like deferred shading with PBR and rich postprocessing effects including TAA, SSAO, and bloom, as highlighted in the features list for high-fidelity rendering.
Includes separable, dependency-free modules such as a custom WebGL2 renderer and render graph, allowing developers to extract and use parts in other projects for flexibility.
Features global search powered by Nominatim and real-time air traffic visualization, enhancing user engagement with OpenStreetMap data in 3D.
Specifically designed to visualize OpenStreetMap data, promoting open geospatial data and providing a tool for the mapping community to validate maps visually, as stated in the philosophy.
Cons
The README explicitly warns that the project is in early development with bugs and missing features, making it unreliable for production or critical applications.
Vector tiles are updated manually 2-4 times a month without an automated process, limiting data freshness compared to services with live updates or real-time sync.
Requires WebGL2 and a modern discrete GPU for smooth performance, which excludes users with older hardware, integrated graphics, or mobile devices, as noted in the minimum requirements.
Built from scratch with custom modules, so integrating it into existing projects requires significant expertise in WebGL and graphics programming, with limited plug-and-play options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
TracesmapA map allowing for planning routes on OsmCarto and OpenTopoMap-derived retina maps
F4map Demo3D rendering demo of OpenStreetMap data. (Wiki)
FacilMapMap with easy possibility to filter for POI types. (Source Code / Wiki)
indoor=Map for viewing indoor data from OpenStreetMap. (Wiki) <!-- markdown-link-check-disable-line -->
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