[Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV General] low.flying.pigs:
Bulk mapping should be rendered from raw data. It is not my idea. It is an OpenStreetMap requirement. Abuse of their resources is, and has always been, expressly prohibited. There are a number of tools available for rendering. Maperitive is one of the easier to use (that does not mean it is necessarily easy, it means most ordinary users will find the other readily available rendering software even harder, or produces incompatible output, requiring conversion (if even readily possible), which creates further difficulties). It is a standalone application that produces output directly compatible already with GPS Cycle Computer, and does not need to be used in conjunction with anything else.

Without specific information, only general advise can be given. If you need assistance getting Maperitive to work, it is available, however specific details are required. When running, usability directly relates to hardware capability.

What was going to be stated was that in addition to the Tile Server detailed in post 2287, consideration has been given to providing pre prepared offline OpenStreetMap based mapping ready for download and usage in GPS Cycle Computer.

This would be the same mapping as available via the Tile Server, at least initially. Resources probably will not allow rendering of multiple different styles, and furthermore, the mapping will provide coverage only of specified areas at zoom levels users require within the capabilities of resources, not the entire planet at every zoom level.

It was conceived initially coverage would include UK and Germany, and then further counties on request. Mapping updates would be periodical as resources allow.

Before that occurs however, apart from the issues of whether in the future there will even be access to raw data resultant from present abuse, and if so, how to prevent abuse of the GPS Cycle Computer resources, the issue of what style in which to render the mapping arises. Different people have different preferences. There are a multitude of other issues also to be resolved.

Essentially GPS Cycle Computer would then have the same / similar solutions as other manufacturers / brands / software have implemented. It may be that with downloadable mapping, Tile Server access is not required.

Alternatively commercial mapping can be purchased, or support of other formats awaited as previously detailed.

The sooner current and previous MOBAC and current and previous similar tools are permanently blocked from every remaining Tile Server and a workable sustainable free access solution as has been documented is implemented the better.

Users could then resume use of a compliant MOBAC and similar tools without placing unsustainable demand on OpenStreetMap and Tile Server service provider resources and breaching terms, and there would arise no need to develop or provide dedicated Tile Servers or mapping for download in the first instance.

The alternatives are all undesirable, and may well result in the loss of most if not all free OSM mapping and free OSM raw data.

Essentially, users and abusers can take this as their final warning to stop. Further abuse of MOBAC and similar tools in their current and previous forms will not help produce any desirable outcome. Unfortunately abusers usually do not care and will relentlessly persist. Hence the current lamentable situation in the first instance.

low.flying.pigs