User:Wauteurz/Mapmaking/Starting out

In this age of satellites and GPS, you no longer need to be a professional cartographer to draw an accurate map. The following instructions are for creating standard Wikivoyage maps using Inkscape (a free image-creating program available for most operating systems). The process using similar programs such as Adobe Illustrator is similar, but will not be touched on in this guide.

Background
Wikivoyage maps are created as an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file using Inkscape. These files contain collections of objects displayed as "vectors", meaning that these elements' makeup is stored as a mathematical calculation, which allows the file to be magnified to any resolution without appearing pixelated, which would be the case in a typical JPEG or PNG image. In the case of Wikivoyage maps, these vectors will represent streets, geographical features and so on.

These maps are made as an SVG file, but are to be exported as a PNG Portable Network Graphics) file, as all web browsers can display these. When using the SVG file directly, things such as the used fonts might break as it might not be supported by the device reading the SVG file. For the sake of being able to update these maps when something changes, both the SVG and PNG versions ought to be saved. The SVG is there to not have to make the map from scratch every time a change needs to be made, and the PNG is there to use in articles and overwrite when changes have been made in the SVG file.

Tools
You will need some tools in order to build maps. The most critical is a vector-based drawing program capable of producing SVG-format files. As mentioned, Wikivoyage guides on mapmaking assume that Inkscape is used.


 * Inkscape is an open-source and free tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. Please use the most current version, to avoid compatibility issues. Possible alternatives to Inkscape are listed in the table to the right, along with their costs as of 2021.
 * Fonts: Wikivoyage maps use two notable fonts, DejaVu Sans and DejaVu Sans Condensed. Both can be found and downloaded here.
 * These guides assume at least a bit of knowledge about editing programs. If you're a complete beginner, have a quick search online. There is a plethora of Inkscape tutorials available for free through either YouTube or third-party websites. Inkscape itself of course also offers tutorials.

Map types and templates
There are two key Wikivoyage map types, and it is important to be sure which category is most appropriate for your map, as the template used is different.

City or district street map
This is a detailed map of a city area most appropriate for articles created using the small city or district templates. This map type is also often appropriate for articles created with the park article template.

The map template we use can be downloaded here. Two examples follow of different types of city/district street maps, which you may find helpful as inspiration for the content and final look of your map. Both were created using the same district map template (click either to enlarge).

The Dupont Circle map is a detailed street map of a smallish city district. The London Hampstead map covers a much larger district and therefore shows less (but still considerable) detail.

Country or region map
This is a map of a country or a region most appropriate for articles created using the country, region or huge city templates.

Wikivoyage has a special expedition for country/region map making. If you are planning to draw a map of this type, then we strongly recommend that you read that article and consider joining the expedition. For specifics on the colour palette, symbols used and what have you for a country or region map, please refer to the region maps expedition and its talk page.

The region map template is available here. Two examples follow of different types of regional maps which you may find helpful as inspiration for the content and final look of your map. Both were created using the same region map template (click either to enlarge).

The Thailand country map shows the regions of the country, the main transport routes and major destinations. The Chicago map shows the extent of the city, major transport routes and its main district divisions. Note that both maps show surrounding land and water areas; this is important, lest the area of your map look like an island floating in a sea of white.

Specialist maps
Additionally, there are some specialist map types such as dive sites and layout diagrams of monuments. If you are planning to draw a specialist map of this nature, then we suggest you download an appropriate existing SVG map and familiarise yourself with the structure and style used.

Uploading your map
When uploading your map, please always do so to Wikimedia Commons and remember to upload both the bitmap (.png) and the vector (.svg) versions. That way others can add to your map at a later stage. As for the file descriptions, something along the lines of this should do (but do replace everything between «brackets»: ====

If you have used OpenStreetMap directly (by tracing elements of their map, for example), your description should look more like this: ====

Using the map
Though you could just plop the map you have created down in the article it applies to, it is considered bad practise to just throw the map out there. On Wikivoyage, we accompany maps with the following things:
 * Reference in the text to the map.
 * Regionlist, which lists the regions displayed on the map with their colour, destinations and description.
 * A dynamic map: Though optional for regions and districts, where either a dynamic or static map needs to be present, both can be used together, as can be seen done with Stockholm (side-by-side) or Kraków (switchable). In the case of city maps, a dynamic map is needed for displaying listings to begin with, so there is no escaping dynamic maps in that case.

Help
The following Wikivoyage map-makers are happy to give specific help and advice to others. Please feel perfectly free to leave any questions and requests should be left on their user talk page—you are not bothering them!
 * Wauteurz (talk)

Inkscape tips and tricks
Please all map-makers use this section to add useful tips and tricks for using Inkscape.
 * Use the edit path nodes tool (F2) for manipulating streets, since this keeps the stroke width constant.
 * To extend a street, select it with edit path nodes tool and then choose the Bézier tool. Any nodes you add will become a part of the same object.
 * Use ALT-cursor keys to 'nudge' objects into the right place.
 * Objects can be combined into layers, which can be made visible or invisible by clicking on the "eye" icon. The following layer stack makes it easy to 'peel part' various components of a map: background - satellite data - area highlight - street map - area annotations.
 * Locking layers that you are not actively working on can save you a lot of trouble by making it impossible to accidentally move or change objects on the locked layers.
 * Inkscape is not the most stable of programs and is prone to hanging. It has an autosave feature in the latest version, but it's not 100% reliable; remember to save your work regularly.
 * In Inkscape, be warned that grouping items together from different layers will bring them up to the layer of the highest item in the selection.
 * Combining paths (ctrl-k) or grouping (ctrl-g) paths with exactly the same attributes (streets, parks, water) can save a lot of time, as it allows you to change identical paths with a single click. To automatically select paths with the same attributes, hit ctrl-x to bring up the XML editor; highlight and copy (ctrl-c) an item relevant item under style (such as fill:XXXXXXFF); then hit ctrl-f to bring up the find box; and paste (ctrl-v) the item into the it's style field. From there press enter, and you will have selected every path in your SVG with that particular attribute!
 * The union, difference, and intersection tools from the path menu are incredibly useful for precise manipulation of objects. It will take a bit of experimentation to master their use, but this is especially worthwhile for handling complex geography, or creating interlocking color fields to display neighborhoods or regions on your map.
 * Before performing operations, always close the XML editor, which will otherwise display every individual change painfully slowly.