This workshop will give you a (non-random) walk on how to use OpenMapTiles to create vector tiles so that you can take a (random) walk through Boulder.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to create vector tiles of Boulder and have it served on a web server on your local computer.

The OpenMapTiles project turns OpenStreetMap data into vector tiles. Those vector tiles have great value in their portability. Vector tiles can be placed on a web server to serve to desktop or mobile devices over a cellular or local network. And vector tiles can be embedded in a mobile app for offline use.

The applications of portable vector tiles are vast: imagine an offline map of a backcountry hiking area with no data service. Or, a museum or school that wants to display a map in a kiosk with the familiar touch screen interaction. Vector tiles can also be turned into high resolution images for printing.

Our guide will walk you through how to use OpenStreetMap .pbf geo data files, with PostGIS, and Docker to create .mbtiles to serve up with tileserver-gl. We will take these seemingly random terms and help you understand OpenMapTiles.