Introduction to Nominatim
Nominatim, derived from the Latin word for 'by name', is a powerful tool designed for searching geographic data within OpenStreetMap and processing geocoding and reverse geocoding tasks. If you're ever used the search box on the OpenStreetMap home page, you've likely interacted with Nominatim. This tool allows users to search for places by name or address and to generate synthetic addresses for OpenStreetMap points, essentially turning map locations into human-readable addresses and vice versa.
Key Features
- Geocoding: Allows users to input a place name or address and get corresponding geographic coordinates.
- Reverse Geocoding: Converts geographical coordinates back into a human-readable street address.
- Open Access: An up-to-date instance of Nominatim is available for use at nominatim.openstreetmap.org.
Documentation and Installation
For those interested in diving deeper, extensive documentation is accessible online. The latest information and guidelines for development are found within the docs/ subdirectory of the project, or you can access them in HTML format here.
To get started with Nominatim, users can download the latest stable release from nominatim.org, which also provides detailed installation instructions. A brief overview of the installation process includes:
- Compile Nominatim: Create a build environment and compile the necessary files.
- Project Setup: Generate a project directory, acquire the appropriate OpenStreetMap data, and import it into Nominatim.
- Web Server Configuration: Direct your web server to the correct project directory to complete the setup.
Detailed installation instructions are also available for ongoing developments found on Nominatim's main site, ensuring users have access to both stable and cutting-edge versions.
Licensing
The software's source code is publicly available under several licenses. The Python code is released under the GPL version 3 or later, while Lua configuration files are under the Apache License, Version 2.0. All remaining files follow the GPLv2 license.
Contributing to Nominatim
Nominatim is an open-source project that thrives on community contributions. Developers and users are encouraged to contribute through bug reports or code changes. Should you need to report an issue, using the provided issue templates will streamline the process. Those unsure about issues or looking for more information are advised to consult community forums first.
More detailed information on how to contribute can be found in the project's contribution guide.
Seeking Help
The Nominatim community is active and accommodating. For inquiries related to search outputs and the underlying OpenStreetMap data, users can turn to the OSM Forum. For discussions about Nominatim and its installations, the community encourages engagement through the Github discussions forum.
Through continuous community support, detailed documentation, and robust features, Nominatim stands as a reliable tool for mapping enthusiasts and developers working with geographical data on OpenStreetMap.