osm2cdr.com Blog

Articles about map export formats, tools and OpenStreetMap data use cases.

Garmin JNX — BirdsEye Satellite Tiles for Oregon and GPSMAP: Format, Limits and OSM Rendering

Garmin JNX container for BirdsEye satellite imagery on Oregon and GPSMAP handhelds: JPEG tiles in zoom pyramid, 100MB limit, reverse-engineered structure and OSM rendering to JNX.

2026-04-05 · 7 min
GarminJNXBirdsEyeraster tiles

Garmin IMG — Binary Map Format for Garmin GPS Receivers (mkgmap, OpenStreetMap)

Garmin IMG is Garmin's proprietary binary GPS map format: eTrex/Edge/Oregon/nüvi; mkgmap (Java OSS) converts OSM to IMG, TYP files style symbols and icons.

2026-04-04 · 12 min
GarminIMGGPSmkgmap

FlatGeobuf (FGB) — Streaming Binary GIS Format: Internals, R-tree, HTTP Range Requests and OSM Export

Deep dive on FlatGeobuf: Bjorn Harrtell's 2018 binary format, packed Hilbert R-tree, HTTP range requests, OSM export workflow with QGIS 3.16+ support.

2026-04-02 · 8 min
FlatGeobufFGBGIScloud-native

Garmin GPI — Proprietary POI Format for nuvi/etrex: Icons, Proximity Alerts and OSM Conversion

Garmin GPI since 2005: binary POI container for nuvi/etrex devices with categories, BMP icons and proximity alerts. Convert OSM POI via POI Loader and gpsbabel.

2026-04-02 · 7 min
GarminGPIPOInavigation

Esri File Geodatabase (.gdb) — Open Without ArcGIS Pro: OpenFileGDB, Architecture, and OSM Export

FileGDB since 2009: a directory of dozens of .gdbtable files, two GDAL drivers — proprietary FileGDB SDK and open-source OpenFileGDB (R+W since GDAL 3.6), workflow without ArcGIS.

2026-04-01 · 7 min
FileGDBGDBEsriArcGIS

Garmin FIT — ANT+ Fitness Protocol for Edge and Forerunner: Profiles, HR/Power and OSM Routes

Garmin FIT protocol since 2008: binary fitness format for Edge/Forerunner/Fenix with GPS+HR+power+cadence. Activity/Course/Workout profiles and OSM route conversion.

2026-04-01 · 8 min
GarminFITfitnessANT+

FBX (Filmbox) format: industry-standard 3D pipeline — export OSM 3D buildings to FBX

FBX from Kaydara 1996 to Autodesk: ASCII/binary spec, DCC pipeline Maya↔Max↔Unity↔Unreal, OSM 3D building export.

2026-03-31 · 13 min
3dmeshautodeskfbx

EPS — Encapsulated PostScript: Maps for Old-School Print Workflows

Deep guide to EPS: PDF's predecessor from Adobe, versions 1.2-3.0 since 1987, how to make an EPS map from OpenStreetMap for legacy print shops.

2026-03-30 · 9 min
EPSPostScriptvectorprint

Excel (XLSX/XLS) format for geodata: POI tables and attribute exchange — OSM export to .xlsx

Excel XLSX (Office Open XML ISO 29500): POI tables with lat/lon, attribute exchange, OSM data export for non-GIS analysts.

2026-03-30 · 18 min
tabularexcelxlsxpoi

DWG — AutoCAD's Native Format: What It Is, History Since 1982, How to Open and Export from OpenStreetMap

Deep guide to DWG: Autodesk's binary AutoCAD format, 18 incompatible versions, ODA File Converter, honest OSM export workflow with DXF fallback.

2026-03-28 · 9 min
DWGCADAutoCADAutodesk

DGN (MicroStation Design) format: Bentley CAD 1984 — OSM export to DGN V8

DGN from Bentley MicroStation 1984: V7 vs V8 spec, ODA Teigha, AEC infrastructure pipeline, OSM object export to DGN.

2026-03-27 · 12 min
cadbentleymicrostationaec

COPC: Cloud-Optimized Storage for LiDAR Point Clouds

COPC = LAZ 1.4 plus a built-in octree spatial index for streaming over HTTP. USGS 3DEP, AHN, forestry — the modern cloud standard for LiDAR.

2026-03-25 · 7 min
copclidarpoint-cloudlas