Download Boucharray map in WKB format
A map built from OpenStreetMap data, ready to download
Customize the map
Open this place's area in the constructor and adjust everything to your needs
Open in constructor →Map passport
What this map contains by default
This is how the map is built as-is — every setting can be changed in the constructor.
About WKB
Map of Boucharray in WKB: 1 buildings, 27 km of roads — in the WGS 84 coordinate system, units are meters.
Which layers are in the file
This file for the selected area contains:
- Roads
- Buildings
What the file carries
The WKB file for Boucharray: the whole map comes as a single file, the file is binary — it is opened by a program, not by an editor, features come as a single stream, without named layers, OpenStreetMap tags are kept as feature attributes.
File size
The expected size of the WKB file for Boucharray is about 431 KB; the exact size depends on the chosen layers and area.
Coordinate systems
WGS 84 (EPSG:4326), selectable in the wizard
Units
Meters (projected in the chosen coordinate system)
| Category | GIS |
| File extension | .wkb |
| Tier | Open Beta |
How to use WKB for Boucharray
- Python — read the 8 bytes of the header, then loop: 4 bytes of length and that many bytes of geometry, each through shapely.wkb.loads(); you end up with an ordinary list of Shapely objects.
- PostGIS — load the geometries one at a time: ST_GeomFromWKB(%s, 4326) accepts a chunk unpacked from the container as is.
- The .prj file — do not lose it when moving things around: it records the coordinate system, and without it the receiving side will be guessing.
Programs that open WKB
FAQ: WKB for Boucharray
Can I INSERT it directly via ST_GeomFromWKB?
Not directly. The file is a container: an 8-byte header and length-prefixed geometries. First parse the header and the lengths, then feed each individual geometry (standard OGC WKB) into ST_GeomFromWKB.
Where is the coordinate system stored?
In a companion .prj file next to the .wkb, in WKT format. By default it is WGS84.
How does WKB differ from WKT?
They encode the same geometry: WKT is text (POINT(2.3 49.9)), WKB is binary. WKB is more compact and parses faster, WKT is handier for debugging and SQL.
How do I read WKB in Python?
Parse the container (header + lengths), then each geometry via shapely.wkb.loads(byte_data). For hex strings use bytes.fromhex() first.
Are OSM names and tags preserved?
No, the file holds geometry only. Take attributes in GeoPackage, GeoJSON or FlatGeobuf — there the fields lie next to the shapes.
