Behind the lines: The creative world of Polychroma city maps

POLYCHROMA

Welcome to the world of colorful abstraction, where we transform the familiar contours of our everyday surroundings into something unique. Our map artworks capture the essence of places and celebrate them with a vibrant spectrum of colors that both delight the eye and touch the soul. Each of our pieces is more than just a decorative element - it is a tribute to the places we love or that are etched in our memories.

Whether at art and design fairs or in our online shop, our distinctive prints appeal to a wide audience. They reflect the local charm and bring a breath of fresh air to any ambience with their abstract beauty. Our cards are not only an aesthetic enrichment for your four walls, but also the ideal gift for life events such as moves, moving out and new beginnings or as a loving reminder of places that are dear to our hearts.

STEP 1

Collection of road data

To create the basis for our artwork, we start by collecting street data that will form the core of our city maps. We get this data from OpenStreetMap (OSM) using the Overpass API, a powerful data query platform that allows you to extract specific information about street layouts in any desired region. The precision and timeliness of OSM data make it possible to create a detailed and authentic street network.

Information about OpenStreetMap

STEP 2

Cleaning the data

Once we have collected all the road data, the data cleaning and processing phase follows. In this step, we use various algorithms to remove inconsistencies, such as 'dangles' - dead ends or unconnected ends in the road network - and remove all unwanted elements. This ensures that only the relevant data remains for the next phase of the creation process.

STEP 3

Water details

After cleaning the data, we move on to integrating the water bodies. We do this by extracting all relevant data on rivers, lakes and other water bodies from the Overpass API. This information is merged with the road data, resulting in a complex network of roads and waterways - a 'spider web' that illustrates the urban and natural veins of the landscape. This fusion is crucial to visualize the interplay between man-made and natural structures.

STEP 4

The final

The final step in our creative process is subtracting the combined road and water network from a defined land mass. This process separates the different areas and forms multiple polygons. Each of these polygons represents an individual area, which we then color. For the colors, we use a predefined palette of eight fixed colors to achieve a harmonious but at the same time random color scheme. The result is an abstract, colorful work of art that captures the uniqueness of the urban landscape.