OpenGeofiction


OpenGeofiction is an online collaborative mapping project focused on fantasy cartography and worldbuilding of a world analogous to Earth. It uses OpenStreetMap software and processes in a separate environment, providing an outlet for artistic expression that avoids interfering with OpenStreetMap's mapping of the real world and potentially mitigates the risk of vandalism there.

History

OpenGeofiction was founded in September 2013 by the German software developer Thilo Stapff and urban planner Johannes Bouchain.

Content

OpenGeofiction portrays a verisimilar world based on modern technology but fictitious geography. Many cultures are similar to the ones on Earth, but is not always the case. Both the natural and built environment are represented. The map tiles produced by the project are in Web Mercator projection.

Participation

OpenGeofiction allows anyone with a free account to contribute directly to the map through an editor such as the iD Web application or desktop applications like JOSM or Merkaartor. Contributors can focus on various aspects of worldbuilding, including urban design, transportation, and nature. Because the project maintains a single, integrated fictional world, contributors must harmonize their fictional territories with neighboring territories. Thousands of users have contributed to the project.

Uses

Places can be mapped in OpenGeofiction to illustrate stories or establish scenes for role-playing games. OpenGeofiction map tiles can be loaded into applications such as gvSIG for geospatial analysis. In 2018, OpenGeofiction data was used to model urban population movements in a hypothetical emergency evacuation using argument technology.