CARTOGO IS ONLINE: GENERATE ARTISTIC CITY MAP POSTERS WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE GO RENDERING. ACCESS AT /PROJECTS/CARTOGO.

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CartoGo:
Artistic City Mapping

A high-performance Go implementation of the City Map Poster Generator. Generate beautiful, minimalist map posters for any city in the world with 1-to-1 aesthetic parity.

Technical Port & OptimizationFezcode
Original Project VisionAnkur Gupta (maptoposter)
See ProjectOriginal Project
Aether UrbanOS
1ms
Cache Access
300
Target DPI
17
Design Themes
System Overview
System Module / 01

System Overview

CartoGo Overview

CartoGo is a high-performance Go implementation of the original City Map Poster Generator. It is designed for speed, reliability, and 1-to-1 aesthetic parity with the original Python project.

Project Vision

To generate beautiful, minimalist map posters for any city in the world, leveraging the concurrency and safety of the Go programming language.

Architecture

  • Language: Go 1.25+
  • Graphics: gg library
  • Data: OpenStreetMap (Overpass API)
  • Geocoding: Nominatim
ID: ###-OVERVIEW-###
Rendering Engine
System Module / 02

Rendering Engine

High-Performance Rendering

At the heart of CartoGo lies a custom rendering engine built on top of the gg library. Optimized for 2D vector-like graphics operations in Go.

Key Features

  • Z-Order Management: Layering ensures water bodies, parks, and roads render correctly.
  • Alpha Blending: Custom NRGBA gradient fades for the signature "fading edge" look.
  • Projection: Precision conversion from Lat/Lon to local meter-based coordinate systems.
ID: ###-RENDERING-###
High-Fidelity Type
System Module / 03

High-Fidelity Type

Professional Typography

Typography is critical for the aesthetic. CartoGo includes an advanced text layout engine that handles city names and coordinates with professional elegance.

Features

  • Dynamic Font Scaling: Automatically fits long city names to canvas width.
  • Tracking: Applies elegant letter spacing to Latin scripts.
  • DPI Scaling: Ensures point sizes match physical inches at 300 DPI.
ID: ###-TYPOGRAPHY-###
OSM Data Pipeline
System Module / 04

OSM Data Pipeline

OpenStreetMap Data Pipeline

Fetching map data is handled by a specialized Overpass QL query engine.

Pipeline Steps

  1. Query Building: Dynamic BBox queries for roads, water, and greenery.
  2. Fetch & Retry: Robust handling of API timeouts and server load.
  3. Relation Processing: Complex multipolygon reconstruction for parks and lakes.
ID: ###-DATA-PIPELINE-###
Binary Caching
System Module / 05

Binary Caching

High-Speed Binary Caching

Sub-second re-renders are achieved through a binary caching system using Go's gob format.

Optimization

  • Binary Serialization: Near-instant disk I/O compared to JSON or XML.
  • Nominatim Cache: Stores geocoding results locally to respect rate limits.
  • Data Persistence: Map data remains cached for future artistic iterations.
ID: ###-CACHING-###
Dynamic Scaling
System Module / 06

Dynamic Scaling

Intelligent Radius Scaling

Maps aren't just squares. CartoGo implements dynamic radius compensation to ensure perfect framing.

The Compensation Algorithm

Calculates an optimal bounding box based on the physical aspect ratio (Width/Height) to ensure the city center peninsula or arterial roads aren't cropped awkwardly.

ID: ###-SMART-RADIUS-###
JSON Theme Engine
System Module / 07

JSON Theme Engine

Modular JSON Themes

Separating data from design. CartoGo features a fully customizable JSON-based theme engine.

Theme Architecture

  • JSON Definitions: Backgrounds, road weights, and hex colors.
  • Built-in Styles: 17 curated themes (Noir, Terracotta, Cyberpunk, etc.).
  • Extensibility: Add new artistic styles without modifying core rendering code.
ID: ###-THEMING-###
Nominatim Integration
System Module / 08

Nominatim Integration

Geocoding Integration

Precise location targeting via the Nominatim API.

Features

  • Structured Search: Targets specific cities and countries.
  • Centroid Calculation: Uses geocoded coordinates as the map center.
  • Radius Tuning: Allows users to zoom in or out from the geocoded point.
ID: ###-GEOCODING-###
300 DPI Export
System Module / 09

300 DPI Export

High-Resolution Print Export

Engineered for the physical world. Export high-fidelity posters ready for professional printing.

Print Specifications

  • 300 DPI: Standard professional print resolution.
  • Custom Dimensions: Support for any size (A4, A3, 18x24, etc.).
  • Vector Parity: Ensures sharp lines and smooth gradients on large scales.
ID: ###-HIGH-RESOLUTION-###
Go Concurrency
System Module / 010

Go Concurrency

Concurrent Performance

Leveraging Go's Goroutines to accelerate the rendering pipeline.

Go vs Python

  • Speed: Significant performance uplift over Matplotlib rendering.
  • Type Safety: Reduces bugs in coordinate transformation.
  • Distribution: Compiles to a single static binary for easy use.
ID: ###-PERFORMANCE-###
Automation & CLI
System Module / 011

Automation & CLI

Powerful CLI Automation

A tool for designers and developers alike. Fully automatable via command line.

Basic Usage

./CartoGo.exe -city "Sydney" -country "Australia"

Batch Processing

Easily scriptable to generate a collection of posters for entire countries or regions using simple shell loops.

ID: ###-CLI-USAGE-###