How do I create a map where I can highlight or toggle certain categories or features (Malls, major roads etc.)
Needs:
ADD: I have Illustrator.
The map will be a 2x2 meter print.
Thank you!
Tried Snazzymaps - Great color customizability. But no vector export.
The question has gradually evolved to "How I can create..."
Originally it was more like "From where I can pick a map where certain item classes (malls, roads, highways,hospitals, graveyards, jails...) are clearly separated from each other so that I can change their colors and make other edits - preferably a free or low cost pick and vector format, thank you!"
Your local city authorities surely have one. Except in case they just want to buy it from you.
Open street map is the free source for the base map. Google can sell rights for certain purposes. But from where to pick the current details, for example which buildings are malls just today and how to get them marked to a new layer?
I'm afraid you must still buy the information like you have previously done or get it from the local authorities as text or map, even as in a perfect vector format, if you are lucky and draw or paste it to the base map as a new layer by yourself. The previous version probably knows quite a big percentage of the things, but not all.
There's some heavy duty trickery to be learned. Editing downloaded Open Street maps is one of them. For many purposes it's much easier to draw all items manually and to use open Street Map only as a guide. Often the drawn items can be drastically simplified.
I admit that this question still feels a little off-topic to me - but that said, I'd look into QGIS for this sort of task.
It's a bit like ESRI's ArcGIS, but open-source, a bit... woolier, but super-effective and extensible to do SO many things. And... excels at Map creation with specific criteria.
Use it medium-frequently, and have long since removed ESRI from my machines and use solely QGIS for my GIS needs.
My two cents.
