8-Bit NYC

Using data pulled from OpenStreetMap, 8-Bit NYC is an interesting pixelation of New York City.  Brett Camper created the map to evoke a reminiscence of 1980s computer games while utilizing the “geographically accurate data that drive’s today’s web maps and GPS navigation.”  Much like a raster layer, the map was created by processing geographic data via SQL/PostGIS to attribute 16 x 16 pixel tiles.  Those tiles were then aggregated in 256 x 256 pixel tiles and served up via TileCache and OpenLayers.  The result is an interesting visualization of New York City that clearly is more artistic than functional.  Some of the rendering is decipherable but the mapping application could use a legend.

(Via @MadameSoybean)