How to Install Nominatim on Linux Mint

Nominatim is a powerful tool that enables you to perform geocoding and reverse geocoding functions, even offline. It helps to find addresses and their latitude and longitude co-ordinates. In this tutorial, we will learn how to install Nominatim on Linux Mint.

Prerequisites

  • A server or VM running the latest version of Linux Mint
  • An internet connection
  • Basic knowledge of Linux commands and packages

Step 1: Update the Package List

Before proceeding, update the package list to ensure that you are installing the latest versions of packages. To update the package list, run the following command on your terminal:

sudo apt-get update

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Nominatim requires several packages to work correctly. Install them by running the following command on your terminal:

sudo apt-get install build-essential gcc cmake g++ libboost-dev libboost-system-dev \
     libboost-filesystem-dev libexpat1-dev zlib1g-dev libxml2-dev \
     libbz2-dev libpq-dev libproj-dev libgeos-dev libgeos++-dev \
     libsqlite3-dev libspatialite-dev spatialite-bin libspatialindex-dev \
     libprotobuf-c0-dev protobuf-c-compiler libfreetype6-dev libtiff5-dev libjpeg-dev \
     libcairo2-dev libcairomm-1.0-dev apache2 apache2-dev libagg-dev \
     liblua5.2-dev lua5.2 git

Step 3: Clone Nominatim from Github

Once you have installed the necessary packages, you can proceed to install Nominatim. Run the following command on your terminal to clone Nominatim from Github:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/osm-search/Nominatim.git

Step 4: Build and Install Nominatim

After cloning, navigate to the Nominatim directory and run the following commands:

cd Nominatim
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

Step 5: Configure Nominatim

Once the installation is complete, you need to configure Nominatim. Run the following command to create a new directory for the Nominatim database:

sudo mkdir /srv/nominatim

You can now configure Nominatim by running the following command:

sudo ./utils/setup.php --create-website /srv/nominatim

Step 6: Download OSM Data

You can now download the OSM data for your area of interest. Run the following command to download the data:

sudo ./utils/setup.php --osm-file <path-to-your-OSM-data> --all --threads <number-of-threads>

Step 7: Start Nominatim

To start Nominatim, execute the following command:

sudo /usr/local/bin/nominatim <path-to-postgres-conf>

Replace <path-to-postgres-conf> with the actual path to the Postgres configuration file.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Nominatim on your Linux Mint system. Nominatim is a very powerful tool for geocoding and reverse geocoding, and it can be used for a wide range of applications, such as location-based services, cartography, and more.