OpenStreetMap (OSM) has established very quickly since its founding in 2004 and has become a suitable alternative to similar commercial applications. This success is clearly due to the revolutionary concept of the project. Spatial data is collected by members world-wide and is provided to the project OSM. The underlying license aggreement ensures that OSM-Data is freely available and can be used free of charge. Primarily, the idea of independence from proprietary data has led to strong, still growing, global participation. Resulting from that, the available data is now achieving high density and accuracy. Visualizations in form of interactive, freely scalable maps of the world, which are constructed by the fully automated software solutions Mapnik and Osmarender are most common. In consequence cartographic principles and rules must be formalized and implemented. Particularly with respect to cartographic generalization, some serious faults appear in the corresponding implementations. This is the starting point of this diploma thesis. Based on an analysis of the current state, actual existing deficiencies are identified and then examined for possibilities to integrate generalization functionalities. Recent developments aim at the deployment of interoperable systems in the context of cartographic generalization, with the intention of providing generalization functionalities over the Internet. This is based on Web Processing Services (WPS) that where developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). They enable the analysis and processing of spatial data. In this context, Web Generalization Services (Webgen-WPS) are examined for possible integration into the software solutions and represent therefore a central object of investigation within that examination. Mapnik provides, not least through its “open source” code, ideal conditions for those implementations. Mapnik uses the “open source” spatial database PostGIS for the processing of OSM-Data, which also provides capabilities to analyze and process spatial data. In this context is examined in addition, to what extent the features have potential for implementation of cartographic generalization.