OpenStreetMap: create and extract geospatial data

Stéphane Guillou (UQ Library)

What is OSM?

See the front page: https://www.openstreetmap.org

• Community-driven project, mainly crowdsourced from volunteers 💚
• Values local knowledge 📌
• Released as open data: Open Database Licence 👐🏽
• Supported by non-for-profit: OSM Foundation 💸

Statistics

2004 -> 2025 📈 :

• 10+ million contributors
• 165+ million changesets
• 9+ billion nodes

Uses

Uses (2)

Wheelmap

Briscycle

Uses (3)

Organic Maps

OpenBeerMap

Considerations ⚠️

• Keep in mind:
  • Coverage very variable: https://tyrasd.github.io/osm-node-density
  • Only as good as the contributed data
• However:
  • Possibly the only source of data
  • Possibly more up to date than others
• Use your judgment!

Missing Maps

Humanitarian project that maps parts of the world that are vulnerable to natural disasters, conflicts, and epidemics.

Founders:

Emphasizes engagement of, and respect towards the local community. 🤝

Missing Maps

Impact:

2010 Haïti earthquake (left); 2017 South Asian floods (right)

Let’s map!

https://osmlab.github.io/show-me-the-way/

What else can be mapped?

A lot: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features