Key:not:*

This namespace is a way of saying "not to be confused with". Sometimes, a tag is incorrect, but if you simply remove the tag, another mapper may come along later on and add the tag back to the feature, thinking it was missing rather than deliberately removed. Similarly, a feature may not have ever existed in reality, but it may be easy for mappers to think it exists and map it repeatedly.

When to use

Reasons for using the not: namespace include:

• A spelling error that over time has become well-established on signage and in day-to-day usage.
• An error in a database that is used for imports, error detection, or validation checks against external linked sources such as OS Locator, Food Hygiene Rating System, or TIGER: 19023746 19023746. See SK53's 2015 account of one such usage largely related to address data in multiple external open data sources.
• A patch of pavement that looks like a building's rooftop in low-resolution aerial imagery: 658082823 658082823 1013411876 1013411876.
• A sign in an unusual typeface or poor handwriting: 3648453571 3648453571.
• A POI that is disguised as another kind of POI: 4881063480 4881063480.
• An independent store that happens to have the same name as a chain store operating in the same region: 165659335 165659335 1937573344 1937573344.
• An office or distribution warehouse belonging to a chain store that is not a retail location: 30328141 30328141.
• A full-service restaurant chain has a fast food location inside an airport: 3287894020 3287894020.
• A POI's signs use Roman numerals that look like European numerals: 371536228 371536228.
• A POI's signs follow American livestock branding practices: 659462130 659462130 is named "Kenning's Circle K", with the "Circle" being drawn around the K instead of spelled out.
• A validator performs case and diacritic folding to check for misspelled names, but in some rare cases the case or diacritics are an important distinction.

How to map

Add the not: prefix to any key to indicate that the value or values are incorrect. If the feature does not exist in reality but is likely to be readded, all the keys should have a not: prefix.

You can use source:not:* or note:not:* tags to explain the situation further. In cases where official sources are contradicted by signage, it may also help to establish the correct name by mapping the signage itself, using tags such as traffic_sign=* and advertising=sign.

Common tags under this namespace

• not:name=*
  • not:name:note=*
  • source:not:name=*
• not:addr:postcode=*
• not:network=*
• not:designation=*
  • source:not:designation=*
• not:nccod=*

Alternatives

• If a name was in use but is no longer correct, old_name=* can accomplish the same purpose of preventing tagging regressions.
• If a store used to exist but has since closed or moved somewhere else, use the disused:=* namespace.
• If a feature used to exist but has been demolished, use the demolished:=* namespace instead.
• For naming disputes, see Disputes and consider using alt_name=* and language-suffixed name tags to avoid POV issues.
• Bugs in a validation or import tool should be reported to that tool's developers so they can be addressed systematically.

Software support

By their very nature, not:-prefixed keys are unlikely to ever be supported by general-purpose renderers and routers. However, not: keys may be useful for validation and analysis tools. For example, iD issues a warning when changing name=* to a value matching not:name=*, and it avoids suggesting brand=* and brand:wikidata=* tags that match not:brand:wikidata=*.

See also

• Lifecycle prefix
• no:*=*
• was:*=*