Micromapping
Micromapping or micro-mapping in OpenStreetMap (OSM) refers to the mapping of small scale features. This may include mapping such objects as a building entrance, as well as the footway and steps leading to that entrance. Another aspect is to improving the visual representation of a scenery (here: usually a very limited city area) for 3D for example. Therefore this includes improving geometries (buildings, landuse, ...) but also to add very small objects as city furnitures (streetlamps, benches, ...) and village green (trees, hedges, ...)
Most mapping in OSM is not concerned with such fine detail, but rather with larger scale objects such as roads. Some advantages of micromapping are to enable advanced and detailed routing, especially routing for the mobility and vision impaired.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- allows 2D routing
- helps in indoor positioning systems
- brings a lot of details to the DB
- If done properly it will ease mapping in previously empty regions
Cons:
- more time consuming to enter data for mappers
- requires more accurate information (sometimes consumer GPS is not sufficient)
- sometimes makes it harder for beginners to alter the data
- If it is required in some Proposal, it may discourage people from using it
- (technical) increase of volume will increase requirements in processing power, but Moore's law and cheaper hdds every year are always there. This might be more complicated when we will speak about geospatial queries rather than simple linear read/write patterns.
List of tags that might be considered as micromapping
- area:highway=* (see also Street area)
- barrier=kerb
- barrier=wall and barrier=fence
- landuse=traffic_island
- amenity=parking used as area with access=* tags for pedestrian
- amenity=parking_space
- entrance=*
- natural=tree
- man_made=manhole
- emergency=fire_hydrant
- area=yes
Projects
Straßenraumkarte Neukölln
Straßenraumkarte Neukölln is a rendering showcase project related to urban environment and street lane infrastructure (especially for bike and foot traffic) based on the data from Berlin Neukölln. It's part of the Berlin OSM Verkehrswende UserGroup (user group OSM “traffic evolution”). The project uses pre-processing script which is optimized for experimentation and details, not scale.
Maps:
Code:
Documentation (in English):
Map Machine
Map Machine is an experimental project which tries to render as many OSM tags and details as possible. It consists of:
See also
- 3D
- Indoor mapping
- EveryDoor - useful mobile app for on-the-ground micromapping surveys
- Micro Mapping Party - very short or small parties
- Disabilities
- Harry Wood's SOTM 2011 talk - Later slides describe the problem of a trend towards mapping every blade of grass.