Philippines/Mapping conventions/Roads
As much as possible, Philippine mapping guidelines for roads should try to follow global conventions. This includes revamping the existing classification system so to take account the sizes of communities a stretch of road serves, avoid network connectivity issues that arose with previous mapping practice and reflect differences between urban and rural/regional roads. Road names should look beyond official street signs since signing practice can vary from one local government unit to another and some roads have names only found through business signs and the like.
Classification
- Main article: Philippines/Mapping conventions/Roads/Classification
Names
- Street name suffixes: Road or street names tagged on the main name=* tag should be preferably the full name used on street signs or addresses on business signs. It is fairly common to drop the suffixes to reduce clutter and follow what locals say, however the best advice as said above is to map the full name as used on signs (and let the renderer abbreviate them).
- National/provincial roads with no distinctive names: It is fairly common to refer to major national roads generically as "National Road" or "National Highway" where there is no established local name. It is fine to tag the generic name as the main name if there is established local usage (e.g. through common usage on addresses, street signs, and local orientation).
- Names in regional/local languages, Spanish, or foreign languages: Less common, but do exist. Street names in Tagalog will generally have Kalye ("Street") or Daan ("Road") (or even rarer, like Abenida) prefixed, while roads in Visayan-speaking areas (and also in Kapampangan or Ilocano) typically have the prefix Dalan, which can either theoretically translate to "Road" or "Street". If the posted name is in a local language or Spanish, keep it as it is on the name=*. Some roads have Spanish names (e.g. streets in Taal poblacion); common prefixes are Calle, Avenida, and Callejón.
Access
Speed limits
There is an ongoing proposal on tagging legally implied speed limits, but there is no consensus whether to use either source:maxspeed=* or maxspeed:type=*, so it remains a choice of editors how to tag the legal form of an implied speed limit (those covered in the Land Transportation and Traffic Code or RA 4136). Nonetheless, source:maxspeed=* is still useful to tag the source of the speed limit aside from the legal form (e.g. signage, local knowledge, survey, or a local traffic ordinance).
Since there is a poor distinction between urban and rural roads, it is suggested roads, especially major ones, have legally implied speeds explicitly tagged.
Named junctions
In some places, named junctions are often used for local orientation. Most commonly such junctions are often named from the a locality or other reference point (usually a barangay, city/municipality, city district, or nearest kilometer marker, ), followed with descriptors like "Junction/Crossing" (e.g. Calamba Crossing, Palapala Junction). In regions where Visayan languages (e.g. Cebuano, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo) are spoken locally, junction names often have the descriptor coming before the locality name (e.g. Crossing Panacan, Crossing Talomo, Crossing Ulas, in Davao City), but that naming scheme also occur outside Visayan-speaking regions, but to a lesser extent.
Named junctions are tagged junction=yes, where it could be placed on the junction node, or on a separate polygon on more complex situations. In some cases, the junction name became an established name for the surrounding area, that one might consider tagging it on a place node, especially where the name is of a sitio/purok.
Mapping of numbered routes
- Main article: Philippines/Numbered route relations