Australian Tagging Guidelines
From OpenStreetMap
Contents |
Track Submission Guidelines
- Reduce GPS tracks to a moderate number of nodes before uploading them to OSM. Please either trace a new way over the top of your track, or use the 'Delete unnecessary nodes from a way' button in JOSM, which is part of the UtilsPlugin. This does an excellent job of removing multiple nodes that lie along a straight line path.
- Put enough nodes in on straight roads as Osmarender currently does not render segments that pass through, but do not have a node inside a level 12 tile, so border lines and straight roads need a node every few kilometres for Osmarender to 'see' them.
- Break long ways into ways with a maximum of a few hundred nodes. JOSM will cut ways into smaller portions. Select the way, hold down shift while selecting a node part way along the way, then press P to Part the ways.
- Identify the source of your data. Mark it source=xxx, where source might be survey, landsat, Yahoo etc. Mappers who have have been leaving the source not stated are making differing assumptions on the source, either surveyed or made from aerial photography, so we need to be specific.
Convert a Tracklog to Data Automatically
Australian Road Tagging
Here are some recommendations for tagging of Australian Roads. Please join [1] the mailing list for discussion and comments.
NOTE: For help in tagging roads in New South Wales under the MABC Alphanumeric Route Numbering Scheme, see this webpage with photos of signs spotted with Alphanumeric route numbers. http://ozroads.com.au/NSW/Special/MAB/evidence.htm.
Regional Roads
- highway=motorway. Motorways, freeways, and freeway-like roads. Divided roads with 2 or 3 lanes in each direction, limited access via interchanges, no traffic lights. Generally 100 or 110 km/h speed limit. For example: Hume Freeway. In states with the Alphanumeric system, these are 'M' roads if they are of freeway standard.
- highway=trunk. National highways connecting major population centres. For example Bruce Highway. State strategic road network for example: Pacific Highway. In states with the Alphanumeric system, these are 'A' roads. 'M' roads which aren't of freeway standard are also classified as a trunk road. In other states, these are signposted with a white National Road shield, or a Green National Highway shield.
- highway=primary. State maintained roads linking major population centers to each other and to the trunk network. In states with the Alphanumeric system, these are 'B' roads. In other states, these are generally State routes signposted with blue shields.
- highway=secondary. District roads that are generally council maintained roads linking smaller population centres to each other and to the primary network. In states with the Alphanumeric system, these are 'C' roads.
- highway=tertiary. Other roads linking towns, villages and Points of Interest to each other and the secondary network. In South Australia, roads that are classified as a 'D' route under the Alphanumeric system use this classification.
- highway=residential. Local streets found in and around cities, suburbs and towns as well as in rural areas.
- highway=unclassified. Other named rural roads.
- highway=track. Gravel fire trails, forest drives, 4WD trails and similar roads. Gravel roads connecting towns etc. should be tagged as appropriate (secondary, tertiary or unclassified), along with the 'surface=unpaved' tag.
- highway=service. Unnamed access roads. e.g. Entranceways and roads in parks, government properties, beach access etc. Use a short service road where you may want to mark the entrance to a private/government area, but not map the interior private roads in detail.
Use the surface=unpaved tag to indicate where roads are not sealed.
Use the ref tag to indicate a route number that is signposted according to the standard below. Omit non-signposted, anachronistic or historical route numbers.
Urban Areas
- highway=motorway. The metropolitan motorway network.
- highway=trunk. "Metroads" in the cities where they exist, or other similar cross-city trunk routes in cities where they do not.
- highway=primary. Other main cross city and arterial routes. Major connecting roads in larger rural cities.
- highway=secondary. Major through routes within a local area.
- highway=tertiary. Minor through routes within a local area.
- highway=residential. Residential streets.
- highway=unclassified. Other streets. Not generally through routes.
- highway=service. Un-named service and access roads. Also used for small named rear-access lanes.
Use the ref tag to indicate a route number that is signposted according to the standard below. Omit non-signposted, anachronistic or historical routes.
Mark a Track as "Dry Weather Only"
There isn't a tag for this yet.
suggestion "all_weather=no"
4WD only track
Mark these highway=track; surface=unpaved
Roundabouts
In Australia mini_roundabout designation is used for any small roundabout that is contained within the normal width of the road. This would include most small Australian suburban roundabouts consisting of a 3-5m wide concrete construction in the middle of the intersection. Individual mappers are free to draw a full roundabout in any circumstance they felt required it. Add direction=clockwise to show the direction of travel in Australia.
Naming Streets
- Use full street names
- Railway Street not Railway St
- Highway not Hwy
- Tagging ambiguous names
- Where a street has two different names
Route Numbers
The 'ref=' tag is used to add route reference numbers to highways. Currently, these are only displayed as text above the road. There has been no standard for route numbering across Australia and the route numbers are not rendered in the correct style. One of our members is working on rendering route numbers with the correct visual look. To allow this to happen we need to use a consistent route tagging scheme across Australia. All states either use the old 'shield' system, or the new Alphanumeric system. Some (NSW and Queensland) are in the process of changing from one to the other.
Use the following tags. The style of the signage will give you clues as to which is the correct tag
ref=NR1 National Route - (black on white shield) ref=NH31 National Highway - (yellow on green shield) ref=MR2 Metroad - (blue on white hexagon) ref=S151 State Route - (white on blue shield) ref=T5 Tourist Route - (white on brown Pentagon) ref=A1 A Roads (yellow on green rectangle) ref=B2 B Roads (yellow on green rectangle) ref=C3 C Roads (yellow on green rectangle) ref=M4 Motorways(yellow on green rectangle)
Multiple references for the same road should be separated by semi-colon's. For example, a section of State route 69 that also carries tourist routes 7 and 8 should be tagged
ref=S69;T7;T8
Pay close attention to the name of the road and the routing reference. For example the M5 motorway in Sydney is called M5 Motorway and its reference is MR5. This will change with alphanumeric references, but for now the only road with a motorway reference in Sydney is the M7. This is different in Melbourne and other states.
Footpaths and Cycleways
- Australian footpath
- highway=footway
- bicycle=no if unsuitable for bikes
- Australian bicycle path (Bicycle Only sign)
- highway=cycleway; foot=no
- Australian shared path (Bicycle and Pedestrian sign)
- highway=cycleway, foot=yes
- Australian separated path (Bicycle and Pedestrian separated by a line)
- One single way if only paint separates the paths.
- highway=cycleway, cycleway=track, foot=yes
- Australian bicycle lane (Bicycle Lane sign)
- highway=<type of highway>, cycleway=lane
- only map as a cycle lane if you would really ride in it
- Pedestrian/bicycle cut-through at the end of a dead-end street
- highway=footway, bicycle=permissive - or bicycle=yes
Route tagging
Where a local council provides signed, numbered cycle routes
- lcn=yes
- lcn_ref=routeID
Where a State Government provides signed, numbered cycle routes
- rcn=yes
- rcn_ref=routeID
Bush Walking Tracks
Tag these highway=footway. and for track sections along fire trails, highway=track is appropriate.
Bus Stop Tagging
Use the following for nodes identified as bus stops with the highway=bus_stop tag.
"loc_ref=423"
For multiple tags use:
"loc_ref=423,425,426,L23"
Rail Trails
- bicycle=yes
- foot=yes
- horse=yes
- motorcar=no
- motorcycle=no
- name=Boolarra Mirboo North Rail Trail
Map_Features#Railway states not to use railway=abandoned here.
Tramways
Use railway=tram for trams in the following ways:
- Trams in the middle of normal, undivided roads
- Trams on their own routes
- Trams with their own track in a median strip
- Route number labelling
- The "ref" tag should be able to handle this.
- Stop labelling and numbering
What-do-I-call-it?
Do put things on the map which are relevant and have no suitable tags. Identify the nodes with some_new_tag and they can be edited later as needed.
External Links
Australian Highway information on Wikipedia
