Key:ref

+/- ref Description The reference tag is used to mark descriptions names for the same Element. Group References Element help Useful combination Implies Used combinations in World Australia/Oceania Europe (list) Asia (list) Central America (list) South America (list) Africa (list)

Applying to Map Features type: Naming

Key Variations

• ref
• int_ref
• nat_ref
• reg_ref
• loc_ref
• old_ref
• ncn_ref

There is a wide use of ref:*=*. Main values are listed above :

key	used on	description	see
ref:INSEE=*	admin_level=*	INSEE code of the French communes	Key:ref:INSEE
ref:isil=*	library	International Standard Identifier for Libraries	Key:ref:isil
ref:lmi=*	heritage	id in Lista monumentelor istorice	Proposed features/heritage
ref:mhs=*	heritage	id in the French database Mérimée of historic monuments	Proposed features/heritage
ref:nid=*	heritage	id in Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa historic monuments	Proposed features/heritage
ref:rce=*	heritage	id in Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed	Proposed features/heritage
ref:sandre=*	river	ref of the French Sandre agency	WikiProject France/Cours d'eau
ref:svhl=*		station-keys of Lübecker Stadtverkehr (Germany)	Lübeck/Importe
ref:whc=*	heritage	id of the Unesco World Heritage	Proposed features/heritage

Core values

None

User Defined values

Any valid syntax value

Examples on Relations:

States use ref as the abbreviation of the state name. For example:

• ref=CA The state of California (type=boundary, admin_level=4, name=California - currently relation 165475)

Bus Routes use ref to label the bus route. For example:

• ref=23 Bus route 23. (type=route, route=bus, name=Shanklin>Newchurch>Newport - currently relation 312207)

Examples on ways

There are no global standards as to whether the refs include spaces, hyphens or other characters. At least when nationally consistent, tag what's on the ground. Some countries use spaces on the signs, others don't. In some countries the usage on the signs varies and guidelines are under discussion.

• ref=A 1 Default reference (German and French references with a space, e. g. A 1)
• int_ref=E 15 Internationally referenced as
• nat_ref=A 1 Nationally referenced as (German and French references with a space, e. g. A 1)
• reg_ref=A 1 Regionally referenced as (German and French references with a space, e. g. A 1)
• ncn_ref=54 The number reference for a National Cycle Network. See Cycle_routes
• ref=A 3;A 7 Default for more than one reference (German and French references with a space, e. g. A 1)

Examples on nodes

A ref on a node generally means a highway exit when combined with highway=motorway_junction.

• ref=23 US Highway exits are often just a number
• ref=23B Sometimes exits have been split into A and B exits.

ref is sometimes used on highway=bus_stop (these are not currently rendered on the front page map).

• ref=107309

ref is sometimes used to label an entrance into a large parking area. For example a shopping mall may have entrances A - L.

• ref=A

Special Uses

• ref:svhl=* - station-keys of Lübecker Stadtverkehr (Germany) - details look at Lübeck/Importe
• ref:bufa=* - 4-digit key of the local German tax and revenue offices (Bundesfinanzamtnummer)

See also

• WikiProject France/Liste des références nationales

Notes

• For highways shared by more than one route see Relations/Routes or Faq#What_shall_I_do_for_roads_that_have_multiple_values_for_a_tag.3F. Relations seem to be the preferred method for tagging this.
• If more than one reference is given, you are recommended to seperate them with a semicolon and without a space character, because this is the widely established syntax in Germany and maybe other countries. But note, this syntax is being heavily discussed in Germany.
• Do not confuse this issue with the space that is present in some countries between the letter and the number in a reference itself.