WikiProject Thailand
 Thailand, Asia
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| Latitude : 13.0, Longitude : 101.5 |
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Thailand is a Country in Asia at latitude 13.0, longitude 101.5.
Lots of work to do here.
Contents |
Community
There are some users in Thailand, add your own username if you map in Thailand by adding the following category to your user page (you can add your town or city at the same time).
[[Category:Users in Thailand|name]]
There is an internet forum (message board) for people in Thailand where you can talk with others about all things regarding OpenStreetMap (OSM) and in particular about mapping in Thailand. In this forum you can write your posts either in Thai language or in English language. If you have any questions about OpenStreetMap in Thailand, feel free to ask there. Proposals for this page can be added on the WikiProject Thailand Drafts page and discussed in the forum.
A nice tool from geofabrik labs was used to generate an animated gif of Thailand. It shows the progress of OSM in Thailand. A big THANK YOU to the community for making that huge progress. Keep on the good work.
Projects
- Bangkok - Capital city and largest of Thailand's city by far
- Phang Nga - Province in the South West. Some people interested in this area
For a list of Nakhon (City), Mueang (Town) and Tambon (Township) see Wikipedia: List of cities in Thailand
Conventions
The user-base in Thailand is growing therefore we need to start coordinating.
As OpenStreetMap is a wiki-like project, every user is basically free to choose whatever tags he likes. Over the time some key/value pairs had become standard in the way to tag things. These are documented in the wiki, a good starting point is the Map Features page.
For Thailand some specialties exist in how to tag things here. This page lists only the things that are handled special in Thailand.
When conventions are final they will appear on this page, if they are still under discussion they will be listed on the Talk page.
Multilingual names
The maps Mapnik and Osmarender at OpenStreetMap.org use name=* e.g. the local names for rendering. There are maps available where the language can be chosen:
- Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam: Billingual, local (e.g. Thai) and English
- World: Several languages. Hint: Select "osm-labels-de" for Thai.
Background according to Wikipedia:
- "In linguistics, romanization or latinization, alternately spelt as latinisation or romanisation (see spelling differences), is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system (or none). Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, for representing the spoken word." Reference: wikipedia: Romanization.
- "The Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS) is the official system for rendering Thai language words in the Latin alphabet, published by The Royal Institute of Thailand. It is used in road signs and government publications, and is the closest thing to a standard of transcription for Thai, though its use by even the government is inconsistent." References: wikipedia: Royal Thai General System of Transcription and wikipedia: ISO 11940.
How to get the transcription of names:
- Collect it from signs when collecting data. Map users will compare to signs.
- Wikipedia, other sources on the internet or for names of administrative organisations The Royal Institute: CHANGWAT, KHET, AMPHOE AND KING AMPHOE DIRECTORY.
- Use the program for Windows Chulalongkorn University: Thai Romanization Program.
- Transcribe yourself according to wikipedia: Royal Thai General System of Transcription.
Tagging example:
- name=ภูเก็ต. Local language Thai. Note: There's an ongoing discussion in regard to brand names
- name:th=ภูเก็ต. Thai.
- name:en=Phuket. "Romanization".
The renderer can create maps in one or two languages:
- Thai only: e.g. ภูเก็ต
- English only: e.g. Phuket
- Bilingual: e.g. ภูเก็ต Phuket just by using the name and the name:en value.
People who can read Thai will prefer the names in Thai due to reasons discussed in wikipedia: Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS). Other people will prefer the transcription of names in Roman characters. When using the map and comparing names to signs or when asking Thai people for help a bilingual map is convenient.
Highway classification
The table shows the classification of the highways used in Thailand for OSM and typical tagging examples. It follows the numbering scheme issued by the Thai authorities.
But over time e.g. a three-digit highway may become in total or in sections the importance and the standard of a two-digit (primary) or even of a one-digit (trunk) highway. In these cases all or larger sections of this highway can be classified higher. The same applies for urban highways. An unclassified highway without number can be classified tertiary.
Numbered highways
| Official number | Type | OSM tagging
Typical examples |
Description, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| x
(one-digit, beginning with 5–9) |
Motorway | highway=motorway | Characteristic: Restricted access.
Currently motorways 7 and 9 exist: wikipedia: Thai motorway network. |
| x
(one-digit) |
major
(from Bangkok through a region to a neighbor country) |
highway=trunk | Unrestricted access, even bicycles and pedestrians are using them.
There are four major highways which are starting at the capital Bangkok and go through the regions to the neighbor countries:
|
| xx
(two-digit) |
main
(within a region) |
highway=primary |
E.g. Highway 22: Udon Thani–Nakhon Phanom |
| xxx
(three-digit) |
secondary
(within a region) |
highway=secondary | Highway 205: Lopburi–Nakhon Ratchasima |
| xxxx
(four-digit) or กข.xxxx (two-thai-letter-province-designation . four-digit) |
intra-province | highway=tertiary
|
Highway 3278: Min Buri - Bang Kapi (Bangkok)
Highway ยส.4011:, a rural road in the province Yasothon wikipedia: Thai highway network |
Unnumbered highways
| OSM tagging
Typical examples |
Description, comments |
|---|---|
| unclassified | Tag:highway=residential. The page Tag:highway=unclassified has changed drastically and doesn't fit anymore for Thailand. |
| residential | Tag:highway=residential |
| living_street | Tag:highway=living_street |
| pedestrian | Tag:highway=pedestrian |
| footway | Tag:highway=footway |
| service | Tag:highway=service |
| track | Tag:highway=track |
| path | Tag:highway=path |
| ... |
References
- Map Features #Highway
- Highway tag usage
- Tagging samples/out of town
- Tagging samples/urban
- Asia/Asian Highway Network
Fuel stations
Use amenity=fuel to tag the location. The name is going to name=*, name:en=*, name:th=* respective operator=*, operator:en=*, operator:th=*. Some, may be the most common fuel stations are:
- PTT ป ต ท
- Bangchak บางจาก
- PETRONAS ปิโตรนาส
- PT พีที
- Caltex คาลเท็กซ์
- Esso เอสโซ่
- Shell เซลล์
- SUSCO Siam United Services Public Company Limited สยามสหบริการมหาชน จำกัด
The fuel types can be tagged as described here Tag:amenity=fuel.
Waterways
Besides the tags listed in Map Features the following tagging is common in Thailand. Try adding width=* to specify the width of the waterway.
| Tag | Element | Natural waterways | Rendering | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| waterway=riverbank | 
|
Used for larger rivers (more than 12m wide), to define an area between the opposite riverbanks. | 
|
 |
| waterway=river | 
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Larger river, แม่น้ำ (Mae Nam). Typically wider than 5m. If the waterway is smaller than 5 meters you should consider using waterway=stream instead. | 
|
 |
| waterway=stream |
|
Naturally formed waterway. Typically smaller than 2m, but can be used up to 5m (e.g. if the water is not deep and people can walk through it). |  |
 |
| Tag | Element | Man-made waterways | Rendering | Photo |
| waterway=canal |
|
If the name of the waterway contains the word "Khlong" (Thai: คลอง) or if it looks like a typical canal or khlong we should tag it as "canal". Add boat=* where appropriate. |  | |
| waterway=ditch |
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If the waterway is significant smaller than a typical canal (less than 2 meters), chances are good that it is a "ditch". |  | |
| waterway=drain |
|
If it is made out of concrete (คอนกรีต) or build from other hard materials, it is maybe a "drain". A drain must not nessessarily contain water all the time. In dry seasons it could be dry and only be filled while it is raining! If the width exceeds 3 meters and the drain does contain water most of the time consider using waterway=canal instead. |  |
Administrative levels
In Thailand there are 2 systems, the provincial and the local administration. References: wikipedia: Administrative divisions of Thailand and Thailand subforum.
The provincial administration is hierarchical and centrally controlled by Department of Provincial Administration and Ministry of Interior:
- Kingdom of Thailand > province > district > subdistrict > village
- Ratcha Anachak Thai > changwat > amphoe > tambon > muban
- ราชอาณาจักรไทย > จังหวัด > อำเภอ > ตำบล > หมู่บ้าน).
The local administration is administrated locally under the support of Department of Local Administration:
- county (Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO), องค์การบริหารส่วนจังหวัด (อบจ)): same boundary as province.
- municipality (thesaban, เทศบาล) has 3 classes:
- city (thesaban nakhon, เทศบาลนคร)
- town (thesaban mueang, เทศบาลเมือง)
- township (thesaban tambon, เทศบาลตำบล).
- A municipality can cover
- a whole district, e.g. wikipedia: Ko Samui;
- a district partially;
- a whole subdistrict, e.g. the city Khon Kaen covers the whole subdistrict Nai Mueang (wikipedia: Amphoe Mueang Khon Kaen);
- parts of more than one subdistrict, e.g. wikipedia: Nakhon Phanom;
- a subdistrict partially.
- in very rare cases can cover area from two districts
- tambon (Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO), องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบล (อบต)
- can cover one or more adjoining subdistricts in the same district, also subdistricts partially if area shared with a municipality.
- community (chumchon, ชุมชน)
- is administrated by a municipality and can be part of a subdistrict or cover parts of more than one subdistrict. Sometimes they share the same area as the Muban within the municipality
References: wikipedia: Thesaban and wikipedia: List of cities in Thailand.
There are two special cases:
- Bangkok Metropolitan
- is divided into khet (เขต) which are divided into khwaeng (แขวง).
- is both a local administration as well as at province level
- City of Pattaya
- is part of but not administrated by Amphoe Bang Lamung. This is not reflected here and probably can't be tagged in OSM anyhow.
- there are more special administrative areas in planning to be similar with Pattaya, i.e. Mae Sot, Ko Samui, Hua Hin Cha-am.
The table shows the values for Key:admin_level and for Key:place. Municipality extends in parallel to subdistrict and may be more or less than one subdistrict. 10 administrative levels are used. The table lists the terms for the administrative units in English, Romanized Thai and Thai.
| Country | Administrative levels Key:admin_level and Key:place | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||
 Thailand English |
N/A | Kingdom of Thailand | N/A | Province / Bangkok |
N/A | District / Bangkok: Khet |
N/A | Subdistrict / Bangkok: Khwaeng |
N/A | Village place=village | ||
| Municipality City place=city Municipality Town place=town Municipality Township place=? Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) place=? |
Community place=hamlet | |||||||||||
| Thailand Romanized Thai |
- | Ratcha Anachak Thai | - | Changwat / Krungthep |
- | Amphoe / Krungthep: Khet |
- | Tambon / Krungthep: Khwaeng |
- | Muban place=village | ||
| Thesaban Nakhon place=city Thesaban Mueang place=town Thesaban Tambon place=? Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) place=? |
Chumchon place=hamlet | |||||||||||
| Thailand ไทย |
- | ราชอาณาจักรไทย | - | จังหวัด / กรุงเทพฯ |
- | อำเภอ / กรุงเทพฯ: เขต |
- | ตำบล / กรุงเทพฯ: แขวง |
- | หมู่บ้าน place=village | ||
| เทศบาลนคร place=city เทศบาลเมือง place=town เทศบาลตำบล place=? องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบล (อบต.) place=? |
ชุมชน place=hamlet | |||||||||||
Addresses
In Thailand addresses general consist of
| Term | Example | Tag | Photo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Romanized Thai | Thai | Romanized Thai | addr=* | |
| housenumber | Lekthi Ban | เลขที่บ้าน | 85/1 | addr:housenumber | 
|
| hamlet | Muban (Mu) | หมู่บ้าน (หมู่) | Mu 2 | addr:hamlet | |
| subdistrict | Tambon | ตำบล | Bang Talad | addr:subdistrict | |
| district | Amphoe | อำเภอ | Pak Kret | addr:district | |
| province | Changwat | จังหวัด | Nonthaburi | addr:province | |
Data sources
In addition to a survey with GPS one may also use some aerial images if available with a suitable license. Yahoo!_Aerial_Imagery/Coverage#Thailand contains a list of high resolution areas within the Yahoo data.
Bing aerial imagery is available in many parts. Landsat provides coverage of the whole country and is available with different image modes.
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Pay attention to a misalignment of Bing aerials as well as Landsat imagery. Always verify alignment with GPS tracks and realign images when needed. |
