Key:checkpoint
 checkpoint
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| Description |
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A place where a hiker or cyclist can validate the reach of a checkpoint. 
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| Group: tourism |
| Used on these elements |
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| Useful combination |
Status: approved
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| Tools for this tag |
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This tag indicates a place where a hiker or cyclist can validate the reach of a checkpoint.
Course
A course is a permanent tour that is organised by an organisation. It can consist of one or several trails, routes, walks or only of checkpoints. An organisation can start many of these, e.g. the Hungarian Rambler's Association have more than a hundred listed on their website. You can start to complete a course by buying its brochure or registerig at their website and completing it by validating all the checkpoints by electronic means, stamping or by writing down a code. At the end you usually receive a badge or similar reward.
There are two types of courses:
- Most courses have a designated route
- For an example, see the Wikipedia page on El Camino de Santiago. On the right, you can see the stamps.
- Another example is 'The validation of the completion' section on the Wikipedia page of the Countrywide Blue Tour in Hungary.
- The individual trails on trail-blaze.com can be considered as a Hiking Course.
- There are also courses that require visiting all checkpoints in any order from any direction, like all the castles and springs of a mountain range. So there is no required route, hence the use of course to avoid confusion.
- An example on the page of the Hungarian Rambler's Association (Hungarian) is a list of hiking courses. The courses with the dotted icons are the courses with only checkpoints.
See also Walking Routes.
Tagging
Checkpoints can be set up as separate objects like a box (containing a stamp, puncher or any other validation device) fixed to a pole, a building or any other object but they also can be incorporated in another publicly accessible place like a museum, a tourist information, a pub or the like.
If the checkpoint is a separate object set a node at the correct position and add the tags
If the checkpoint is incorporated in another object (as described above) it is recommended to set a separate node into or beneath that object and tag it as described above. This is the most simple way to avoid any tagging conflict in between the 2 objects.
Of course it is also possible to just add the checkpoint tags to the surrounding object but you have to be aware that this may cause tagging conflicts with the tags tourism=*, operator=*, website=* and description=* which may be needed for both of the 2 objects.
Checkpoint type
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
checkpoint:type=stamp
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A stamping point. |
checkpoint:type=code
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A code, displayed on a sign, that needs to be written down. |
checkpoint:type=electronic
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An electronic device used with a timing tag. |
checkpoint:type=notebook
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A paper based medium to sign/note, such as a notebook or guestbook. |
checkpoint:type=puncher
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A punching device ("hole punch") for paper/plastic/board to punch holes of different patterns, similar to stamping. |
Course
course=*is the name of the hiking or cycling course.
Other tags
name=*is the name of the checkpoint only - do not use is for the name of the course. If the checkpoint does not have a name, just skip this tag.ref=*is used for the number of the checkpoint (in case the checkpoints of a course are numbered)description=*is used for any additional description to this checkpoint, not for the name of the checkpoint or the course.website=*the website of the course or the organisation.ele=*can be used for the elevation (height above sea level) of the checkpoint, if known.name:xx=*althoughname=*is used for the name of the checkpoint itself,name:xx=*is inconsequently used for the name of the course in a foreign language e.gname:en=name of the course in english, soname=*andname:xx=*do not match. It is therefore recommended to tag the foreign language name to the relation of the course only and not to every single checkpoint.
Examples
Checkpoint of Magyar Természetbarát Szövetség
name=Írott-kő tourism=checkpoint checkpoint=hiking checkpoint:type=stamp course=Országos Kéktúra operator=Magyar Természetbarát Szövetség website=http://termeszetbarat.hu/turamozgalmak/orszagos_kektura (name:en=Countrywide Blue Tour) - better to be added to the relation of the course
Checkpoint of Junta de Galicia inside a pub
building=yes name=John Bull Pub tourism=checkpoint checkpoint=hiking checkpoint:type=stamp course=El Camino de Santiago operator=Junta de Galicia website=http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/ description=nice bar (name:en=Way of St. James) - better be added to the relation of the course
Consider separating the checkpoint from the pub (separate nodes) to avoid conflicts:
operator=Junta de Galicia relates to the checkpoint, what about operator of the pub?
description=nice bar relates to the pub, what about description of the checkpoint?
website=http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/ relates to the checkpoint, what about website of the pub?
Checkpoint of trail-blaze.com:
name=Princes Risborough tourism=checkpoint checkpoint=hiking checkpoint:type=electronic course=The Ridgeway operator=trail-blaze.com website=http://www.trail-blaze.com/race.asp?race=14
Rendering
No rendering on street maps. On special interest maps for hikers, a stamp. 
Possible tagging confusion
There are similar tags with `checkpoint` where it bears a meaning of a real barrier, an actual checkpoint. Do not confuse those!
Related forum discussions
https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/unapprove-existing-proposal-or-what-about-checkpoints/136644