Name Suggestion Index

Name Suggestion Index
Author:	osmlab/name-suggestion-index/graphs/contributors
License:	BSD-3-Clause license
Website:	https://nsi.guide/
Source code:	osmlab/name-suggestion-index
Programming language:	JavaScript
An index of canonical common brand names, operators, transit and flags for OpenStreetMap

Screengrab from the iD editor as a UK editor types 'deb' 2019-11-04 showing display of Name Suggestion Index data

Screengrab from the iD editor as a UK editor selects an existing feature which matches a brand on the Name Suggestion Index 2019-11-04

The name-suggestion-index (NSI) is a collection of tagging presets that represent:

• brick-and-mortar brands.
• public_transport networks.
• common flags

Most of these brands are chain stores, but the index also contains other kinds of chains, particularly in the United States where many kinds of POIs can have retail-style branding. The index's presets appear in OSM editors and power many MapRoulette challenges, helping the community achieve more consistent POI and transit tagging.

Structure

The index is a collection of JSON files containing items gathered from OpenStreetMap or submitted by contributors. Each item has a locationSet that specifies where the item is valid, a generated identifier, and the preferred tags for that item. For example, brands/shop/department_store.json contains (amongst others):

"brands/shop/department_store": [
	…,
	{
		"displayName": "Debenhams",
		"id": "debenhams-a29e63",
		"locationSet": {
			"include": [
				"gb",
				"ie"
			]
		},
		"tags": {
			"brand": "Debenhams",
			"brand:wikidata": "Q1181484",
			"name": "Debenhams",
			"shop": "department_store"
		}
	},
	…
]

This states that a user in Britain or Eire would have the name of Debenhams suggested if they added a point in iD or Vespucci. As they type 'd', 'e', 'b' they suggested items below it change. The user can then click on Debenhams Department Store and will have the tags brand=Debenhams, brand:wikidata=Q1181484, name=Debenhams, and shop=department_store automatically added for them.

name-suggestion-index uses the brand:wikidata=* tag to obtain a URL to the brand's official logo. For example, Q1181484 has a Facebook ID (P2013) property, so the URL is to the profile picture on the brand's official Facebook page. If a Wikidata item doesn't have a Facebook page listed, the index falls back to the Twitter profile picture via Twitter username (P2002), then to a freely licensed logo on Wikimedia Commons via logo image (P154). name-suggestion-index only provides the URL of the logo image; it doesn't cache or distribute the image itself.

Usage

Every Door

Every Door suggests items from NSI when updating a POI.

Go Map!!

Go Map!! suggests items from NSI when adding a POI or updating its name.

iD

iD includes name-suggestion-index presets when searching for presets and as suggestions when entering a feature's name. Each preset's icon is the brand's official logo.

If a feature has tags that are similar but not identical to a name-suggestion-index entry, a validator warning appears with a suggestion to upgrade the feature's tags to match name-suggestion-index.

Most name-suggestion-index entries have a brand:wikidata=* tag, which causes the Name field to become read-only. If you need to customize the name of a brand-tagged location, change the name=* tag in the "All tags" section.

JOSM

A "Name Suggestion Index" preset file is available for JOSM. This ticket requests adding name-suggestion-index presets to JOSM by default.

Osmose

Osmose has a check that uses the OSM frequent names extracted by the name-suggestion-index to detect brand candidates in existing OSM objects.

If they correspond to known brands in the NSI, it then suggests to add some tags.

StreetComplete

• For names of shops and amenities (name quest) use NSI data to offer autocomplete (implemented)
• Surveying brand locations (using the Name Suggestion Index) (proposed)

Vespucci

Vespucci suggests presets based on name-suggestion-index when entering a feature's name. See the "Using Name Suggestions" tutorial for more details.

Updates and additions

The NSI is a github repository meaning that issues can be raised, and updates and additions can be suggested via pull request. The contributing documentation has more details.

Updates and additions should be discussed with the community via the normal channels (tagging mailing lists, country mailing lists, etc.).

See also

• Canada/Tagging guidelines/Chains
• Retail chains in the United Kingdom
• Philippines/Chains
• Chain Store Cleanup
• Chain Store Directory – no longer maintained
• List of brands – no longer maintained
• Sophox query of freely licensed vector logos of commonly tagged brands

External links

• Official website – browse and search existing entries
• name-suggestion-index