Proposal:Bell

From OpenStreetMap Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Bell
v · d
Proposal status: Draft (under way)
Proposed by: Biff
Tagging: amenity=bell
Applies to: node area
Definition: tag for a bell
Statistics:

Rendered as: icon of bell
Draft started: 2012-10-18, updated 2016-05-18

Proposal

Bells are quite common and serve as visual and audible aids for navigation.

Bells exist as:

This proposal only covers bells that are either very visible or audible or have touristic value, it does not cover normal doorbells.

Tagging

Bell as separate area or node

A bell can be mapped as a separate area or node using one of the following tags:

In an early version of this proposal, it was proposed to use amenity=bell. In the discussion, also man_made=bell was proposed.

This separate area or node can be attached to a supporting structure using a relation of type=node.

These tags already imply bell=yes. Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. The bell: prefix can be omitted in this case.

Bell as main part of memorial, monument or artwork

A bell can be the main part of a memorial, monument or artwork. This is indicated by an area or node tagged with one of the following combinations of tags:

These tags already imply bell=yes. Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. The bell: prefix can be used to avoid confusion with attributes of other parts of the memorial, monument or artwork.

Bell as add-on to tower or other structure

A bell can be tagged on the node or area of a bell tower or other structure:

Sometimes, a bell tower has a specific shape because it has been specifically erected to house a carrillon:

However, while these tags imply that the structure is equipped with bells, the bells might no longer be present. Therefore, the tag bell=* shall be used with its value set to either yes (or a more specific value) or no. Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. Typically, the bell: prefix should be used to avoid confusion with attributes of the tower.

Several co-located bells

If more than one bell is present in one place (bell:count > 1), numbering may be necessary, in order to state different properties of each bell, e.g. bell:1:name=name1, bell:2:name=name2, etc.

Alternatively, a semicolon-separated list can be used, e.g. bell:name=name1;name2;... However, as for all values, there is a limit of 255 characters for the value.

Tags

A bell is tagged as shown in the table below.

Key Value Comment Presence
bell yes A bell exists here. (Similar as in crossing:bell=*.) ! Required unless bell=yes is implied by other tags, e.g. memorial=bell
no A bell does not exist here. Only used if other tags (for example, tower:type=bell_tower) could imply that a bell exists here.
ring A group of bells used for change ringing, see change ringing.
carillon A group of at least 23 bells that are played to create a melody, see carillon.
chime A group of up to 22 bells that are played to create a melody, see chime (bell instrument).
count or bell:count number of bells The number of bells that exist as a co-located group. ? Optional
sound or bell:sound yes It is possible to ring the bell. This is probably the default value. (Some similarity with the tag "sound" as used for traffic_signals:sound=yes/no is intended.) ? Optional
no Bell is always silent, e.g. because it is placed on the ground or broken.
name or bell:name name Name of the bell. Many church bells have a specific name. ? Optional
loc_name or bell:loc_name local name Local name of the bell, if it has one in addition to its official name. ? Optional
operator or bell:operator name of operator Operator of the bell. This is probably not necessary if the operator of the bell is also the operator of the building where it hangs. ? Optional
service_times or bell:service_times service times Some bells ring at specific times, e.g. every day at noon. The data format is described in Key:opening_hours. ? Optional
strike_tone or bell:strike_tone strike tone Specific strike tone of a bell, see strike tone. In the case of a bell that is now silent (sound=no), this could be the strike tone it was designed for.

The same tone (or note) has different names in different languages (see File:Octaves_notation.png). As it can be difficult to determine the strike tone of a bell (see Wikipedia), the value should be taken from written information that is provided for the bell. Please provide information about the used source when editing this tag (with the changeset).

To get an impression of the complicated set of parameters that might be provided for a bell, see the first column "Petrus" of the table on page 181 of this document. In this example, the relevant information for the strike tone is provided as "h°±o" in the row "Schlagton / Nominal".

? Optional
support or bell:support cage Normal way of hanging a church bell ? Optional
wall_mounted The bell is mounted on a wall with a support.
ground Bell is on the ground, ringing not possible (combine with sound=no).
ele or bell:ele elevation above mean sea level Elevation (height above sea level) of the bell. By default, values will be interpreted as metres. ? Optional
diameter or bell:diameter diameter Diameter of the bell. By default, diameter values will be interpreted as millimetres.

Note: A different unit can be added to the end of the value, separated by a space, e.g. "1.7 m".

? Optional
height or bell:height height Height of the bell. By default, values will be interpreted as metres.

Note: The elevation above mean sea level is not specified by height but by the attribute ele.

? Optional
weight or bell:weight weight Weight of the bell. Same data format as described for maxweight=*. By default, values will be interpreted as metric tonnes (1 t = 1000 kg)

Note: A different unit can be added to the end of the value, separated by a space, e.g. "250 kg".

? Optional
start_date or bell:start_date date Date when the bell was mounted in its current place. This can be later than manufacture_date. ? Optional
material or bell:material material Material that the bell is made of. Typical examples are bronze or cast_iron. ? Optional
manufacturer or bell:manufacturer name Name of the manufacturer of the bell. ? Optional
manufacture date or bell:manufacture date date Manufacturing date of the bell. This can be earlier than start_date. ? Optional
inscription or bell:inscription text Inscribed text of the bell. As for all values, there is a limit of 255 characters for the value. Note: The limit can be overcome by splitting the value across multiple keys (inscription:1=*, inscription:2=*, etc.). ? Optional
wikipedia or bell:wikipedia reference Wikipedia article about the bell. ? Optional
wikimedia_commons or bell:wikimedia_commons reference Image of the bell on Wikimedia Commons. ? Optional

Examples

Generic example of a belfry with single bell inside

man_made=tower
tower:type=bell_tower
name=name of tower
bell=yes
bell:name=name of bell

In this case, to avoid collision with the name of the tower, the name if the bell is tagged with a prefix as bell:name=*.

Bell that has been removed from the bell tower and now serves as a memorial

See https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/272460811 . 

historic=memorial
memorial=bell
name=St. Barbara Glocke
sound=no
material=cast_iron
manufacturer=Ulrich und Weule, Apolda Bockenem
manufacture date=1923
start_date=1967
inscription=Hl. Barbara, Patronin der Bergleute, Beschütze uns im Leben, Bitt Gott für uns im Tode. Gestiftet von Bardenberger Bergleuten.
wikimedia_commons=File:St. Petrus und Paulus, Alte Glocke IMG 0791.JPG

In this case, memorial=bell implies bell=yes. The bell itself is the most important aspect and there's no need to use a prefix for the attributes.

Monument that comprises five bells

See https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/12610110573 . 

description=The Hope Bell is a clock chime installation comprising four quarter chime bells and the main Hope Bell to sound the hours.
historic=monument
name=Hope Bell
start_date=2025-07-04
website=https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/the_hope_bell
monument=bell
inscription:1=text
inscription:2=text
bell=chime
bell:manufacturer=John Taylor & Co Bellfoundry
bell:count=5
bell:1:name=The Hope Bell
bell:1:weight=1.270
bell:1:diameter=1490
bell:1:strike_tone=D
bell:2:name=Quarter bell 4
bell:2:weight=0.406
bell:2:diameter=890
bell:2:strike_tone=A
bell:3:name=Quarter bell 3
bell:3:weight=0.228
bell:3:diameter=700
bell:3:strike_tone=D
bell:4:name=Quarter bell 2
bell:4:weight=0.203
bell:4:diameter=630
bell:4:strike_tone=E
bell:5:name=Quarter bell 1
bell:5:weight=0.152
bell:5:diameter=560
bell:5:strike_tone=F#

Here, the prefixes for the attributes need to be carefully selected. Some apply to the whole monument, some only apply to all bells, and some apply to individual bells.

The given website is also the source for the detailed information about the bells, including their strike tones.

Rendering

Example of a bell icon
Example of icon of silent bell (bell:sound=no)

An icon showing a bell would be easy to understand.

Features/Pages affected

See also

Comments

Please use the discussion page for discussion.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Proposal:Bell&oldid=3070090"