Proposal:Civil Protection Areas

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Civil Protection Areas
Proposal status: Proposed (under way)
Proposed by: AndreaDp271
Tagging: emergency:*=yes
Applies to: area node
Definition: A tagging scheme to map officially designated areas for population and rescue management within civil protection and emergency plans.
Statistics:

Draft started: 2025-10-08
RFC start: 2026-01-27

Proposal

This proposal introduces a consistent tagging scheme to map officially designated civil protection areas. These are locations identified in advance by authorities (e.g., in Municipal Emergency Plans) to manage the population and rescue operations during a disaster.

The scheme uses the emergency=* namespace to allow mapping multiple emergency functions on the same feature without conflicting with its primary peacetime use (e.g., a park or a parking lot).

Rationale

Civil protection areas are formally designated locations used by authorities to manage emergencies. These sites are not chosen "on the fly" during an event; they are identified in advance within Municipal Emergency Plans and are often marked with permanent physical signage.

A core principle of these areas is their structural resilience: they are "on-the-ground" open spaces (such as parks, squares, surface parking lots, or athletic fields) specifically selected because they lack complex structures that could collapse. Furthermore, they are established as safe zones, located far from flood-prone rivers, landslide risks, or high-rise buildings that could pose a threat during a disaster.

Currently, there is a "scale gap" in the tagging landscape. Users often mistakenly map these areas using emergency=assembly_point (intended for building-scale evacuation) or social_facility=shelter (intended for indoor facilities with beds/roofs). This proposal provides specific tags for these large-scale, outdoor, deployable emergency zones.

How to map

These tags act as an Operational Overlay. They describe an official designation that takes effect during an emergency, while the physical area continues to serve its primary purpose in everyday life.

1. Mapping the Functional Area (Overlay)

The emergency tag should be added to the existing polygon that represents the physical area. This avoids duplicate geometries and maintains semantic clarity.

2. Mapping the Physical Signage (Node)

The physical signs installed by authorities are the primary "on-the-ground" evidence of these areas. They should be mapped as nodes at the exact location of the signpost.

3. Multi-functional Areas

If an area serves multiple official roles (e.g., both waiting and shelter), simply add both tags to the same object:

4. Mapping Logistic Access and Routes

For emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=yes, the tag should be applied to:

  • The road (Way): The specific road segment (highway) designated for emergency vehicle transit leading to the area.
  • The sign (Node): As described in the physical signage section, the tag should be applied to the node representing the actual signpost marking the entry.
  • Ensuring Connectivity: Mapping the designated route on the road network allows routing software to identify specific paths for heavy vehicles, distinguishing them from standard pedestrian or civilian entrances.

Tagging

Tag Value Elements Description Notes
emergency:waiting_area=* yes area node Area where the population temporarily gathers after evacuation, prior to transfer to shelters. Often marked as "Safe Waiting Area" (e.g., "Area di Attesa" in Italy).
emergency:shelter_area=* yes area node Open-air area designated for temporary shelter or accommodation (tents/containers). Distinguished from indoor shelters by being a deployable outdoor space.
emergency:staging_area_rescue=* yes area node Strategic area for the assembly of rescue teams, heavy machinery, and resources. Requires structural capacity for heavy vehicles.
emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=* yes way node Access route or point for emergency resources, vehicles, and logistical operations. Applied to road segments (Ways) or signposts (Nodes) to enable emergency routing.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to map the "Operational Overlay" on existing real-world features (Castelfranco Veneto, Italy).

Function Peacetime Context Mapping Strategy Image Real-world Links Tags
Waiting Area
(Population) 		A public park / playground. 1. The Area: Add overlay to park polygon. area 1471930944 leisure=park
emergency:waiting_area=yes
2. The Sign: Node at sign location. node 12394706936 man_made=sign
emergency:waiting_area=yes
ref=A
Shelter Area
(Tents/Containers) 		Sports fields and open green space. 1. The Area: Add overlay to pitch polygon. area 152673547 leisure=pitch
emergency:shelter_area=yes
2. The Sign: Node at sign location. node 12394692557 man_made=sign
emergency:shelter_area=yes
ref=R
Staging Area
(Rescue Teams) 		A school complex with large external spaces. 1. The Area: Add overlay to school polygon. area 152656016 landuse=education
emergency:staging_area_rescue=yes
2. The Sign: Node at sign location. node 12394720473 man_made=sign
emergency:staging_area_rescue=yes
ref=S

Why use the emergency:* namespace?

The use of the emergency=* namespace (e.g., emergency:waiting_area=yes) is a deliberate choice to ensure data precision and reflect operational reality.

  • Dormant vs. Active Status: These tags represent a legal designation that remains "dormant" during peace time and is activated only during a crisis. The namespace allows this potential function to be recorded without overriding the primary peacetime use.
  • Semantic Clarity: The prefix acts as a semantic filter. It ensures that terms like "shelter area" are interpreted strictly within the Civil Protection context, preventing confusion with nautical or leisure terms.
  • Global Consistency: This structure follows established international patterns documented in Key:emergency:*, successfully used in countries like Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Differences with existing tags

Differences with emergency=assembly_point

The existing tag emergency=assembly_point is intended for Emergency Assembly Points at a single building or public location, such as schools, offices, companies, gyms, or other public-use facilities.

The main differences with civil protection areas mapped by the proposed tags are:

  • Scale and context: emergency=assembly_point refers to a single building or complex, whereas civil protection areas (emergency:waiting_area=*, emergency:shelter_area=*, etc.) can cover an entire neighborhood, district, or municipal zone.
  • Planning and Officiality: While assembly points are often used for immediate fire drills or building evacuations, these areas are formally identified in advance by experts within Municipal Emergency Plans and are often marked with specific permanent signage.
  • Structural Resilience and Safety: Assembly points are often located in immediate proximity to buildings (e.g., a sidewalk or courtyard), posing risks from falling debris or glass. The proposed areas are chosen for being "on-the-ground" open spaces specifically selected for their lack of complex structures that could collapse during a seismic event.
  • Environmental Selection: Unlike assembly points, these areas are strategically located as safe zones far from high-rise buildings, flood-prone rivers, or landslide risks.
  • Management of people: At an assembly point, internal staff performs roll-calls; in civil protection areas, personnel from the Civil Protection Department or volunteers manage the population, providing assistance, information, and coordination.
  • Services available: Assembly points usually have no additional services, while waiting or shelter areas may include tents, first aid, water, food, and psychological support.
  • Duration: Assembly points are typically used for a few minutes or hours; civil protection areas may be active for several hours or days, until transfer to shelters or the end of the emergency.

Summary: While emergency=assembly_point is intended for specific buildings or small locations, the proposed tags map larger areas with distinct operational functions, complementing the existing tag rather than replacing it.

Differences with emergency:social_facility=shelter

The existing tag emergency:social_facility=shelter is intended only for a single building, typically used as a shelter in emergencies (e.g., school, community center, or other facility).

The main differences with the proposed emergency:shelter_area=* tag are:

  • Physicality (Indoor vs Outdoor): emergency:social_facility=shelter implies existing indoor infrastructure (beds, toilets, roofs) provided by a social service. In contrast, emergency:shelter_area=* refers to open-air deployable spaces (parks, fields, squares) that only become shelters when Civil Protection deploys tents or containers.
  • Vulnerability: Buildings used as social facilities (like schools) may still be vulnerable to structural damage. emergency:shelter_area=* focuses on flat, "on-the-ground" areas that remain accessible and safe even if surrounding buildings are compromised.
  • Flexibility: emergency:shelter_area=* allows mapping areas that may serve multiple emergency functions (waiting, shelter, staging), thanks to the use of the emergency namespace, which is not possible with a fixed value like emergency:social_facility=shelter.

Summary: While emergency:social_facility=shelter describes a specific building, emergency:shelter_area=* enables mapping of larger designated areas prepared for temporary population accommodation during emergencies.

Differences with tourism=camp_site

Although an area for tents might resemble a campsite, using tourism=camp_site for civil protection areas is considered an anti-pattern:

  • Purpose: A campsite is for leisure and tourism. An emergency:shelter_area=* is an operational zone for public safety.
  • Data Consumption: Using the "camp_site" string in the main tag risks creating "false positives" in consumer apps (e.g., tourists being directed to an emergency area during peace time).
  • Namespace Security: The emergency=* prefix provides a clear semantic namespace, ensuring that data users (rescue teams, planners) can distinguish between a public park and a designated area for emergency population accommodation.

Real-world international examples

In addition to the Italian civil protection areas, similar concepts exist in many countries, where authorities designate specific areas that are only used in case of emergencies while serving normal functions (parks, school yards, parking lots, etc.) in everyday life. These real-world practices closely match the functions represented by the proposed tags.

emergency:waiting_area=*

United States (Pacific coast, Oregon)

Tsunami evacuation guides for the Cascadia Subduction Zone describe evacuation routes leading to predefined assembly areas located on higher ground, often in parks, school yards or parking lots that are designated in advance as safe gathering points during an alert. For example, see the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development guide Preparing for a Cascadia Subduction Zone Tsunami (https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/NH/Documents/cascadia_subduction_zone_tsunami_guide.pdf) and the Clatsop County Tsunami Evacuation Plan StoryMap (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/90bd871c0b984496902d0339247565e2). These places correspond to emergency:waiting_area=*, as they are where people gather and wait for further instructions after leaving the hazard zone.

New Zealand and Pacific coastal communities

Campus and community tsunami plans specify tsunami evacuation assembly areas (e.g. sports fields, school courtyards, open squares) where evacuees must assemble and remain until authorities decide whether they can return home or must be transferred to shelters. An example is the Laucala Campus Tsunami Evacuation Plan of the University of the South Pacific (https://www.usp.ac.fj/wp-content/uploads/sites/72/2021/08/LAUCALA_CAMPUS_TSUNAMI_EVACUATION_PLAN_.pdf) and regional tsunami manuals by ITIC/NOAA (e.g. Tsunami Evacuations: A Planning Guide for Local Government: https://www.weather.gov/media/itic-car/tempp/373019eng_lowres.pdf). Such predefined assembly areas are functionally equivalent to emergency:waiting_area=*.

United States (social-care and residential facilities)

Emergency plans for group homes, care facilities or similar institutions usually define an external evacuation assembly area where residents and staff must gather and be accounted for after evacuation, distinct from simple exits or sidewalks. Examples can be found in model Emergency Preparedness Plans (e.g. NIGC Model EPP: https://www.nigc.gov/?wpdmdl=13208&ind=13209) and state guidance such as the New Jersey Department of Human Services Emergency Preparedness document (https://nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/assets/documents/providers/eprp-for-providers.pdf). These designated gathering points fit the concept of emergency:waiting_area=* as waiting/coordination areas for evacuees.

emergency:shelter_area=*

Japan

Urban emergency-planning guidelines and research on emergency shelters and open spaces in Japanese cities distinguish large parks and open spaces designated as emergency shelter open spaces or temporary shelters, with minimum area, accessibility criteria and distance requirements from residential blocks. One example is the paper Instructions for planning emergency shelters and open spaces in urban areas (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7443315/), which analyses shelter open-space planning in several Japanese cities. These open spaces are intended to host evacuees with tents and basic services in case of disasters and correspond to emergency:shelter_area=*.

China

The same international guidance discusses Chinese cities where parks and squares are formally planned as emergency shelter open spaces for earthquakes, including storage of emergency materials and preplanned layouts for temporary accommodation. Again, see the above study on emergency shelters and open spaces (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7443315/), which includes case studies from China. These designated open spaces, used only during emergencies while serving as ordinary parks in normal times, match the intended use of emergency:shelter_area=*.

United States and Europe

Evacuation and sheltering manuals differentiate between short-term assembly areas and longer-term shelter locations where evacuees can receive accommodation and services (gyms, community centres, but also prepared open spaces). For instance, see Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place – Guidance for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Partners and local planning documents such as the Orange County Housing Opportunities Manual which addresses use of sites for emergency sheltering (https://ocds.ocpublicworks.com/sites/ocpwocds/files/import/data/files/43715.pdf). The latter correspond to larger areas that can host tents, first aid, water, food and basic support, which aligns with emergency:shelter_area=* rather than a single building tag.

emergency:staging_area_rescue=*

Australia

Operational manuals of emergency services define the Staging Area as a designated location where response teams, vehicles and equipment assemble before being deployed, often using large parking lots or sports fields that are activated only during incidents. For example, the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency procedure 2.3 Establishment Of Staging Area (https://esa.act.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-01/2.3-Establishment-Of-Staging-Area.pdf) describes requirements for such areas. This concept is directly mapped by emergency:staging_area_rescue=*, representing areas used for assembling rescue resources prior to deployment.

Canada

Municipal Emergency Response Plans specify staging areas where resources are concentrated and coordinated, typically choosing large open spaces such as arenas, sports complexes or parking areas that can safely host emergency vehicles and personnel. An example is the Town of Midland Emergency Response Plan (https://www.midland.ca/media/yqlghxla/emergency-response-plan.pdf), which lists and defines staging areas in the municipal territory. These planned sites correspond to emergency:staging_area_rescue=* as designated rescue staging locations.

United States

Logistics documents describing Logistics Staging Areas (LSA) present them as central hubs where teams, vehicles and materials are gathered and organized before distribution to affected areas. See for instance Logistics Staging Areas (LSA) and State Points of Distribution by Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (http://sema.dps.mo.gov/docs/programs/LRMF/SPODS.pdf). Such LSAs are a clear real-world example of emergency:staging_area_rescue=* for mapping the operational staging function.

emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=*

United States (Logistics Staging Areas and Points of Distribution)

Guidance on Logistics Staging Areas and State Points of Distribution emphasises controlled access routes and gates reserved for convoys of emergency vehicles and supply trucks, separate from regular traffic, to ensure safe and orderly flows. The Missouri SEMA guidance on LSAs and SPODs (http://sema.dps.mo.gov/docs/programs/LRMF/SPODS.pdf) explicitly addresses traffic management and access control for these logistics hubs. These specific access points match emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=*, identifying entrances used primarily for emergency logistics.

United States (evacuation and sheltering guidance)

Evacuation and sheltering planning documents mention dedicated entrances for buses, emergency vehicles and supply deliveries at reception centres, shelters and distribution points, often with separate entry and exit paths for safety and traffic management. For example, Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place discusses access and traffic control at shelters and reception facilities. Mapping those logistic gates and controlled access points is precisely the goal of emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=*.


Tag Info

emergency:waiting_area=*
emergency:shelter_area=*
emergency:staging_area_rescue=*
emergency:logistic_entry_rescue=*

Features/Pages affected

External discussions

Comments

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