OSM(Open Street Map)

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Introduction

OSM (Open Street Map) is an open source map dataset created and maintained by a volunteer community. Unlike traditional map data, OSM data is collected by volunteers using various data sources such as GPS devices, aerial images, topographic maps, and public satellite images. Users can use, edit, and distribute this data for free. OSM has global coverage and provides rich geographic data, including streets, buildings, rivers, lakes, mountains, public facilities, and more. At the same time, OSM also provides APIs and various tools to integrate this data into various applications.

File Format

The OSM format contains four core elements, namely Node, Way, Relation and Tag.

Node: A geographical location point stored in the form of longitude and latitude coordinates, usually representing a feature without size, such as a POI (Points Of Interest) or a high point on a mountain.
Way: A list of nodes, which can be a polyline or a surface when a closed path is formed. It can represent linear features such as streets and rivers, as well as surface features such as forests, parks, parking lots, lakes, etc.
Relation: An ordered list of nodes, ways, and relationships, collectively called “members”, members can have “role” attributes (string format). Relation is used to represent the relationship between existing nodes and ways, such as turning restrictions on roads, highways crossing multiple ordinary roads (which do not intersect), and circular surfaces with holes in the middle.
Tag: Key value, key name and key value are in string format, used to store metadata of map features, such as type, name, physical properties, etc. Tags are independent features, but are always attached to map features (nodes, channels, relationships).

Pros

1. Data openness: OSM data is open and can be freely downloaded and used without paying any fees. Users can modify and customize map data according to their needs, which provides users with great flexibility and freedom.

2. Global coverage: OSM covers the world, and corresponding map data can be found in both urban and rural areas. This provides users with global geographic information services, which facilitates users to carry out travel planning, geographical exploration, etc.

3. Community participation: OSM is a project maintained by volunteers around the world, and anyone can participate in contributing data. This community participation method enables map data to be continuously updated and improved, improving the accuracy and reliability of the data.

Cons

**1. The data is not perfect: **Although OSM data is constantly updated and improved, it may still be incomplete or inaccurate in some areas or fields.

**2. The resources are not very rich: **Compared with some commercial map service providers, OSM may be slightly lacking in map resources.

**3. The data quality varies: **Since OSM data is maintained by volunteers around the world, the data quality may vary from region to region.

Application Scenario

OSM is a free, open source, editable map database created and maintained by volunteers around the world. It is suitable for various scenarios such as emergency rescue, urban planning, transportation planning, navigation, tourism, academic research, etc.