This is a static archive of our old OpenStreetMap Help Site. Please post any new questions and answers at community.osm.org.

How should a terrace be mapped?

When mapping a residential terrace, it seems that there are 2 strategies:

Outline each home in the terrace separately and tag each home building=house. Two nodes from one house could be coincident with two nodes from the next to signify a parting wall. This has the advantage that each house can have its address etc. linked directly to the map area element.
Outline the whole terrace as one area, tagged as building=terrace, and then add a POI (node) for each home, tagged as building=house with the address etc. This has the (slight) advantage of reducing the quantity of map data but I think is less clear because you can't distinguish the boundaries between the house.

The wiki page on tags doesn't help much.

Please advise which is the best strategy.

house housenumbers terrace

asked 09 Jun '14, 15:54

blokeley
26●1●1●3
accept rate: 0%

2 Answers:

JOSM has a Terracer plugin that may provide useful guidance. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/JOSM/Plugins/Terracer I haven't used it or mapped terraces but i would favour your first option.

answered 09 Jun '14, 16:19

nevw
9.8k●26●90●178
accept rate: 9%

Thanks for the tip. I use iD rather than JOSM and, as you say, it's not clear what the recommended strategy is.

(09 Jun '14, 17:01) blokeley

both strategies are ok. But e.g. in Denmark, you are not allowed to add the address node to the building outline. Splitting in individual buildings is more detailed IMHO, as you could calculate the average house size if you wish to do so.

answered 09 Jun '14, 16:58

escada
19.0k●16●166●302
accept rate: 21%

I assume "not allowed" means it is local convention not to. Do you add them to the entrance node? https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:entrance I map mainly in England and use the JOSM terracer plugin and your first method (often even for semi-detached houses as a terrace of 2 houses).

(09 Jun '14, 17:02) EdLoach ♦

I'm not mapping in Denmark, but once read https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Addresses#Denmark And you're right, it is a local convention

"If a building exists on the BBR unit the address node should be placed at in the middle of the longest side of the building 3 meters from the wall closest to the main (named) access road."

(09 Jun '14, 18:16) escada