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I would like to add the maximum number of vehicles that pass by a road in an hour. Is the tag capacity=number accepted? Or should i use another one?

asked 20 Jul '15, 14:03

The%20locksmith's gravatar image

The locksmith
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accept rate: 0%


Under no circumstances should you add information from the Highway Capacity Manual to OpenStreetMap because it is "© Copyright 2010-2014 Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences" and their site says "This page and its contents are not to be reproduced without express written consent of the Transportation Research Board."

This data is not compatible with OSM's license unless you obtain a permission (or the printed book is under a suitable open license).

Even if it were legal to add the information, it would still be questionable in terms of OpenStreetMap's Verifiability requirement.

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answered 21 Jul '15, 18:57

Frederik%20Ramm's gravatar image

Frederik Ramm ♦
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accept rate: 23%

Hi Locksmith, The link Ed Loach found was Richards and meant for cyclist who searched for the quiets road to make a tour. “I discussed with my colleagues and unfortunately, traffic_hourly is a rather difficult metric than capacity in transportation” Nice to hear but the OSM rule still stands; TAG WHATS THERE, and not what has been made up. If you want to design a tag for traffic counts to OSM remember, SK53 advice, please make a new description make a proposal and let’s talk over it. If it’s agreed, okay go ahead and add the tag to OSM Wiki and don’t start up adding earlier. Start your project based on OSM data according to these rules; http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Using_OpenStreetMap, on a solitaire and local server and add anything you like or need to make a sturdy plan, even if it’s based on estimation. Good luck

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answered 21 Jul '15, 15:11

Hendrikklaas's gravatar image

Hendrikklaas
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accept rate: 5%

Hey again! Thanks for the suggestions and comments. I discussed with my colleagues and unfortunately, traffic_hourly is a rather difficult metric than capacity in transportation. Capacity is a very common metric in transportation analysis and it represents the maximum number of vehicles that can pass in a time interval from a link, without congestion. The values used are appropriate and actually based on the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM, 2010). I think that a traffic_capacity tag might be necessary. I am going to start a suggestion process for that. In the meanwhile, is it possible to use the "traffic_capacity" tag?

I hope I am not causing any inconvenience. Although I think that many transport related organization would benefit from such a tag, if you still believe it to be a problem I will of course store them locally and connect them to the OSM using ID.

Reference: Highway Capacity Manual. "Highway capacity manual." Washington, DC (2010)

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answered 21 Jul '15, 13:03

The%20locksmith's gravatar image

The locksmith
56336
accept rate: 0%

Well, the numbers I want to use are just an approximation of the real ones, they are just a general agreement in the institute i work for. They are not based on any survey in the area, the vehicles haven't been counted. I just need to add some numbers to make simple the evacuation plan of the area I am working on. Traffic:hourly seems logical to be used, but , if I understood that right, in the discussion they base those numbers on surveys that took place in these roads or something

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answered 21 Jul '15, 09:18

The%20locksmith's gravatar image

The locksmith
56336
accept rate: 0%

2

If you're just "making some numbers up" you can store those externally to OSM and combine them externally.

(21 Jul '15, 09:27) SomeoneElse ♦

These numbers could be used here in Greece, as i said they are general agreement of general surveys and studies depending on the size and the type of the road

(21 Jul '15, 09:37) The locksmith
3

Hi The Locksmith, you don’t want to mix estimation with reality in OSM, map what’s there, or you’ll end up in a sadly actual classic tragedy with a statistical outcome of ± 23 %.

(21 Jul '15, 10:44) Hendrikklaas

You clearly should not use the capacity tag which will usually refer to a design maximum and is generally used for car parks, chairlifts etc when the phrase "xxx has a capacity of n" would be widely understood. Many roads/bridges etc have a design capacity which is regularly exceeded. You are looking for a tag to describe usage.

Reusing existing tags for a different meaning generally makes both the new & the older meanings harder to interpret & use.

Note: I came across capacity being used instead of count only this morning.

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answered 20 Jul '15, 15:58

SK53's gravatar image

SK53 ♦
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accept rate: 22%

I believe some users have used the (undocumented) traffic tag to indicate relative use, and some quite complex tags for more accurate surveys, though I can't understand the key structure. I found these on taginfo after finding this old discussion on talk-gb.

Edit: my wiki searching skills clearly failed me. See Key:traffic:hourly here

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answered 20 Jul '15, 15:05

EdLoach's gravatar image

EdLoach ♦
19.5k16156280
accept rate: 22%

edited 20 Jul '15, 15:06

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question asked: 20 Jul '15, 14:03

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last updated: 21 Jul '15, 18:57

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum