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Sometimes I find highways tagged with the key ID, and some number given as a value. For example, the following way: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/33664342/history

Osmose catches them as issues and provides "deprecated" and "uncommon short key" description. Here is Osmose error for the same way: http://osmose.openstreetmap.fr/en/error/28561408837

My question is, should I remove such tags?

Thanks in advance.

asked 26 Jun '19, 18:26

mmahmud's gravatar image

mmahmud
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accept rate: 3%


Removal is probably a little overzealous.

If you know what the 'ID' refers to then it may be worthwhile "modernizing" it. e.g. converting to a "ref" if you know it is actually a common 'short name' for a road.

If not, then a seldom used key is unlikely to cause any issues for anything even if it is a little vague. Tags invented on the spot are permitted, although some prior discussion normally helps avoid the confusion that seems to have happened here.

You may wish to contact the original mapper to see if their intended meaning can now be expressed through a more widely accepted tag. Quality tools can give suggestions, but there are good reasons why they aren't usually set to automatically fix things without review.

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answered 26 Jun '19, 19:18

InsertUser's gravatar image

InsertUser
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accept rate: 19%

Got it. Good point. I will keep it as it is.

(26 Jun '19, 19:32) mmahmud

Keys like this are often a sign for a low-quality data import. Simply removing them obscures this marker; it often makes sense to dig through the object history to find the initial changeset(s) in which the object was created, and use that as the basis for larger QA/cleanup in the area. Sometimes it can even be necessary to bulk-remove the data itself, not only the tags, if it turns out that the import was made from sources that did not have a suitable license.

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answered 26 Jun '19, 23:24

Frederik%20Ramm's gravatar image

Frederik Ramm ♦
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accept rate: 23%

In general all QA tool warnings need to be viewed with scepticism. I would never take them to amount more than to a "something looks a bit fishy here".

And the fact that you have to ask if you should remove the tag or not in itself clearly points to "no".

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answered 27 Jun '19, 13:36

SimonPoole's gravatar image

SimonPoole ♦
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accept rate: 18%

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question asked: 26 Jun '19, 18:26

question was seen: 1,523 times

last updated: 27 Jun '19, 13:36

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