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Hello everyone! Recently I encountered some parking areas defined by their area, but including all parking slots as nodes. See here for example. This posed to be a problem searching for a parking in the city, because my app showed all individual slots.

Is this the correct way of mapping a parking area? (If so, then the problem lies in my app not being able to interpret the data correctly). Or is it preferable to just use an area and use the capacity tag?

The wiki entry for the parking tag states to Tag either an area or a central node, but not both. . However, this implies that the same parking area has been tagged twice (with an area and with a central node). In the example mentioned above though, there is no central node, there are nodes for each slot.

asked 28 Sep '19, 16:13

jorgman1's gravatar image

jorgman1
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This page gives more advice on parking place tagging https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity%3Dparking_space

Apparently the advice is to group parking spaces into a site relation. Maybe then the site will be rendered as the car park.

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answered 28 Sep '19, 18:36

BCNorwich's gravatar image

BCNorwich
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accept rate: 20%

Thank you for the link! I think I understand now how it should be mapped (according to amenity=parking_space and to this proposal). Correct me if I'm wrong.

If nothing else is known, use a node in the centre of the parking to mark it. Or if the outline is known, then use an area.

For a more detailed depiction, use either nodes or areas (recommended) to mark each space under the tag amenity=parking_space. Ideally, this should have capacity=1 (default if not mapped), but if the satellite image is not good enough, it could have a larger capacity.

And then use a relation (type=site, site=parking) to group individual parking spaces together.

(29 Sep '19, 08:09) jorgman1

Yes agreed with one exception, the amenity=parking_space would be singular therefore no need for the capacity tag. The overall parking area would hold the capacity tag and capacity of disabled or family spaces.

(29 Sep '19, 08:13) BCNorwich

The parking areas you linked to are not an example of good mapping style, but not because of the attempt to map individual parking spaces – that's accepted practice.

Note that the individual slots are not mapped as amenity=parking, but as amenity=parking_space. This should allow your app to make sense of the situation.

It's weird, however, that the nodes are part of the outline of the parking areas. Usually, the parking spaces would either be mapped as areas (most common), or using nodes at the center, rather than at the edge, of the parking space. Therefore, one would expect them to be located well within the parking area at some distance from the outline.

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answered 28 Sep '19, 20:50

Tordanik's gravatar image

Tordanik
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accept rate: 35%

That makes sense. Thank you!

(29 Sep '19, 08:10) jorgman1

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question asked: 28 Sep '19, 16:13

question was seen: 1,809 times

last updated: 29 Sep '19, 08:13

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