OpenStreetMap tags

Buildings are stored as ways.

Such ways (usually?) have a key named building whose value simply is yes.

Optionally, such ways can have these address keys:

• addr:street
• addr:housenumber
• addr:city
• addr:postcode
• addr:country

The value of a source key seems to indicate what entity provided the data.

Some possible values are Bing, http://www.sogis.ch SO!GIS Import, Yahoo aerial images, Stadt Zürich Open Government Data; Geomatik + Vermessung; Tiefbau- und Entsorgungsdepartement etc.

Query: key-source.sql

Some naturally found objects such as tree (!), scrub, water, wood, peak, grassland, cliff, glacier (natural-glacier.sql) etc.

Even yes is found, at times! (See natural-yes_name.sql)

natural apparently often comes with type=multipoligon.

Query: key-natural.sql

The name of streets such as Hauptstrasse, Dorfstrasse, Bahnhofstrasse.

It can also name other objects, names such as France - Schweiz / Suisse / Svezzira (sic!), Coop, Volg, Migros, Denner, UBS, McDonald's were also found.

grade1, grade2, grade3, grade4, grade5

forest, meadow, farmland, gras, residential, farmyard, cemetery etc.

type=multipoligon apparently often comes in conjunction with landuse.

Also found for Buildings

This key might predominantly belong to streets, typical values are asphalt, gravel, paved, unpaved, ground, grass, dirt, concrete etc.

This key might mostly belong to streets and railways, typical values are 20, 30, 50, 80, 100, 120, signals, walk

SBB, VBZ, Luzerner Wanderwege, Robidog AG, Die Post etc

Values concerning power lines. Most frequent value (in Switzerland) is pole followed by tower, minor_line, line, substation, generator, sub_station, cable_distribution_cabinet, transformer etc

Not entierly clear what this is used for. Typical values are 1, 2 …, A1, A2 … (Obviously used for Autobahnen).

The application with which the data was entered to the OSM database.

Typical values are JOSM, Merkaartor 0.13, Potlatch 0.10f, opengeodb2osm0.5.2

Most important values in decreasing order: private, yes, no, destination, agricultural, permissive, customers, designated etc

Concerning railways. Typical values rail, level_crossing, narrow_gauge, buffer_stop, tram, halt, subway, signal etc

Some values that are assocated with route include: trolleybus, foot, tram, railway, fitness_trail, power, road, ski, ferry, train, mtb, bicycle, piste, bus, hiking etc.

The key sac_scale classifies hiking trails. Typical values are: hiking (apparently corresponds to T1), mountain_hiking (T2), demanding_mountain_hiking (T3), alpine_hiking (T4), demanding_alpine_hiking (T5), difficult_alpine_hiking (T6).

See key-sac_scale.sql

driveway, parking_aisle, yard, siding, spur, emergency_access etc

There is even one with the value Nyffenegg (way with id 403303034).

administrative, protected_area, postal_code, old_administrative, country_border etc

type is intended to specify a relation's type, such as multipolygon, route, restriction, public_transport etc

type=associatedStreet seems to be mostly a relation that consists of a street and buildings (with the same address?).

See type-associatedStreet_name.sql

If a relation's type is multipolygon, it apparently often comes also with landuse or natural. See type-multipolygon.sql.

In Switzerland, by far the most used value for the information key is guidepost. It is apparently used for what is called Wegweiser in German.

Query: key-information.sql

In Switzerland, by far the most used value for the emergency tag is fire_hydrant.

Other interesting values are defibrillator, life_ring and shelter.

Query: key-emergency.sql

Query: key-swisstopo.sql

symbol=gelber Diamant: apparently used for hiking trails.