Pedestrian Data Collection and Consistency in Open Street Maps

April 20, 2018

The Goal – Data Collection and Consistency

Obtain regionally consistent pedestrian asset data that supports:

• potential model improvements for pedestrian travel

• plan monitoring

• consistent evaluation of pedestrian connectivity needs region-wide

• the preservation and maintenance work program

• local needs

Composite Connectivity Index

Sound Transit and King County Metro studyAnalysis included:

Intersection Density Sidewalk CoverageRoute directness Projected increase in transit ridershipSignalized Arterial Crossings Bike Stress

Transit Access Assessments

The Challenge

• Inconsistent data formats between jurisdictions – data sets are difficult to integrate

• Inconsistent information – different data points are collected and not consistent regionally

• Lack of data in some areas

• Longevity of data collection activities and updates

• Challenge of sharing and accessing data in one place

The Challenge

Sidewalk Data Set Example: Inconsistent data formats and lack of detailed information

Polygons Lines on both sidesCenter line with L/R attributes PDF map

No additional data

Step 1: Sidewalk Network in OSM

Start with entering sidewalk data into Open Street Maps (OSM)

1. Begin with access to transit locations

2. Prioritize where to begin:• not to overlap what other agencies are doing• suggest high capacity transit and ferries to start

3. Decide on the method: sidewalks as metadata to roads vs. sidewalks mapped as ‘ways’

4. Identify process (bulk import or manual coding)

5. Define essential tags that are needed for step 1

6. Get started…

Why PSRC is choosing Open Street Maps

• Existing transit networks and tools already use OSM networks

• Open source – opportunity for PSRC and partners to collectively contribute to one data set

• Data in OSM would benefit from analysis tools developed or being developed (AccessMap)

• Provides interoperability and maintainability

TriMet and OpenStreetMap

● TriMet provides transit in Portland, Oregon region

● Leaders in open source tools/data

● Helped launch OpenTripPlanner (OTP) in 2009

● Adopted OSMin 2011

Madeline Steelesteelem@trimet.org

Street Data Comparison - why TriMet chose OSM

Commercial

● Costly● Limited control over data

quality and updates

Centerline Files

● Free● Limited coverage area● Not designed for routing

purposes

OpenStreetMap

● Free● Seamless coverage worldwide ● Designed for and supports multi-

modal routing● Investment in community product for

shared benefits● More control, higher quality

TriMet 2016 sidewalk tagging

PBOT Growing Transit Communities Pilot

Tagged before 2016 (by both TriMet and broader OSM community)

Sidewalk ProjectColored streetshave sidewalk tags

© OpenStreetMap Contributors. Esri basemap 11

2017 — Expanding to seven counties

1/1/17: 35.7% complete 4/1/17: 72.2% complete 7/1/17: 85.7% complete

Step 1: Drawing in the sidewalk network

Sidewalks as metadata vs. sidewalks as ways

Why centerline tags and not separate ways?

● Speed and consistency● Maintenance concerns ● Issues for trip plan narratives

○ Sidewalks don’t have names○ Many more segments

● Would require significant work on OTP code

From https://www.opensidewalks.com/

VS

Sidewalk tagging method

● No imports — fully manual● Added centerline tag —

sidewalk=both|left|right|no● Outreach at meetups and via local

OSM user group email● JOSM with sidewalk style● Reference:

○ Local shapefiles○ Best available imagery

● Divided street segments

Next steps for TriMet

● OSM Data Maintenance○ Focus on newly constructed areas○ QA/QC

● Continue exploring ways to get curb-level detail into OSM and OTP

● Expansion of Mapillary coverage?

OpenSidewalks in OSM (sidewalks as ways) Anat Caspi, PhD, uwtcat@uw.edu

Personalized interpretationMakes sidewalk attribute costing possible Truly any tags considered in routing and changed on the fly with user input.

Sidewalk Curb cutSurfaceElevationElevatorsConstruction

Enhancements made possible by OpenSidewalks

With OpenSidewalks: Clear data-driven infrastructure decisions

Enhancements made possible by sidewalks as ways

Before OpenSidewalks: “as the crow flies;” zero consideration for pedestrian access

Ability to look at travel via real ability-based isochrones (same color band = same time to travel)

How do we get the data?

Coordinate imports of open data

sidewalkifycrossify

Split into tasks

Human verification

OpenSidewalks tools UW can provide

Open Imports

1. Create a proposal (example: Santa Clara County sidewalk import)

2. Gain permission to use the data in OSM

3. Announce to OSM community (OSM US Chapter)

4. Wait a reasonable period of time and if no-pushback, you start importing (two weeks-ish)

5. Import must conflate with existing data – not much sidewalk data now so not much conflation done

6. Sidewalk imports would require adding in crossings after

How do we get the data?

Crowdsource the network from scratch

Upload to a service

Task + crowdsource

Take geotagged pictures

Mapillary – crowdsourced street level views

https://www.mapillary.com/

Mapillary

Step 1: Sidewalk Network in OSM

Start with entering sidewalk data into Open Street Maps (OSM)

1. Begin with access to transit locations

2. Prioritize where to begin:• not to overlap what other agencies are doing• suggest high capacity transit and ferries to start

3. Decide on the method: sidewalks as metadata to roads vs. sidewalks mapped as ‘ways’

4. Identify process (bulk import or manual coding)

5. Define essential tags that are needed for step 1

6. Get started…

Choosing a Methodology

Pilot study:• Choose handful of existing or future transit hubs for pilot

(places where there is added benefit without overlapping efforts)

• Test various methods (within ½ mile transit shed) and report on time and benefits of each :• Manual coding of sidewalks as metadata• Manual coding of sidewalks as ways• Import sidewalks as ways

• Sidewalks, crossings

Step 2: Consistency for other attributes

• Identify what other attributes are important to collect• Condition, accessibility, width, slope, etc.• For what purpose – access routing, maintenance costs,

other local needs

• Work with BPAC and OSM Community on consistency of attributes

• OSM is a global community where some consistency (standards) have been set, some can be proposed

• Communicating the proposed framework

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/sidewalk_schema#The_underlying_pedestrian_network

A potential ‘menu’ approach

‘Menu’ approach as guidance for local jurisdictions (example):

• recommend data points x, y and z are collected

• provide some networking approaches that can be integrated into regional data sets or OSM (example: ArcGIS for local governments)

• contribution of data collection into Open Street Maps

• Suggested process (sidewalks as metadata or ways)

• Suggested tagging of attributes

Kim Scrivner, PSRCkscrivner@psrc.org, 206-971-3281

Kim Scrivnerkscrivner@psrc.org