Helsinki Region Transport
Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) is a joint local public transport authority whose member municipalities are Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Sipoo, Siuntio and Tuusula. HSL began its operations in 2010. This document is an introduction to how HSL uses and contributes to OpenStreetMap.
Background
As a result of the map renewal project during 2014-2018 HSL now uses OSM as the main map data source for all maps - both digital and printed. HSL has created its own visual style for OSM. The OSM based maps are visible on route maps, stop posters and a number of digital services eg. in the journey planner which is a product of the Digitransit-project. A more comprehensive documentation of the HSL's map projects can be found here. HSL edits OSM themselves and encourages the community to do so as well in order to improve the map's accuracy and the journey planner's routing & geocoding services.
Contact
Contact regarding HSL's OSM activities : paikkatieto@hsl.fi or HSL_HRT (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.).
Main activities overview
- Edit OSM based on customer feedback, HSL traffic bulletins and information received from member municipalities
- Monitor edits and improve the quality of OSM in general
- Arrange mapathons and other events in order to spread information
- Conduct Data imports when necessary
Imports
So far HSL has been involved in two data imports :
- Digitransit/Helsinki region Swedish road names import (March 2017)
- HSL bus stop import (spring 2021)
Tools and Data Sources
Edits are mainly done with the ID- and JOSM-editors. HSL has also been using Mapillary to collect street view images to support OSM edits.
Besides all other available datasets eg. National Land Survey-data and the national Digiroad dataset, HSL's own datasets are the main data source when editing OSM. HSL has issued a permission to include these in OSM.
Participants
The team consists of the following active OSM users:
- HSL_HRT (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (supervision and occasional edits)
- HSL_PALAUTE (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (edits based on feedback and traffic bulletins)
Former team members:
- HSL_OSM (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (2016-2017, edited mainly stations and terminals)
- HSL_OSM_Digiroad_import (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (march 2017, Digitransit/Helsinki region Swedish road names import)
- HSL_PALAUTE_2 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (2017-2018, assisted with editing tasks)
- HSL_PALAUTE3 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (2018, assisted with editing tasks)
- HSL_PALAUTE4 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (assisting with editing tasks)
- HSL_PALAUTE5 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (2019-2020, assisted with editing tasks)
- hsl-stop-import (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (spring 2021, HSL bus stop import)
- HSL_HRT2 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (2020-2022, supervision and occasional edits)
- HSL_HRT3 (on osm, edits, contrib, heatmap, chngset com.) (supervision and occasional edits)
HSL_HRT, HSL_HRT2 & HSL_HRT3 are/were direct employees of HSL. All others are acquired resources.
Training/Instructions
The OSM digitransit wiki page, explains in detail how the different HSL resources eg. Journey Planner (Reittiopas) use OSM data.
HSL has also published hands-on instructions in both english and finnish on how to edit OSM in order to help Journey Planner geocoding & routing and develop the HSL OSM Map...
- Edit buildings (rakennusten muokkaus)
- Edit points of interest (POI-kohteiden muokkaus)
- Edit roads (kulkuväylien muokkaus)
- Edit stops (pysäkkien muokkaus)
Quality Assurance
The OSM digitransit validation wiki page explains in detail how the OSM data can be validated to fit the requirements of Digitransit.
Events & Presentations
HSL tries to participate in and organize different events and mapathons in order spread information about the mapping project and to improve map quality. This is done in close co-operation with the local OpenStreetMap community and Finnish Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. Here's a list of recent events and presentations :
- The state of public transport routing - case Helsinki @ State of the Map, Brussels, 25.9.2016
- Digitransit @ FOSS4 Finland 2018, 8.5.2018
- The use of OSM in public transport in Helsinki Finland @ State of the Map, Milan, 28.7.2018
- OpenStreetMap in the public sector - case HSL @ Helsinki Loves Developers, 4.10.2018
Finnish only
- OSM_Finland_Meeting_2016, Helsinki, 23.1.2016
- OSM Digiroad Digitransit -tilaisuus, Helsinki, 18.4.2017 (FB-event)
- Avoin paikkatieto ja OpenStreetMap, Helsinki Loves Developers, 4.10.2018
- OpenStreetMap lähialueen kartoituksessa kartta.nyt-webinar, 10.4.2019 (video)
- Viranomainen OSM-yhteisössä (case HSL), State of the Map Suomi 2020, 26.9.2020
- OpenStreetMapin perusteet, Helsinki Loves Developers : Kartat ja paikkatieto tutuiksi, 15.4.2021 (video)
- OpenStreetMap-kuulumiset, Helsinki Loves Developers : HSL:n digikehityksen tuoreimmat kuulumiset, 31.3.2022 (video)
HSL has also regularly been organising an OSM-mapathon at the yearly finnish GIS-expo (Paikkatietomarkkinat). In May 2021 HSL organized a seperate remote HSL OSM mapathon and has plans to continue organizing this kind of events on a regular basis in the future. If you have ideas or suggestions on future themes - please contact user HSL_HRT.
See also
- HSL
- Digitransit
- OpenStreetMap
- OpenStreetMap for Government (list of governmental organisations using OSM)
- Organised_Editing/Activities (list of organised editing activities)
- Luettelo suomalaisista OpenStreetMapin hyödyntäjistä (list of finnish services using OSM)