Proposal:Zoo subtypes
| Zoo subtypes | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Draft (under way) |
| Proposed by: | Casey boy |
| Tagging: | zoo=* |
| Applies to: | |
| Definition: | Defines the type of zoo |
| Statistics: |
|
| Draft started: | 2024-09-04 |
Proposal
The zoo=* tag is currently documented (in use) as defining the type of zoo (tourism=zoo). This proposal is to formally approve this usage and to discourage other usage (documented in Rationale).
Rationale
A zoo is a facility which houses animals for public exhibition and animal conservation purposes. The approved tagging for this feature is tourism=zoo.
Consistent with many other tags in OSM, the currently documented use of zoo=* is as a sub-key to define the type of zoo. Examples include:
- zoo=petting_zoo - defined as being primarily "aimed at local children" and will focus on animals that are happy to be interacted with (touched/played with) by children.
- zoo=safari_park - defined as "a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals".
- zoo=wildlife_park - defined as a zoo where animals are able to live in a more "natural" environment. May include very large enclosures where animals are free to roam.
However, the zoo=* tag is also being used to map features inside a zoo. For example, zoo=enclosure is documented as being both for tagging a sub-type of zoo where animals are kept in enclosures and for tagging individual enclosures inside a zoo.
From my understanding, this mixed usage definition is problematic for the following reasons:
- It is best practice for a tag (key/key-value pair) to only have one meaning. This keeps mapping and the consuming of OSM data simpler.
- The predominant use, and in keeping with most other sub-tags of this nature, is for the sub-tag to be an attribute of it's parent tag (so zoo=* should describe the type of zoo, only).
- Although disambiguation is possible (i.e., whether the feature is also tagged with tourism=zoo or not), it is not straightforward:
- Data consumers need to consume multiple keys (and the absence of keys) to understand what the feature is/is not. Although not a huge issue, it's not ideal.
- Data consumers and validators cannot be sure if the tagging is intentional or a mistake. Currently, zoo=* without tourism=zoo could either be a tagging mistake (the user forgot to add tourism=zoo) or the intended tagging.
- Some of the values being used as features are problematic (i.e., zoo=aviary - an aviary is clearly not a zoo) or could be more appropriately tagged (i.e., zoo=reptile could be more generically tagged using the animal=* tag).
This proposal therefore is to simplify the definition of the zoo=* tag, to exclusively mean the sub-type of zoo (the currently documented and most-widely used interpretation). A separate proposal is in drafting stages for how to tag some zoo features (e.g., enclosures) that can be used to replace the current feature tagging.
To note: this proposal does not propose undertaking any automated edits to currently mapped features but, if accepted, the Wiki documentation will be updated to discourage zoo-feature tagging with the zoo=* tag.
Tagging
A zoo should be tagged as tourism=zoo either as node, area or relation. The zoo=* tag can then be added to specify the type of zoo (only).
Features/Pages affected
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:zoo (and sub-pages linked therein)
External discussions
https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/discussion-of-the-zoo-tag/117819
Comments
Please comment on the discussion page or the community forum topic.