US National Park Service Tagging
Overview
Note: As of September 2020, the remainder of this wiki hasn't been updated in over five years and is being partially superceded by the developed and devloping tagging standardization draft at United_States/Public_lands#National_Park_Service. Efforts are underway now (though slowly) to harmonize this wiki (and its sub-wiki or what remains of them) with that draft: those aspects which do not overlap with the above wiki may remain, such as where vector lines (roads, hiking trail routes, perhaps streams...) are not actually "federal public land" (administered by NPS) per se. There are name=*, access=*, various amenity=* and map icon suggestions in these sub-wiki which are and remain valid and valuable tagging considerations specific to National Parks' services and amenities which do not overlap with tagging suggestions in United_States/Public_lands#National_Park_Service.
The purpose of this NPS Tagging wiki is to provide guidance on contributing and tagging OSM data within US National Park footprints in such a manner that provides a consistent methodology for capturing, mapping and rendering data and maps using OSM.
Numerous National Park units manage GIS data collection efforts which includes updates to trails, roads, streams, points of interest, and topography. These data are considered "Core Base Data" and are thourougly vetted to present "Authoritative Data" to the public.
National Park Service "Tagging" involves migrating these data into OSM. Where vector lines (roads, streams) cross the park boundaries, nodes should be edge matched for linear continuity of features that cross the boundary. It is best to work only in small geographic regions of a park at one time, which limits node updates to 1 or 2 roads and a dozen trails at one time, as to avoid issues associated with massive, bulk imports. Given that some park visitor services are closed seasonally, appropriate tags should reflect hours/months of operation. OSM leadership has requested that the NPS does not sponsor bulk imports of NPS data, given the long lead time during editing which can cause performance issues on the OSM server.
There are no plans to include unplanned closure tags, such as those due to construction or natural disaster.
A key benefit of the NPS contribution to the OSM project is to give providers of location-based services (GPS, on-line mapping, map publishers, on-line routing) necessary map data in order to provide the public SAFE and ACCURATE navigation options within national parks and to assist in locating visitor services.
ONLY data that is made available to the public via the NPS Data Store can be contributed to OSM by National Park Service employees and official volunteers. Under no circumstance can the National Park Service make data available exclusively to a third-party, such as a mapping web page. Nor can the National Park Service publish data that can identify the location of a sensitive resource and/or allow map data to be used in a manner that threatens a federally protected resource. In addition, the National Park Service will not publish map data that, when used as a navigation tool, can expose employees or visitors to hazardous situations. Data that cannot be made available to the public, through any interface includes data that is protected by federal law.
OSM mappers are free, of course, to contribute any data they wish to OSM within NPS unit footprints, either sourced from the NPS web page or from their own sources.
We recommend that OSM Mappers "adopt" a park and document their involvement on the WikiProject US National Parks page. One way to get involved with contributing NPS data to OSM is to contact your local National Park and get a handle on the data they have.
This US National Park Service Tagging Wiki is set up to provide a separate wiki page for each tagging scenario, to provide detailed information on each NPS tagging theme. This also keeps most of the text for each page "above the fold." We encourage OSM mappers to contribute data and to the wiki!
We also encourage NPS OSM Mappers to join the Talk-NPS Mailing List
Roads
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Roads
Trails
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Trails
Road and Trail Restrictions
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Road and Trail Restrictions
Buildings
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Buildings
Boundaries
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Boundaries
Natural Features
See the OSM Wiki page for tagging US National Park Service Natural Features
Places Database: Points of Interest
See below for guideline on how to integrate OSM Wiki for tagging OSM points with Places database.
PlacesPark Tiles is a database for NPS employees to add and edit Points of Interest, or points/markers that have icons on the map. Any feature that deserves an icon, such as a trailhead, boating access point, toilet or parking lot, should be in this database so that the symbols can properly render on the NPS maps.
Points can still be added to OSM but will have to follow the tags below in order to be rendered properly on NPS maps.
The lines and polygons of the features, such as parking lots or trails, should be mapped in OpenStreetMap.
You can also check out Points of Interest for hints and tips how how to map points using OSM and Places.
National Park Service Maps Points for Places and OSM Integration
OSM creates the base layer of the maps and the Places database renders all of the symbols and icons.
If there are any questions about the tags, I recommend reading https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Great_Smoky_Mountains_National_Park. The team at Great Smoky Mountains did an excellent job documenting and walking through map issues.
| NPS Symbol | Description | OSM tag | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Airport | aeroway=aerodrome | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Amphitheather | amenity=theatre theatre:type=amphi | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Boat Launch | leisure=slipway | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Boat Tour | route=ferry | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Located on loading point of ferry route |
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Bicycle Trail | highway=track bicycle=yes | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Located on Trailhead, or start of popular route |
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Bus stop/Shuttle stop | highway=bus_stop | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Campfire | leisure=firepit | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Can be added as attribute to campsite |
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Campsite | tourism=camp_site camp_site=pitch | Other Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Campground | tourism=camp_site | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Canoe access | canoe=put_in | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Crosscountry Skiing | piste:type=nordic | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Downhill skiing | piste:type=downhill | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Drinking water | amenity=drinking_water | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
| Entrance Station | barrier=entrance | Other Symbols: Harper's Ferry | ||
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First Aid Station | amenity=first_aid | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Fishing Area | leisure=fishing | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Food Service | amenity=food_court | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Four-Wheel Drive Road | highway=track atv=yes | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Located at start of road |
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Gas Station | amenity=fuel | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Golfing | leisure=golf_course | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
| Headquarters | building=office office=government function=headquarters | Other Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Must be officially recognized headquarters | |
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Horseback Riding | leisure=horse_riding | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Hospital | amenity=hospital | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Ice Skating | sport=skating | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Information | tourism=information | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Litter Receptacle/Trash | amenity=waste_basket | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Lodging | tourism=hotel | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Marina | leisure=marina | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Metro Stop | railway=subway_entrance | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Motor Bike Trail | highway=track motorcycle=yes | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Parking | amenity=parking | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
| [[Image:|50px|center]] | Peak | natural=peak | NPMap | |
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Pets Allowed On Leash Area | dog=leashed | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Not added to the editor... will eventually be an icon at trailheads |
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Picnic Site | leisure=picnic_site | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Post Office | amenity=post_office | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Radiator Water | emergency=water_tank | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Ranger Station | amenity=ranger_station | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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RV Campground | tourism=caravan_site | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Recycling | amenity=recycling | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Restrooms | amenity=toilets | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Eventually, details like babychanging=yes |
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Sanitary Disposal Station | amenity=sanitary_dump_station | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Sailing | sport=sailing | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Scuba Diving | sport=scuba_diving | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Self Guiding Trail | tourism=information information=guidepost | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | Should be located as a trailhead icon or point along the trail |
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Shelter | amenity=shelter building=hut tourism=camp_site | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Showers | amenity=shower | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Snow Sledding | piste:type=sled | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Snowmobile Trail | highway=path snowmobile=yes | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Stable | building=stable | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Store | shop=general | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Swimming Area | leisure=swimming_area | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Telephone | amenity=telephone | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Emergency telephone | emergency=phone | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Trailhead | highway=trailhead | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
| Visitor Center | information=office tourism=information | NPMap | ||
| Waterfalls | waterway=waterfall + natural=cliff | NPMap | ||
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Wheelchair Accessible | wheelchair=yes | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Wifi | wifi=yes | Other Symbols: Harper's Ferry | |
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Wind Surfing Area | sport=windsurfing | Map Symbols: Harper's Ferry |
