I want to draw a map of an area according to OSM data. I understood that I need to export the data from OSM and select the highway nodes, but I see mostly values of bus stations, traffic signs etc. and not the roads. So my questions are- 1. Is there another field that can fit? Why I don't see the roads values? 2. What the empty values under highway node mean?


asked 14 Aug '19, 17:05

Karinj21's gravatar image

accept rate: 0%

Nodes are only one of three types of OpenStreetMap data, and rarely if ever the data type that has the most visual impact on a map. The highway key has some uses on nodes but it is mostly used on other elements.

If you edit your post (or comment) to add more information about your process and software you are trying to use to create a map we may be able to offer better help, otherwise we can only really provide generic links to more information.

permanent link

answered 14 Aug '19, 21:08

InsertUser's gravatar image

accept rate: 21%

So I want to export the data from a specific area and draw only the roads using the coordinates. I prefer to do it with Matlab but I can use other software if it's better. I am just trying to figure out which data is relevant for me.

(14 Aug '19, 21:55) Karinj21

There is software specifically aimed at map creation that will certainly do a prettier job than Matlab (although the preview on this package looks better than I'd have expected). If you're not trying to incorporate it into something else Matlab based you may want to look at the software listed here. There are also convertors/plugins for more mainstream GIS packages (including open source ones) that (in theory) can be made to do almost anything map related you can think of. Finally if you would just like a method to take a map and delete out anything that isn't a road, some extracts services like bbbike will give you an SVG file for your area of interest that can be stripped down without leaving behind ugly artifacts.

(14 Aug '19, 22:41) InsertUser
Your answer
toggle preview

Follow this question

By Email:




Answers and Comments

Markdown Basics

  • *italic* or _italic_
  • **bold** or __bold__
  • numbered list: 1. Foo 2. Bar
  • basic HTML tags are also supported

Question tags:


question asked: 14 Aug '19, 17:05

question was seen: 317 times

last updated: 14 Aug '19, 22:42

powered by OSQA