Process and Download OSM data

Note

This section is mainly based on a blog post created by Moritz Schott and Martin Raifer.

The open, flexible and collaborative nature as well as the benefits and advantages of OpenStreetMap (OSM) lead to the creation of a whole new ecosystem evolving around the project. This ecosystem has one thing in common: each member needs to interact with the data from the central OSM database. Over the years a large number of tools emerged to accomplish this task, each of which has its personal strengths and weaknesses. Some are limited to certain use cases or data sizes, some are highly complex and for specialist only, and some were abandoned and are no longer maintained. To find out which tool is suitable in which situation can be a time-consuming task.

Moritz Schott and Martin Raifer have created a simple decision tree to support you! If you are new to the world of OSM data then this decision tree might help to get you started quickly and try out the right tools by answering a few simple questions on your use case. This can help you to select the right way to download OSM data or OSM derived statistics.

Note

Check the OSM Wiki for the most up-to-date version of the decision tree.