Extending Processing Toolbox for assessing the logical consistency of OpenStreetMap data

Abstract

OpenStreetMap (OSM) produces a huge amount of labeled spatial data, but its quality has always been a deep concern. Numerous quality issues have been discussed in the vast literature, while the fitness of OSM for road navigability is only partly explored. Navigability depends on logical consistency, which focuses on the existence of logical contradictions within a data set. Researchers have discussed the insufficiency of established methods and the lack of a computational paradigm to assess the quality of the OSM data. To address the research gaps, the current work extended the capabilities of the Quantum GIS Processing Toolbox for assessment of spatial data. The models and scripts developed are able to assess logical consistency based on geographical topological consistency, semantic information, and morphological consistency. The established and proxy indicators are selected for measuring the logical consistency of OSM data for navigability. For empirical validation, OSM Punjab data are compared with authoritative data from HERE (proprietary) and the Remote Sensing Centre (RSC), Punjab, India. The results conclude that even the proprietary road data sets are not free from logical inconsistencies and data contributed by the masses are credible and navigable. OSM has produced better results than the RSC, but needs more crowd contributions to improve its quality.