How to build routes with JOSM

JOSM [1] is an editor for OpenStreetMap. We use it to clean raw gpx data and to add OSM relations between routes and bus stops.

Getting started

• Upload the gpx track for your route. This will guide us in building the route.
• Upload Mapnik map as background.
• Customize track drawing in such a way that trackpoints are more visibles and colors help you to understand the correct direction.

How to create a new route

In OSM a route is a relation among ways and nodes (i.e. bus stops). A route relation is defined by some tags.

• ref
• name
• route = bus
• type = route
• direction
• from
• to
• network
• operator

Ways and bus stops are members of a route relation. We will see in next sections how to add members.

How to add ways to an existing route

• Open the Relation Editor for your route.
• Select a way on the map and add the selection to the members of the relation.
• Ways must be in the correct order (from the start end to the last end of a route) and connected. You can see if it is connected from the graph on the right of members table.
• If a way is not connected, you usually have to change the role of one or more ways. The role for a way is forward or backward. It refers to the orientation of the way on the map (when a way is selected, you see some little red arrows, that is the orientation). "Forward" means that a bus travels following the direction of a way, while "Backward" means that a bus goes in the opposite direction.

How to add stops to an existing route

How to upload to OpenStreetMap

How to check your routes

Acknowledgments

Simone Cortesi

References

[1] https://josm.openstreetmap.de/