OpenStreetMap

Description

This workflow imports features from OpenStreetMap based on tags and a geographic extent. Use it to pull roads, buildings, points of interest, land use areas, and other OSM feature types directly into your project.

Inputs

• Data [Dataset] — a dataset whose bounding box defines the import area
• Tags [Array] — one or more OSM key–value tag filters (e.g. amenity=restaurant)

Outputs

• Result dataset [Dataset] — the imported features as a vector layer

Usage tips

Use a small area. OSM imports query the Overpass API, which has a timeout and a data-volume limit. Start with a city-sized bounding box or smaller. Country- or continent-scale imports will time out.

Use specific tags. Broad imports (e.g. all buildings in a large city) return more data than the API allows. Add tag filters to narrow the result — for example, amenity=hospital instead of importing all features.

Split large areas. If your area is large, run multiple OpenStreetMap workflow steps each covering a sub-region, then use a Merge layers step to combine the results.

Troubleshooting

Import times out or returns no data

The Overpass API enforces a response timeout and a maximum data size. If the import fails:

1. Reduce the bounding box — zoom in on the area you actually need.
2. Add or tighten the tag filter to fetch fewer features.
3. If you need a large area, split the workflow into smaller geographic tiles and merge results downstream.

Unexpected or missing features

OSM tags are user-contributed and inconsistent. A feature may be tagged differently than expected (e.g. shop=supermarket vs building=supermarket). Check the OSM wiki for the canonical tag for the feature type you need.