Deep dive into the Overpass API - Part I

this deep dive we explore how to use the Overpass API and query language to extract OpenStreetMap geospatial data.

Content

OSM and the OverPass API

data landscape

In this deep dive we explore the Overpass API in some detail. The topics we will cover are as follows:

  1. Introducing the OpenStreetMap (OSM)
  2. The OSM data model
  3. Comparing the OSM geometry elements to the GeoJSON specification
  4. Introducing the Overpass API
  5. Setup of the Overpass Turbo Web interface
  6. Overview of the OQL Language
  7. Overpass API Settings
  8. Overpass Query Bounding Boxes
  9. Overpass QL Set Operations
  10. Recursive Operations
  11. Filtering for OSM Tags
  12. Configuring Output Statements

Who Is This Course For

The course is useful to:

  • Data Scientists / Data Engineers that want to work with OSM data

How Does The Course Help

Mastering the course content provides background knowledge towards the following activities:

  • Understanding the OSM data model
  • Understanding the Overpass API / DSL
  • Designing effective queries to retrieve desired OSM data subsets

What Will You Get From The Course

  • You will be able to confidently approach tasks involving extraction of OSM geospatial data
  • You will be able to contribute to the specific use cases mentioned above

Course Level and Type

This course is part of the Data Engineering family.

  • This is a Core Level course in Data Engineering, which means that good grounding at Introductory level to various data engineering topics (understanding schemas, query languages, basic data structures) is a prerequisite for making the most out of this course.
  • This is a Technical course which means various technology elements (programming languages, data formats, databases) are needed as background for mastering the material.
Introductory Level Core Level Advanced Level
Non-Technical
Technical DAT38096

If you have not taken an Open Risk Academy course before, the CrashCourse Academy Demo provides a quick overview of the Academy.

What is not covered

  • Not a course about using OpenStreetMap (e.g., to add data) or the details of the OSM data model
  • Not a course about the web interface (Overpass Turbo), except insofar as we use it for Web-based interface examples. Overpass Turbo provides and number of handy shortcuts (for example for defining a bounding box), but they are conditional on using the Web interface
  • Not about the C++ code base of the Overpass API (and possible extensions or modifications)

Course Material

The course material comprises the following:

Time Requirements and Important Dates

  • The course is self-paced and can be undertaken at any point. Depending on your background knowledge and familiarity with the tools used it might require a commitment of about two days total.

Where To Get Help

If you get stuck on any issue with the course or the Academy:

  • If the issue is related to the course topics / material, check in the first instance the Course Forum (Chat)
  • If the issue is related the operation of the Open Risk Academy check first the Academy FAQ.
  • If the issue persists contact us at info at openriskmanagement dot com