Quality Analysis of OpenStreetMap Data Based on Application Needs

Abstract More volunteered geographic information is becoming available; if this information is to be exploited, its quality must be known. This study evaluates the quality of OpenStreetMap data with respect to its “fitness for use” (i.e., its suitability for a certain application), specifically pedestrian navigation. The quality of the data is determined by comparing simulated routes on two networks; one data set is from OSM, and the other is the German topographic data set, ATKIS. Both accessibility and length of routes are used as quality criteria. The two data sets are tested using three different test scenarios in Germany.