Talk:USGS GNIS
Discuss USGS GNIS here:
import progress
Anyone know how the other states are going? Is there any time frame? Anything I can do to help?
I noticed today that GNIS data for San Francisco has appeared in the last few days, so California must be ongoing -- StellanL 09:32, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
replacing gnis node with a polygon
Some of the features (like cemeteries, schools, islands) would be better represented by a polygon. Should we be copying GNIS specific tags to the entire polygon, or leaving the gnis node? If we make new polygons and copy over GNIS data then we could use a Centroid algorithm for updating USGS as to the position of things. Tylerritchie 18:53, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
wetlands vs. wetland
For the GNIS import the plural form is used:
| FEATURE_CLASS | OSM Tag(s) |
|---|---|
| Swamp | natural=wetlands |
Other people seem to be using the singular form: natural=wetland
See also tag usage of natural=* at osmdoc [1].
It might be a good idea to standardise on the singular form, as it is more common in OSM to use a singular form when tagging. --Cartinus 17:37, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
- You are right. I therefore changed the spelling of all ways and nodes tagged with "wetlands" to "wetland" (changeset 3916547). Could anyone make sure that future imports use "wetland"? --1248 18:02, 19 February 2010 (UTC)
- I just changed it to natural=wetland + wetland=swamp. Any objections? --Wuzzy 17:48, 4 December 2012 (UTC)
Class = "Ridge" Imported?
Have all GNIS classes been imported? I have noticed at least two classes that do not show up in an area where other GNIS features appear. One is "Ridge", the other is "Pillar" (as in a rock formation). For those of us that spend time in the back country, these are important features.
Tool to check GNIS database against OSM
I was wondering if there is a tool to check the GNIS database against OSM? It has been almost two years since the database was imported, and I think it would be useful to find out what has changed between that import and the current GNIS database and what has changed in OSM. Looking in my area, there are a number of features that seem to have been replaced with an area (i.e. for lakes), but the gnis:feature_id wasn't copied over. The simplest thing to do would be to spit out a list of what's missing in GNIS vs. OSM, but much more could be done. - Joshdoe 18:40, 31 January 2011 (UTC)
- I have a tool for this that I'm currently updating to work with the newer GNIS data files. I'll add a project page for it soon. The differences between GNIS source data and GNIS feature imported in to OSM are significant and resolving these discrepancies is not a small task. --B1tw153 (talk) 15:52, 31 August 2023 (UTC)
Proposed updates to the page
Some parts of this page haven't been updated in a while and things have changed at GNIS. I propose to make some updates to the page to reflect the current situation in OSM and recent developments at GNIS.
- In spite of what the page says, the entire GNIS database was never imported into OSM. In fact, no GNIS feature class was ever completely imported. A large portion of GNIS records are still not in OSM. I propose to add some statistics on features that are missing.
- Data quality in GNIS varies with the feature class of the record. Features in the archived classes were never well maintained and are of poor quality. However, the GNIS records for natural features are generally of very good quality. GNIS records for the Civil, Census, and Stream classes are linked to other Federal data sets and are also good quality. The Populated Place feature class has issues with the quality of its data that are unique to that class and that deserve additional discussion. I propose to discuss data quality in more detail.
- Even in the best cases, GNIS records are sometimes incorrect. The procedures for proposing updates to GNIS have changed and this information on the page can be updated.
- There's movement toward standardizing GNIS related tags in OSM and removing unnecessary tags left over from old imports. I would add this to the page.
- GNIS now has four data sources that can be used for reference: the archived data files from 2021, the current data files, The National Map web site, and a current GDB database. I would add descriptions and comparisons of these data sources.
- The instructions for mapping GNIS features in OSM could be more specific, with additional detail for some of the feature classes. I'd propose to add this.
- I might do some general editing and cleanup in the process.
If anyone has concerns or would like to see something specific added or changed on this page, let me know.