Just creating this entry to link to the Wiki page for a proposed address import in Cache Valley, UT.

See also: Previous diary entry with a slightly more fuzzy proposal

Please add any comments here or on the Wiki page.

Here are a few edits I’m interested in making in the coming months. I’m hoping to get feedback and discussion here.

Use of Directional Prefix on Streets

The proposal here suggests a system that would change street names such as “East 200 North” to just “200 North” and moving “East” to name:prefix. This system is already in use in Salt Lake City and in my (limited) testing seems to work fine with geocoders. example

Some streets in Logan have already been changed to this format. Personally I think consistency throughout the city is more important than the tradeoffs between each way of doing things.

This change seems relatively simple to update all at once using an automated edit.

Address Import

Address data is available from UGRC, and according to the Wiki it looks like the license will work with OSM. Other than a few exceptions sprinkled here and there, the vast majority of Cache Valley does not have address tags.

Challenges

• I don’t have experience with making automated edits, but am moderately confident at scripting, so I’m confident I could figure it out especially since there are a few wiki pages describing the process others have used.
• Because of mostly hand-traced building outlines, there no doubt will be hundreds of conflicts or corner cases that will require manual review and possibly in-person survey. I’m happy to go in person to check an address in the valley, but one guy can only do so much of this. I’m not sure what system (if any) is best to queue up manual review cases and mark them as solved. Notes? fixme=* tags?
• Building outlines have not been completed in Cache Valley.

I’m open to any criticism or comment on anything discussed here, or on other edits that might need to be made to improve the map!

Edit: Additional info from community

In addition to comments on this post, here are a few other things brought up on OSM US slack:

• mvexel points out that this was also discussed on the Utah OSM wiki. So, to follow the Utah established conventions, it looks like highway=* name=* under grid systems, the prefix should be dropped. (and presumably go to name:prefix=*). The addr:street=* tag on non-road features should use the full prefixed street name.
• It looks like the prefix separation has been implemented in other areas using a grid system as well.