Is it possible to upload bulk “incline” data derived from Google Maps elevation to OSM?

Hello OSM Community,

I have calculated the “incline” tag for a set of ways using elevation data derived from Google Maps. I would like to contribute this data to OpenStreetMap. However, I am aware that Google Maps data is subject to specific licensing terms.
1. Is it permissible under OSM’s license to use Google Maps-derived elevation data for updating the “incline” tag?
2. If not, are there any alternative approaches or open-source tools that I can use to generate elevation data that comply with OSM’s guidelines?
3. What is the best way to upload bulk data, ensuring it aligns with OSM’s community standards and data import rules?

Thank you for your guidance!

Welcome and thanks for asking before uploading it!

answer is almost certainly “no”

See Import/Guidelines - OpenStreetMap Wiki

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We don’t need incline data in OSM because it’s readily derivable from SRTM and other open digital elevation models - and indeed many sites/apps already do this.

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Just to clarify, there are lots of situations where adding incline still makes sense (typically, short ways like ramps or steps) – but otherwise agree, if incline can be reliably computed from a DEM, no need to add it.

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I’ve faced a lot of issues with e.g. bicycle routers that take elevation into account — at least in my region, the level of detail of DEMs is quite low (or suffers interference/occlusion from buildings, trees, etc.) so in some cases elevation changes that are quite important for a rider get smoothed over and don’t show up in the DEM, while in other cases elevations get incorrectly spread to areas they should not affect. Even with electric bikes, the discrepancy between the real inclines and what the DEMs predict can make a big difference in ride comfort and pedaling effort.

This is an issue even for cars: most navigation apps route cars to my house via a street that produces the shortest path but has a significant up-then-down incline that the DEMs don’t capture, so cars often end up grazing the ground when they exit the street at a steep angle to join the one perpendicular to it.

While there’s no question that importing elevation data in bulk from Google Maps is not acceptable, explicit incline data (including approximate angles) on navigable ways would be definitely beneficial — when, as @GeoDeskTeam mentions, they can’t be reliably and accurately computed from existing DEMs. Too bad there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to collect that :frowning:

The state of DEM processing is a lot better now than it was ten years ago when everyone was just using 3 arc-second SRTM. Nowadays there is plentiful high-resolution data and some pretty smart compression algorithms to make handling it easy. Routers do of course have different smoothing techniques and there’s no single correct answer there!

I do agree with @GeoDeskTeam that there are a few situations where DEMs aren’t enough - @Stereo will know which particular one I’m thinking of :wink:

Actually I am working to build a wheelchair navigation system using OSM data, that requires incline for each way. Is there any acceptable way to do this at scale that is acceptable for OSM? If OSM has those data then it will be lot more easier for me.

And thanks everyone I think I got the answer.

You may find it helpful to see our approach for OpenSidewalks/AccessMap:

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