Voting has started for surface=laterite.
Voting runs 2026-06-02 00:00 through 2026-06-15 23:59 (UTC).
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The vote has closed. surface=laterite is approved: 29 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion and vote.
The tag page is now live at Tag:surface=laterite - OpenStreetMap Wiki
Filed initial issues for some editors:
We do need a single country/region map to suggest for all the editors.
lol oops
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Appreciate the enthusiasm, and thanks for the vote and your input on this one. That said, could you hold off filing more for now?
I’d like to handle this outreach myself in July, after collecting more real-world tagged data to back up the presets and regional names with. No need to undo the three you’ve already filed, just don’t want more added before I’ve had a chance to do it properly.
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Glad to report that OSRM, CoMaps, CyclOSM and Tracestrack Topo have added support for this new surface value, and I’m hoping Valhalla will do so soon.
CoMaps is particularly interesting because offline maps are highly valuable in remote areas with spottier Internet access, which is precisely where roads with this surface are most common. OSRM, CyclOSM and Tracestrack Topo, integrated into the official website, are also interesting for QA, as they facilitate validating surface data in these areas.
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Thanks for the report! I can confirm PR #6204 landed the minimal Valhalla integration, and it’s not alone: OsmAnd and GraphHopper are also already implemented. Others status:
In progress: iD editor (#2477), StreetComplete (#6881).
Waiting: JOSM (#24792).
No response yet: BRouter (#946), OpenMapTiles (#1807).
Stalled: openstreetmap-carto (#5263).
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I don’t expect support from Carto anytime soon, given its history of declining highway=busway. It also took 9 years to render unpaved roads after the first request. I requested support from Tracestrack Topo and CyclOSM, which are the other map styles on the main OSM website that render unpaved surfaces. The Humanitarian style also supports unpaved surfaces, but the project is no longer being maintained.
I also requested support from Organic Maps. As CoMaps is a fork, the change needed in Organic Maps’ code is exactly the same as far as I know.
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The Carto link is broken. This is correct.
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