1 # Configuring the Import of OSM data
3 In the very first step of a Nominatim import, OSM data is loaded into the
4 database. Nominatim uses [osm2pgsql](https://osm2pgsql.org) for this task.
5 It comes with a [flex style](https://osm2pgsql.org/doc/manual.html#the-flex-output)
6 specifically tailored to filter and convert OSM data into Nominatim's
7 internal data representation. Nominatim ships with a few preset
8 configurations for this import, each results in a geocoding database of
10 [Import section](../admin/Import.md#filtering-imported-data) explains
11 these default configurations in detail.
13 If you want to have more control over which OSM data is added to the database,
14 you can also create your own custom style. Create a new lua style file, put it
15 into your project directory and then set `NOMINATIM_IMPORT_STYLE` to the name
16 of the file. Custom style files can be used to modify the existing preset
17 configurations or to implement your own configuration from scratch.
19 The remainder of the page describes how the flex style works and how to
22 ## The `flex-base` lua module
24 The core of Nominatim's flex import configuration is the `flex-base` module.
25 It defines the table layout used by Nominatim and provides standard
26 implementations for the import callbacks that help with customizing
27 how OSM tags are used by Nominatim.
29 Every custom style must include this module to make sure that the correct
30 tables are created. Thus start your custom style as follows:
33 local flex = require('flex-base')
36 ### Using preset configurations
38 If you want to start with one of the existing presets, then you can import
39 its settings using the `load_topic()` function:
42 local flex = require('flex-base')
44 flex.load_topic('streets')
47 The `load_topic` function takes an optional second configuration
48 parameter. The available options are explained in the
49 [themepark section](#using-osm2pgsql-themepark).
51 Available topics are: `admin`, `street`, `address`, `full`. These topic
52 correspond to the [import styles](../admin/Import.md#filtering-imported-data)
53 you can choose during import. To start with the 'extratags' style, use the
54 `full` topic with the appropriate config parameter:
57 flex.load_topic('full', {with_extratags = true})
61 You can also directly import the preset style files, e.g.
62 `local flex = require('import-street')`. It is not possible to
63 set extra configuration this way.
65 ### How processing works
67 When Nominatim processes an OSM object, it looks for four kinds of tags:
68 The _main tags_ classify what kind of place the OSM object represents. One
69 OSM object can have more than one main tag. In such case one database entry
70 is created for each main tag. _Name tags_ represent searchable names of the
71 place. _Address tags_ are used to compute the address information of the place.
72 Address tags are used for searching and for creating a display name of the place.
73 _Extra tags_ are any tags that are not directly related to search but
74 contain interesting additional information. These are just saved in the database
75 and may be returned with the result [on request](../api/Search.md#output-details).
78 Some tags in the extratags category are used by Nominatim to better
79 classify the place. You want to make sure these are always present
82 Configuring the style means deciding which key and/or key/value is used
85 ## Changing the recognized tags
87 The flex style offers a number of functions to set the classification of
88 each OSM tag. Most of these functions can also take a preset string instead
89 of a tag description. These presets describe common configurations that
90 are also used in the definition of the predefined styles. This section
91 lists the configuration functions and the accepted presets.
95 Some of the following functions take _key match lists_. These lists can
96 contain three kinds of strings to match against tag keys:
97 A string that ends in an asterisk `*` is a prefix match and accordingly matches
98 against any key that starts with the given string (minus the `*`).
99 A suffix match can be defined similarly with a string that starts with a `*`.
100 Any other string is matched exactly against tag keys.
104 `set/modify_main_tags()` allow to define which tags are used as main tags. It
105 takes a lua table parameter which defines for keys and key/value
106 combinations, how they are classified.
108 The following classifications are recognized:
110 | classification | meaning |
111 | :-------------- | :------ |
112 | always | Unconditionally use this tag as a main tag. |
113 | named | Consider as main tag, when the object has a primary name (see [names](#name-tags) below) |
114 | named_with_key | Consider as main tag, when the object has a primary name with a domain prefix. For example, if the main tag is `bridge=yes`, then it will only be added as an extra entry, if there is a tag `bridge:name[:XXX]` for the same object. If this property is set, all names that are not domain-specific are ignored. |
115 | fallback | Consider as main tag only when no other main tag was found. Fallback always implies `named`, i.e. fallbacks are only tried for objects with primary names. |
116 | delete | Completely ignore the tag in any further processing |
117 | extra | Move the tag to extratags and then ignore it for further processing |
118 | `<function>`| Advanced handling, see [below](#advanced-main-tag-handling) |
120 Each key in the table parameter defines an OSM tag key. The value may
121 be directly a classification as described above. Then the tag will
122 be considered a main tag for any possible value that is not further defined.
123 To further restrict which values are acceptable, give a table with the
124 permitted values and their kind of main tag. If the table contains a simple
125 value without key, then this is used as default for values that are not listed.
127 `set_main_tags()` will completely replace the current main tag configuration
128 with the new configuration. `modify_main_tags()` will merge the new
129 configuration with the existing one. Merging is done at value level.
130 For example, when the current setting is `highway = {'always', primary = 'named'}`,
131 then `set_main_tags{highway = 'delete'}` will result in a rule
132 `highway = {'delete', primary = 'named'}`.
136 local flex = require('import-full')
139 boundary = {administrative = 'named'},
140 highway = {'always', street_lamp = 'named', no = 'delete'},
145 In this example an object with a `boundary` tag will only be included
146 when it has a value of `administrative`. Objects with `highway` tags are
147 always included with two exceptions: the troll tag `highway=no` is
148 deleted on the spot. And when the value is `street_lamp` then the object
149 must also have a name, to be included. Finally, if a `landuse` tag is
150 present then it will be used independently of the concrete value when
151 neither boundary nor highway tags were found and the object is named.
155 | Name | Description |
156 | :----- | :---------- |
157 | admin | Basic tag set collecting places and administrative boundaries. This set is needed also to ensure proper address computation and should therefore always be present. You can disable selected place types like `place=locality` after adding this set, if they are not relevant for your use case. |
158 | all_boundaries | Extends the set of recognized boundaries and places to all available ones. |
159 | natural | Tags for natural features like rivers and mountain peaks. |
160 | street/default | Tags for streets. Major streets are always included, minor ones only when they have a name. |
161 | street/car | Tags for all streets that can be used by a motor vehicle. |
162 | street/all | Includes all highway features named and unnamed. |
163 | poi/delete | Adds most POI features with and without name. Some frequent but very domain-specific values are excluded by deleting them. |
164 | poi/extra | Like 'poi/delete' but excluded values are moved to extratags. |
167 ##### Advanced main tag handling
169 The groups described above are in fact only a preset for a filtering function
170 that is used to make the final decision how a pre-selected main tag is entered
171 into Nominatim's internal table. To further customize handling you may also
172 supply your own filtering function.
174 The function takes up to three parameters: a Place object of the object
175 being processed, the key of the main tag and the value of the main tag.
176 The function may return one of three values:
178 * `nil` or `false` causes the entry to be ignored
179 * the Place object causes the place to be added as is
180 * `Place.copy(names=..., address=..., extratags=...) causes the
181 place to be enter into the database but with name/address/extratags
182 set to the given different values.
184 The Place object has some read-only values that can be used to determine
187 * **object** is the original OSM object data handed in by osm2pgsql
188 * **admin_level** is the content of the admin_level tag, parsed into an integer and normalized to a value between 0 and 15
189 * **has_name** is a boolean indicating if the object has a primary name tag
190 * **names** is a table with the collected list of name tags
191 * **address** is a table with the collected list of address tags
192 * **extratags** is a table with the collected list of additional tags to save
196 local flex = require('flex-base')
198 flex.add_topic('street')
200 local function no_sidewalks(place, k, v)
201 if place.object.tags.footway == 'sidewalk' then
205 -- default behaviour is to have all footways
209 flex.modify_main_tags(highway = {'footway' = no_sidewalks}
211 This script adds a custom handler for `highway=footway`. It only includes
212 them in the database, when the object doesn't have a tag `footway=sidewalk`
213 indicating that it is just part of a larger street which should already
214 be indexed. Note that it is not necessary to check the key and value
215 of the main tag because the function is only used for the specific
221 The function `ignore_keys()` sets the `delete` classification for keys.
222 This function takes a _key match list_ so that it is possible to exclude
225 Note that full matches always take precedence over suffix matches, which
226 in turn take precedence over prefix matches.
230 local flex = require('flex-base')
232 flex.add_topic('admin')
233 flex.ignore_keys{'old_name', 'old_name:*'}
236 This example uses the `admin` preset with the exception that names
237 that are no longer are in current use, are ignored.
241 | Name | Description |
242 | :----- | :---------- |
243 | metatags | Tags with meta information about the OSM tag like source, notes and import sources. |
244 | name | Non-names that actually describe properties or name parts. These names can throw off search and should always be removed. |
245 | address | Extra `addr:*` tags that are not useful for Nominatim. |
248 ### Tags for `extratags`
250 The function `add_for_extratags()` sets the `extra` classification for keys.
251 This function takes a
252 _key match list_ so that it is possible to move groups of keys to extratags.
254 Note that full matches always take precedence over suffix matches, which
255 in turn take precedence over prefix matches.
259 local flex = require('flex-base')
261 flex.add_topic('street')
262 flex.add_for_extratags{'surface', 'access', 'vehicle', 'maxspeed'}
265 This example uses the `street` preset but adds a couple of tags that
266 are of interest about the condition of the street.
270 | Name | Description |
271 | :----- | :---------- |
272 | required | Tags that Nominatim will use for various computations when present in extratags. Always include these. |
274 In addition, all [presets from ignored tags](#presets_1) are accepted.
276 ### General pre-filtering
278 _(deprecated)_ `set_prefilters()` allows to set the `delete` and `extra`
279 classification for main tags.
281 This function removes all previously set main tags with `delete` and `extra`
282 classification and then adds the newly defined tags.
284 `set_prefilters()` takes a table with four optional fields:
286 * __delete_keys__ is a _key match list_ for tags that should be deleted
287 * __delete_tags__ contains a table of tag keys pointing to a list of tag
288 values. Tags with matching key/value pairs are deleted.
289 * __extra_keys__ is a _key match list_ for tags which should be saved into
291 * __extra_tags__ contains a table of tag keys pointing to a list of tag
292 values. Tags with matching key/value pairs are moved to extratags.
294 !!! danger "Deprecation warning"
295 Use of this function should be replaced with `modify_main_tags()` to
296 set the data from `delete_tags` and `extra_tags`, with `ignore_keys()`
297 for the `delete_keys` parameter and with `add_for_extratags()` for the
298 `extra_keys` parameter.
302 `set/modify_name_tags()` allow to define the tags used for naming places. Name tags
303 can only be selected by their keys. The import script distinguishes
304 between primary and auxiliary names. A primary name is the given name of
305 a place. Having a primary name makes a place _named_. This is important
306 for main tags that are only included when a name is present. Auxiliary names
307 are identifiers like references. They may be searched for but should not
308 be included on their own.
310 The functions take a table with two optional fields `main` and `extra`.
311 They take _key match lists_ for primary and auxiliary names respectively.
312 A third field `house` can contain tags for names that appear in place of
313 house numbers in addresses. This field can only contain complete key names.
314 'house tags' are special in that they cause the OSM object to be added to
315 the database independently of the presence of other main tags.
317 `set_name_tags()` overwrites the current configuration, while
318 `modify_name_tags()` replaces the fields that are given. (Be aware that
319 the fields are replaced as a whole. `main = {'foo_name'}` will cause
320 `foo_name` to become the only recognized primary name. Any previously
321 defined primary names are forgotten.)
325 local flex = require('flex-base')
327 flex.set_main_tags{highway = {traffic_light = 'named'}}
328 flex.set_name_tags{main = {'name', 'name:*'},
333 This example creates a search index over traffic lights but will
334 only include those that have a common name and not those which just
335 have some reference ID from the city.
339 | Name | Description |
340 | :----- | :---------- |
341 | core | Basic set of recognized names for all places. |
342 | address | Additional names useful when indexing full addresses. |
343 | poi | Extended set of recognized names for pois. Use on top of the core set. |
347 `set/modify_address_tags()` defines the tags that will be used to build
348 up the address of an object. Address tags can only be chosen by their key.
350 The functions take a table with arbitrary fields, each defining
351 a key list or _key match list_. Some fields have a special meaning:
353 | Field | Type | Description |
354 | :---------| :-------- | :-----------|
355 | main | key list | Tags that make a full address object out of the OSM object. This is usually the house number or variants thereof. If a main address tag appears, then the object will always be included, if necessary with a fallback of `place=house`. If the key has a prefix of `addr:` or `is_in:` this will be stripped. |
356 | extra | key match list | Supplementary tags for addresses, tags like `addr:street`, `addr:city` etc. If the key has a prefix of `addr:` or `is_in:` this will be stripped. |
357 | interpolation | key list | Tags that identify address interpolation lines. |
358 | country | key match list | Tags that may contain the country the place is in. The first found value with a two-letter code will be accepted, all other values are discarded. |
359 | _other_ | key match list | Summary field. If a key matches the key match list, then its value will be added to the address tags with the name of the field as key. If multiple tags match, then an arbitrary one wins. |
361 `set_address_tags()` overwrites the current configuration, while
362 `modify_address_tags()` replaces the fields that are given. (Be aware that
363 the fields are replaced as a whole.)
367 local flex = require('import-full')
369 flex.set_address_tags{
370 main = {'addr:housenumber'},
372 postcode = {'postal_code', 'postcode', 'addr:postcode'},
373 country = {'country_code', 'ISO3166-1'}
377 In this example all tags which begin with `addr:` will be saved in
378 the address tag list. If one of the tags is `addr:housenumber`, the
379 object will fall back to be entered as a `place=house` in the database
380 unless there is another interested main tag to be found.
382 Tags with keys `country_code` and `ISO3166-1` are saved with their
383 value under `country` in the address tag list. The same thing happens
384 to postcodes, they will always be saved under the key `postcode` thus
385 normalizing the multitude of keys that are used in the OSM database.
389 | Name | Description |
390 | :----- | :---------- |
391 | core | Basic set of tags needed to recognize address relationship for any place. Always include this. |
392 | houses | Additional set of tags needed to recognize proper addresses |
394 ### Handling of unclassified tags
396 `set_unused_handling()` defines what to do with tags that remain after all tags
397 have been classified using the functions above. There are two ways in
398 which the function can be used:
400 `set_unused_handling(delete_keys = ..., delete_tags = ...)` deletes all
401 keys that match the descriptions in the parameters and moves all remaining
402 tags into the extratags list.
404 `set_unused_handling(extra_keys = ..., extra_tags = ...)` moves all tags
405 matching the parameters into the extratags list and then deletes the remaining
406 tags. For the format of the parameters see the description in `set_prefilters()`
409 When no special handling is set, then unused tags will be discarded with one
410 exception: place tags are kept in extratags for administrative boundaries.
411 When using a custom setting, you should also make sure that the place tag
412 is added for extratags.
416 local flex = require('import-full')
418 flex.set_address_tags{
419 main = {'addr:housenumber'},
420 extra = {'addr:*', 'tiger:county'}
422 flex.set_unused_handling{delete_keys = {'tiger:*'}}
425 In this example all remaining tags except those beginning with `tiger:`
426 are moved to the extratags list. Note that it is not possible to
427 already delete the tiger tags with `set_prefilters()` because that
428 would remove tiger:county before the address tags are processed.
430 ## Filling additional tables
432 Most of the OSM objects are saved in the main `place` table for further
433 processing. In addition to that, there are some smaller tables that save
434 specialised information. The content of these tables can be customized as
439 The table `place_entrance` saves information about OSM nodes that represent
440 an entrance. This data is later mingled with buildings and other areas and
441 can be returned [on request](../api/Search.md#output-details). The table
442 saves the type of entrance as well as a set of custom extra tags.
444 The function `set_entrance_filter()` can be used to customize the table's
447 When called without any parameter, then filling the entrance table will be
448 disabled. When called with a preset name, the appropriate preset will be
451 To create a custom configuration, call the function
452 with a table with the following fields:
454 * __main_tags__ is a list of tags that mark an entrance node. The value of the
455 first tag found in the list will be used as the entrance type.
456 * __extra_include__ is an optional list of tags to be added to the extratags
457 for this entrance. When left out, all tags except for the ones defined
458 in 'main_tags' will be included. To disable saving of extra tags, set
459 this to the empty list.
460 * __extra_exclude__ defines an optional list of tags to drop before including
461 the remaining tags as extratags. Note that the tags defined in 'main_tags'
462 will always be excluded, independently of this setting.
464 To have even more fine-grained control over the output, you can also hand
465 in a table with a single field `func` containing a callback for processing
466 entrance information. The callback function receives a single parameter,
467 the [osm2pgsql object](https://osm2pgsql.org/doc/manual.html#processing-callbacks).
468 This object itself must not be modified. The callback should return either
469 `nil` when the object is not an entrance. Or it returns a table with a
470 mandatory `entrance` field containing a string with the type of entrance
471 and an optional `extratags` field with a simple key-value table of extra
476 | Name | Description |
477 | :----- | :---------- |
478 | default | Standard configuration used with `full` and `extratags` styles. |
480 ## Customizing osm2pgsql callbacks
482 osm2pgsql expects the flex style to implement three callbacks, one process
483 function per OSM type. If you want to implement special handling for
484 certain OSM types, you can override the default implementations provided
485 by the flex-base module.
487 ### Enabling additional relation types
489 OSM relations can represent very diverse
490 [types of real-world objects](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:type). To
491 be able to process them correctly, Nominatim needs to understand how to
492 create a geometry for each type. By default, the script knows how to
493 process relations of type `multipolygon`, `boundary` and `waterway`. All
494 other relation types are ignored.
496 To add other types relations, set `RELATION_TYPES` for
497 the type to the kind of geometry that should be created. The following
498 kinds of geometries can be used:
500 * __relation_as_multipolygon__ creates a (Multi)Polygon from the ways in
501 the relation. If the ways do not form a valid area, then the object is
503 * __relation_as_multiline__ creates a (Multi)LineString from the ways in
504 the relations. Ways are combined as much as possible without any regards
505 to their order in the relation.
509 local flex = require('import-full')
511 flex.RELATION_TYPES['site'] = flex.relation_as_multipolygon
514 With this line relations of `type=site` will be included in the index
515 according to main tags found. This only works when the site relation
516 resolves to a valid area. Nodes in the site relation are not part of the
520 ### Adding additional logic to processing functions
522 The default processing functions are also exported by the flex-base module
523 as `process_node`, `process_way` and `process_relation`. These can be used
524 to implement your own processing functions with some additional processing
529 local flex = require('import-full')
531 function osm2pgsql.process_relation(object)
532 if object.tags.boundary ~= 'administrative' or object.tags.admin_level ~= '2' then
533 flex.process_relation(object)
538 This example discards all country-level boundaries and uses standard
539 handling for everything else. This can be useful if you want to use
540 your own custom country boundaries.
543 ### Customizing the main processing function
545 !!! danger "Deprecation Warning"
546 The style used to allow overwriting the internal processing function
547 `process_tags()`. While this is currently still possible, it is no longer
548 encouraged and may stop working in future versions. The internal
549 `Place` class should now be considered read-only.
552 ## Using osm2pgsql-themepark
554 The Nominatim osm2pgsql style is designed so that it can also be used as
555 a theme for [osm2pgsql-themepark](https://osm2pgsql.org/themepark/). This
556 makes it easy to combine Nominatim with other projects like
557 [openstreetmap-carto](https://github.com/gravitystorm/openstreetmap-carto)
558 in the same database.
560 To set up one of the preset styles, simply include a topic with the same name:
563 local themepark = require('themepark')
564 themepark:add_topic('nominatim/address')
567 Themepark topics offer two configuration options:
569 * **street_theme** allows to choose one of the sub topics for streets:
570 * _default_ - include all major streets and named minor paths
571 * _car_ - include all streets physically usable by cars
572 * _all_ - include all major streets and minor paths
573 * **with_extratags**, when set to a truthy value, then tags that are
574 not specifically used for address or naming are added to the
577 The customization functions described in the
578 [Changing recognized tags](#changing-the-recognized-tags) section
579 are available from the theme. To access the theme you need to explicitly initialize it.
583 local themepark = require('themepark')
585 themepark:add_topic('nominatim/full', {with_extratags = true})
587 local flex = themepark:init_theme('nominatim')
589 flex.modify_main_tags{'amenity' = {
590 'waste_basket' = 'delete'}
593 This example uses the full Nominatim configuration but disables
594 importing waste baskets.
596 You may also write a new configuration from scratch. Simply omit including
597 a Nominatim topic and only call the required customization functions.
599 Customizing the osm2pgsql processing functions as explained
600 [above](#adding-additional-logic-to-processing-functions) is not possible
601 when running under themepark. Instead include other topics that make the
602 necessary modifications or add an additional processor before including
607 local themepark = require('themepark')
609 local function discard_country_boundaries(object)
610 if object.tags.boundary == 'administrative' and object.tags.admin_level == '2' then
615 themepark:add_proc('relation', discard_country_boundaries)
616 -- Order matters here. The topic needs to be added after the custom callback.
617 themepark:add_topic('nominatim/full', {with_extratags = true})
619 Discarding country-level boundaries when running under themepark.
621 ## Changing the style of existing databases
623 There is usually no issue changing the style of a database that is already
624 imported and now kept up-to-date with change files. Just be aware that any
625 change in the style applies to updates only. If you want to change the data
626 that is already in the database, then a reimport is necessary.