[OSM-talk] What Streets are in what Places

[Andrew Errington]

On Fri, November 13, 2009 16:43, Peter Childs wrote:
>
> Any ideas.

You could calculate node density (nodes/km2) and assume that node density
will decay from the centre of a town to the edge.  This would work for the
nodes in ways, since 'in town' will have more streets than 'out of town'. 
A rural area with winding roads might have an increased number of nodes
(to get smooth curves) but it would have fewer roads.  You could also use
POI density, on the assumption that there are more shops, hospitals, pubs
and restaurants in a town, and the density drops off out of town.  Set a
threshold, and mark the border between above threshold (in town) and below
threshold (out of town).

Places like London would be tricky, as the node density would be high
across the whole area, so maybe you can't pick out the individual towns.

Anyway, please do not give these ideas any more credence than those from
any other random internet source. :)

Best wishes,

Andrew