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I want to move from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap. I was planning on using MapBox to create the tiles if that makes a difference. OpenStreetMap seems to lack property outlines, which Google Maps has. I was wondering if this information is in OpenStreetMap but hidden, or if I would have to make my own custom layer.

A few screenshots to help show what I'm talking about. First Google Maps, then MapBox below.

Google Maps with property outlines

MapBox without property outlines

So I would like to have the light grey lines and property numbers in the OpenStreetMap version. The map is for New Zealand. Thanks in advance for any help.

Update: Turns out the data is freely available here: https://data.linz.govt.nz/layers/category/property-ownership-boundaries/

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    You need to understand that the data in Open Street Maps is crowd sourced. It will be there when someone enters it into the OSM database. For some areays, someone might already have entered the parcel data. But there is no guarantee that it would be available worldwide. If that data is available in an open License, you yourself can add it to the OSM database, which will then become available in the maps.
    – Devdatta Tengshe
    Mar 11, 2014 at 5:33
  • Which country are you interested in?
    – Willy
    Mar 11, 2014 at 9:47
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    @Willy Sorry, of course, it's New Zealand i'm interested in.
    – Richard
    Mar 11, 2014 at 19:29
  • @DevdattaTengshe Thanks, yeah I think that data is available, i'd have to check the license though, could be an option.
    – Richard
    Mar 11, 2014 at 19:30
  • In Australia, it seems that Google ingested the Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB). Usually you have to buy it, although not a big cost to Google I spose. A new development is that Land and Property NSW is making the data free and much more accessible. See globe.six.nsw.gov.au
    – Willy
    Mar 12, 2014 at 11:03

1 Answer 1

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OpenStreetMap does not have a complete set of parcel data: some areas have parcels outlines, most don't. For more info, see: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Parcel

If your map is limited to a specific region you may be able to combine freely available parcel data from another source with OpenStreetMap data to render your maps, but if you need nation wide or world would not be feasible.

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  • Yep, even in well mapped areas in Germany, you usually don't find that kind of areas mapped (here: a matter of privacy). In most cases you get landuse areas and addresses.
    – Mapper
    Mar 11, 2014 at 9:39
  • Ok, thanks, I guessed might be like that, just wanted to check it wasn't a style or something. I did try to google it but didn't have the correct terminology I guess.
    – Richard
    Mar 11, 2014 at 19:34
  • Not a problem, I never heard parcel in that context anyway ;)
    – Mapper
    Mar 12, 2014 at 17:59

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