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Posted on January 19, 2023 (Updated on July 10, 2025)

OSM data download very big

Hiking & Activities

How big is the OSM database?

osm is the OpenStreetMap data in one file: all the nodes, ways and relations that make up our map. A new version is released every week. It’s a big file (on 2023-01-01, the plain OSM XML variant takes over 1685.1 GB when uncompressed from the 122.5 GB bzip2-compressed or 66.9 GB PBF-compressed downloaded data file).
 

How do I export a large area in OSM?

You can export data from OpenStreetMap and open it in ArcGIS to use it in your own maps. Go to openstreetmap.org and zoom to the extent of your area of interest using the search box or the mouse. Click on Export Data in the sidebar on the left to bring up the Export pane.

How do I download OSM road data?

Download Directly from OSM



Simply go to www.openstreetmap.org and find the area you would like to download data for. Hit the “Export” button and you will see a screen with the Extent of the download appear. You can customize this download as either the “current extent” or manually select an area by bounding box.
 

How accurate is OSM data?

The analysis shows that OpenStreetMap information can be fairly accurate: on average within about 6 metres of the position recorded by the Ordnance Survey, and with approximately 80% overlap of motorway objects between the two datasets.

Can you play OSM offline?

Many software tools and services allow you to use OpenStreetMap data offline, without an Internet connection. You may want to use OpenStreetMap offline to: Access the map quickly if you live or work in an area with poor Internet service. Continue to use the map while underground in a basement or subway (metro)
 

Does Apple use OSM?

A wide variety of OpenStreetMap-powered software is available for all four of Apple’s operating system platforms: macOS on desktop and portable computers. iOS in smartphones and tablets. tvOS in television set-top boxes.
 

How is OSM data stored?

The main copy of the OpenStreetMap data is stored in OpenStreetMap’s main database. The main database is a PostgreSQL database, which has one table for each data primitive, with individual objects stored as rows. All edits happen in this database, and all other formats are created from it.

How many nodes are in OSM?

Nodes can be used to define standalone point features, but are more often used to define the shape or “path” of a way. As of November 2022 , OpenStreetMap contains almost 9 billion nodes.
 

What database does OpenStreetMap use?

Postgres

One reason why OpenStreetMap uses Postgres, that with PostGIS (a GIS extension for Postgres) it offers probably one of the best GIS support in the relational world (=SQL databases).

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