OSM Sidewalkreator: A QGIS plugin for an automated drawing of sidewalk networks for OpenStreetMap

Abstract

Sidewalks are a relevant part of the living space in urban environments but are still rarely mapped. In recent years, the mapping of sidewalks has grown in importance among the OSM and academic communities as a matter of concern for many UN SDGs. To cover this gap, we propose a GitHub-hosted, fully open-source QGIS Plugin entitled "OSM SidewalKreator" to automatically draw the geometries of sidewalks for OSM crossings and curb crossing interfaces. The plugin workflow encompasses the steps of input area selection; data fetching, data cleaning, sidewalk geometries generation; crossings and kerbs generation; optional sidewalk splitting; and data exporting. Furthermore, the tool gives the user the capacity to have control over the process. Our tests revealed that the proposed method embodied by the plugin surpasses the manual process in many contexts, highlighting completeness, topological and thematic accuracies. We conclude that deepening, improving, and increasing the amount of open sidewalk mapping, mainly in the widely available OSM, can be a valuable asset to improve the development of accessibility and mobility worldwide.