Add OpenStreetMap Data to QGIS with QuickOSM

Introduction

QuickOSM is a QGIS plugin for adding OpenStreetMap data. With QuickOSM, you can quickly get just the data you need for the area you need, so you skip downloading and processing large files.

This article covers how to install QuickOSM and how to add data to QGIS.

To learn more about OpenStreetMap, see the following article.

What is QuickOSM?

QuickOSM is a QGIS plugin that adds OpenStreetMap map data to QGIS.

Besides QuickOSM, you can also add OpenStreetMap data to QGIS by downloading it from a site called Geofabrik. Geofabrik data is split into regions at the smallest, so the files are large and take a long time to load into QGIS. When the data or area you need is small, QuickOSM is the easier way to add it.

To learn how to add data with Geofabrik, see the following article.

Install QuickOSM

This section shows how to install QuickOSM in QGIS.

You can install QuickOSM from the Plugin Manager. Search for quickosm in the Plugin Manager and install it.

To learn more about installing QGIS plugins, see the following article.

QuickOSM basics

This section starts QuickOSM and introduces the main features you can use to add data. For features not covered here, see the official documentation.

After you install QuickOSM, a plugin icon (a green magnifying glass) is added to the toolbar. Click this icon to start QuickOSM.

When you open QuickOSM, a window appears with a tab menu on the left.

For beginners: the Quick query tab

The Quick query tab lets you specify the conditions for the features you want by attribute and by location. The next section uses this feature to add data to QGIS.

For advanced users: the Query tab

In the Query tab of QuickOSM, you describe detailed conditions for the data you want in a language called “Overpass QL” and add the data to QGIS.

Internally, QuickOSM retrieves data from OpenStreetMap through a service called the Overpass API. The Quick query tab also converts the conditions you enter, such as tags, into Overpass QL and passes them to the Overpass API.

Add convenience store data with QuickOSM

Add data with the Quick query tab

This section uses QuickOSM to add data on convenience stores within 1 km of Sapporo Station to QGIS.

Open the Quick query tab in QuickOSM and configure it as follows.

1. Specify an OpenStreetMap tag with Key and Value. The tag for convenience stores is shop=convenience, so enter shop in Key and convenience in Value.
2. Open the drop-down menu on the left and set the search area. This example needs convenience store data around Sapporo Station, so select Around. The other options work as follows:
   • In: search within an area, such as a municipality or another specific area
   • Around: search within a radius of a given number of meters around the feature you specify
   • Canvas Extent: search within the area currently displayed in QGIS
   • Layer Extent: specify a layer and search within the extent of its features
3. Enter 札幌駅 (Sapporo Station) in the text field.
4. Enter 1000m.
5. Click the Run query button at the bottom right.

When the processing finishes, close the window.

After you close QuickOSM, you can see that the convenience store data has been added, as shown below.

Open the attribute table to see that the tags of the added features are stored as QGIS attributes. This makes it easy to use OpenStreetMap tags in QGIS analysis.

Quick query presets

Quick query has a feature called Preset. With Preset, you can choose a tag from the drop-down menu without knowing OpenStreetMap tags. Some features may not be supported, however.

Conclusion

This article explained how to install QuickOSM and add data to QGIS. Adding convenience store data served as the example, but you can add many other kinds of data in the same way, such as roads, buildings, and parks. QuickOSM's strength is that it spares you the trouble of downloading and processing large amounts of data and lets you quickly get just the data you need. Give QuickOSM a try and take on map analysis and visualization of your own.

If you create and publish a map or other work with OpenStreetMap data, you must include a copyright notice and similar attribution. For details, see the OpenStreetMap official page, “Copyright and License.”