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The Commons — Data Catalog

Everything a rider can contribute to the open cycling Commons — climbs, water, stays, hazards, viewpoints, and more. All of it is community-contributed, useful to anyone, and non-personal (about the world, never a person's identity). Never scraped; contributed by riders — reports, edits, and aggregate, anonymous signals.

Principles

  • Build on OSM, don't reinvent it. Items tagged [OSM] already have a home in OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Sync with / contribute back to OSM for those; layer cycling-specific curation on top. the Commons's added value is curation, normalization, freshness, and the cycling lens — not re-collecting the base map.
  • Non-personal only. No identity, no tracking, nothing personal. The Commons is the map, not the rider.
  • Media is a first-class, consent-gated contribution. Photos and video join the Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 with provenance — the contributor explicitly confirms they own it and donate it (first-time consent), or links a photo from a recognised source whose licence is validated. Never scraped. Marked [media]. (Multiple photos per item, plus short video; galleries show as a slideshow.)
  • Closed providers are signposted, not absorbed. Bike-friendly-stay schemes (national cyclist-accommodation networks) are a referral layer that links out — not part of the open Commons. Only data riders contribute (or that's already open) goes in the Commons.

Contribution methods (legend)

  • [auto] — derived automatically from aggregate, anonymous signals (a road exists, is rideable, is popular)
  • [tap] — one-tap rider report in the moment ("water here", "road closed")
  • [edit] — structured attribute edit (climb metrics, POI details)
  • [safety] — dynamic/perishable; needs freshness, expiry, and confirm/decay
  • [OSM] — overlaps OpenStreetMap; sync rather than duplicate
  • [media] — photo/video, CC BY-SA 4.0, consent-gated (own-it-and-donate, or licence-validated link)

A. Road surface & base map (the base) — mostly [OSM]

  • Area / region / municipality boundaries [OSM]
  • Road & path geometry and names [auto][OSM]
  • Cycleways, bike lanes, segregated paths, gravel/MTB trails [OSM]
  • Surface type — asphalt / concrete / paving / cobbles / gravel / dirt / sand [edit][OSM]
  • Surface smoothness / quality [tap][OSM]
  • Path width, barriers, gates, bollards [OSM]
  • Lit / unlit at night [OSM]
  • One-way / cycling-permitted-against-traffic [OSM]

B. Climbs, descents & terrain (the layer closed databases lock down)

  • Climbs / cols / bergs: start & top points, length, elevation gain [auto][edit]
  • Average gradient, max gradient, full gradient profile [auto]
  • Climb surface & whether it's paved/gravel [edit]
  • Difficulty category (HC/1–4) [auto]
  • Named climbs & famous segments [edit]
  • Descents: technicality, hairpin count, surface, danger notes [edit][safety]
  • Per-area relief / total climbing [auto]

C. Water & food (ride-critical)

  • Drinking water / refill points — fountains, taps, cemeteries, churches [tap][OSM]
  • Potability is verified, not assumed. OSM amenity=drinking_water is frequently not confirmed potable, so a point is only shown as drinking water once cross-checked against the regional utility: SWDE (swde.be, distribution-zone open data on the Géoportail de la Wallonie) in Wallonia, De Watergroep (drinkwatertappunten) in Flanders. Natural mineral springs (e.g. the Spa pouhons) are labelled as such — potable, but not utility tap water. eaupotable.info (be-belgie) is an OSM-based public-fountain directory usable as a cross-reference.

  • Verification state drives the map symbol (planned implementation; the demo only previews it with sample data):

    State Map symbol Source of truth
    Verified potable curated icon (💧 marker) confirmed against the utility (SWDE / De Watergroep) or by a steward; mineral springs flagged as such
    Unverified small dot raw OSM drinking_water=*, shown but labelled "verify locally"

    A point starts as a dot (imported from OSM) and is promoted to an icon once a verification step (utility cross-check or steward confirmation) passes. Demotion/expiry follows the freshness rules. The demo fakes the verification, but the dot-vs-icon distinction is the real intended UX. - Public toilets [tap][OSM] - Cyclist-friendly cafés / coffee stops [tap][edit] - Resupply — shops, supermarkets, bakeries (+ opening hours) [tap][OSM] - Notable on-route food stops [edit]

D. Bike services

  • Bike shops (+ hours, brands serviced) [edit][OSM]
  • Public repair stations / pumps / tool stands [tap][OSM]
  • E-bike charging points [tap][OSM]
  • Emergency / mobile mechanics [edit]

E. Where to sleep

  • Bike-friendly accommodation riders have actually used — B&B, hotel, hostel, campsite [tap][edit][OSM]
  • Secure bike storage at a stay [edit]
  • Bivouac / shelter / wild-camp spots (where legal) [tap]
  • Signpost layer (links out, not Commons): cyclist-accommodation & hospitality schemes

F. Hazards & conditions (dynamic — needs freshness)

  • Road-surface problems — potholes, broken surface, loose gravel [tap][safety]
  • Dangerous junctions, blind corners, bad sightlines [tap][safety]
  • Tram tracks, level crossings, cattle grids, slippery surfaces [tap][safety][OSM]
  • High-traffic / unsafe roads to avoid for cyclists [tap][safety]
  • Private / restricted / no-entry roads — don't trespass (Manifesto §IX) [tap][OSM]
  • Seasonal closures — cols under snow, flood-prone, seasonal gates [tap][safety][OSM]
  • Construction / temporary closures / diversions [tap][safety]
  • Aggressive-dog warnings [tap][safety]
  • Notorious crosswind / exposed sections [tap]

G. Getting there & multimodal

  • Train stations with bike access; bikes-on-train rules [edit][OSM]
  • Ferries cyclists can use (+ bikes-allowed, rough schedule) [edit][OSM]
  • Tunnels & bridges a cyclist may use — or must avoid [edit][OSM]
  • Bike-share / rental stations [OSM]
  • Park-and-ride / trailheads / good ride-start parking [tap][OSM]

H. Shelter & emergency

  • Rain shelters / covered spots / bus stops to wait out weather [tap][OSM]
  • Hospitals, pharmacies, first aid [OSM]
  • Mountain refuges / huts / emergency phones [OSM]

I. Scenic views (the photo-stop layer)

  • Viewpoints / panoramas [tap][OSM][media]
  • Photo spots — where the shot is [tap][media]
  • Best light / time of day [edit]

J. History & culture (the story layer — stories about the region or its cities)

  • Landmarks & points of interest to ride past [edit][OSM]
  • Local stories & history (community text) [edit]
  • Municipality facts / public-domain coats of arms [edit]
  • Cycling-heritage sites — famous finish lines, velodromes, monuments [edit]

K. Quality rides — cyclist-experience attributes (ratings / suitability)

  • Quietness / traffic level of a road [auto][tap]
  • Scenic rating [tap]
  • Overall cycling-friendliness [tap]
  • Suitability by bike type — road / gravel / MTB / e-bike [edit]
  • Accessibility — adapted-bike / handbike friendly, gradient-limited (Manifesto §X) [edit]
  • Best direction to ride a loop or climb [edit]

L. Ride heatmap — derived & aggregate (auto, anonymized — never per-rider)

  • Road popularity / "is this actually used" heatmap (aggregate) [auto]
  • Rideability inference — e.g. is this gravel OK on a road bike (from aggregate use) [auto]
  • Under-explored areas (shows where the map is thin) [auto]
  • Coverage & freshness per area [auto]
  • Seasonal route shift — how the popular lines move spring → summer → autumn → winter [auto]

Optional engine: a seasonal ride-heatmap (design — not yet built)

Riders can upload their rides; the Commons keeps the lines, never the riders. The heatmap is the real engine behind road-popularity (and could suggest popular loops), and stays manifesto-safe only if anonymization happens at ingest, not in storage:

  • Map-match then discard. On upload, snap the trace to OSM road segments, increment per-segment counters, and throw the raw trace away. Never store a per-rider polyline.
  • Privacy zones. Drop the first/last ~200 m of every trace (kills home/work fingerprints).
  • k-anonymity. Publish a segment's popularity only once ≥ N distinct riders have used it.
  • Coarse seasonal buckets. Per-segment counts per season — enough to see routes shift across the year, with no per-ride timeline that could re-identify anyone.
  • Seed from open data. OSM's public GPS traces are already openly contributed — the heatmap can start from those before any first-party uploads exist.

Result: a purely aggregate layer, publishable openly (ODbL), holding the map, not the rider (Manifesto §IV). This is the measured side of routes; the rider-rated/voted side is K.

The boundary — what is NOT in the Commons

  • Personal data: a person's identity, history, fitness metrics, and movements.
  • Anything that re-identifies an individual.
  • Closed partners' proprietary data (their exact host addresses) — signposted, never copied. These are never collected (Manifesto §IV) or are external. The Commons holds the world, not the people in it.

Notes for product / schema

  • Most of A–H and parts of I have OSM tags already — design the Commons to interoperate with OSM (import + contribute back under ODbL), so you inherit a huge head start and avoid duplicating the base map.
  • [safety] items need a freshness model: timestamp, confirmations, and decay/expiry, or the map rots.
  • The Commons's defensible curation: climbs (B), bike-friendly stays riders vouch for (E), quality rides / cyclist-experience attributes (K), and live conditions reported by riders (F) — the layers OSM is thin on and that closed, single-app data leaves out.

Freshness model (for the [safety] / dynamic layers)

A "road closed" or "pothole" report that never expires becomes a lie. Perishable items need a lifecycle, or the map rots: - Timestamp + reporter count on every report — when, and how many independent riders. - Confidence from confirmations. 1 report = unconfirmed; several independent ones = confirmed. Show the state, don't hide it. - Decay / expiry by type. Each hazard has a half-life: a pothole persists for months, "closed for an event" expires in days, "loose gravel" fades over weeks. After expiry it's hidden (not deleted) pending re-confirmation. - Auto-clear from aggregate use. If riders keep passing through a spot flagged "closed," that's evidence it reopened — [auto] data downgrades a stale [tap] report. - One-tap confirm / dispute. A rider passing a flagged spot gets a light "still there? yes / gone" prompt that feeds confidence. - Provenance kept, identity not. Store that N riders confirmed and when — never who — in the public Commons.

This turns perishable reports into a self-healing layer instead of an ever-growing pile of stale warnings.

Access: the map is one view; the data is queryable

The Commons is open data, not a walled map. Every layer is reachable three ways: - Map — render with toggleable layers (the /commons demo). - Query API — filter by type + area (country / region / bounding box), like OSM Overpass: "all drinking-water points in France," "climbs in Wallonia," "hazards in this bbox." - Bulk export — per-country / per-region open dumps for anyone to download and build on (ODbL).

So "per country" is a first-class query, not a map-only view — that's what makes it a commons rather than a feature.

Sub-items & attributes — what a contributor actually fills in

The catalog above is the categories. This is the depth underneath each one — the fields people think of when they tag something. Not every field is required (most are optional); the point is to show how rich each item can get. [OSM] = an established OSM tag exists for it.

A. Map & surface — per road/segment

Road type (road / cycleway / gravel path / singletrack) [OSM] · surface material (asphalt · concrete · cobbles/setts · gravel · compacted · dirt · sand · grass) [OSM] · smoothness (excellent → impassable) [OSM] · width [OSM] · segregated vs shared · lit / unlit [OSM] · typical traffic level · barriers (gate · bollard · steps · ford · stile) [OSM] · one-way / contraflow allowed [OSM] · seasonal access.

B. Climbs — the worked example

Name (+ local & alternate names) · start point and top (coords, town) · which side / approach · length · elevation gain · average gradient · max gradient (and where) · gradient profile / the steep ramps · number of hairpins · surface (paved · gravel · cobbles) · difficulty category (HC/1–4) · exposed vs sheltered (wind/sun) · shade / tree cover · traffic on the climb · water/fountain on the climb · where it tops out (viewpoint, café, pass sign) · famous-for / history (Tour, Classics) · segment/KOM reference · best season & when it's open (snow gates) · descent notes (technicality, surface, danger) [safety] · photo spot.

C. Water & food — per point

Water: source type (fountain · public tap · cemetery tap · church · spring) · potable? · seasonal (frost shut-off) · reliability. Café: cyclist-friendly? · open days & hours [OSM] · weekly closing day · indoor bike parking · outdoor seating · card/cash · coffee-stop reputation. Shop/bakery: type · hours · open Sunday? · what they stock. Toilet: public · free/paid · accessible [OSM].

D. Bike services — per point

Shop: brands serviced · repairs? · rental? · e-bike service? · hours [OSM]. Repair station: pump + valve type (presta/schrader) · tools available · chain tool · work stand · 24/7? [OSM]. Charging: connector · free/paid · location. Vending: tubes / CO2 / spares.

E. Stays — per place

Type (B&B · hotel · hostel · campsite · refuge) [OSM] · secure bike storage · bike wash · tools/workshop · drying room · early/packed breakfast · price band · scheme (cyclist-accommodation network · independent) · booking link / contact · open season · minimum nights · cyclist-rated.

F. Hazards & conditions — per report (all [safety])

Type (pothole · loose gravel · dangerous junction · blind corner · tram tracks · level/cattle crossing · road closure · construction · flooding · ice · aggressive dog · notorious crosswind) · severity · date observed / last confirmed · temporary vs permanent · seasonal window · direction affected · suggested detour · confirm/decay state.

G. Getting there — per node

Station: bikes allowed (always / off-peak / reservation) · bike spaces · lifts/ramps · bike ticket needed? [OSM]. Ferry: bikes allowed · schedule · seasonal · cost · crossing time [OSM]. Tunnel/bridge: cyclists allowed? · shuttle? · alternative. Parking: free/paid · size · surface · security [OSM]. Bike-share: docks · type [OSM].

H. Shelter & emergency — per point

Shelter: covered? · type (bus stop · hut · church porch · barn) · seating. Refuge/hut: staffed? · water · food · sleeping · open season [OSM]. Medical: hospital · pharmacy · first aid · hours [OSM]. Emergency: SOS phone / rescue point · what3words-style locator.

I. Scenic views — per POI

Viewpoint: what you see · best light / time of day · access [OSM][media]. Photo spot: best angle, time.

J. History & culture — per POI

Landmark: type · era · one-line story. Local story: short text + source. Municipality: public-domain coat of arms · a fact or two. Cycling heritage: Tour/Classics history · velodrome · memorial · famous finish line.

K. Quality rides — cyclist-experience attributes — per road/route (ratings, 1–5 unless noted)

Quietness · scenery · surface quality · bike-type suitability (road · gravel · MTB · e-bike) · accessibility (adapted-bike / handbike friendly, gradient cap) · best direction to ride · effort/difficulty · family/kid-safe · seasonal best.

L. Derived & aggregate — computed, not entered (all [auto])

Road popularity score · rideability inference (is this gravel OK on a road bike?) · under-explored areas · per-area coverage % and data freshness · confidence/age of each [safety] item. These are outputs of the Commons, not things a person fills in — but they're published openly too.

Design note: keep every field optional and additive — a rider adds one fact (a water tap, a gradient, a "closed" flag) without filling a form. Richness accretes from many small contributions, OSM-style. Required fields kill contribution; optional fields let the Commons grow one tap at a time.

Giving back to OpenStreetMap (Phase 2 feature)

Today the website uses OSM tiles (consumes OSM). "Gives back to" is a committed intention, not yet built. Because the Commons is ODbL — the same licence as OSM — data can flow back legally. The flow, lightest to heaviest:

  • Rider nudge (day-one-able). When a rider adds an OSM-appropriate fact that OSM is missing (water tap, repair station, wrong surface), offer a one-tap "add to OpenStreetMap too?" — posted as their own OSM edit. Clean, community-driven, no bulk-edit politics. This is how you become a good OSM citizen.
  • Curated submission. Curators review verified facts and submit them properly, with sources, human-in-the-loop.
  • Formal import (later, heavy). Bulk contribution needs an OSM import plan, community discussion, an ODbL-compatible source, and a dedicated account — strict rules; bad imports get reverted. Not a day-one move.

Flows back → OSM: durable infrastructure facts (the [OSM]-tagged items — water, repair stations, bike shops, surface, cycleways, barriers). Stays in the Commons (not pushed to OSM): the experience layers apps build on top, subjective ratings (J), ephemeral [safety] hazards (OSM doesn't want "pothole reported yesterday"), and anything personal. OSM wants lasting facts, not the game or the weather.

Etiquette: follow OSM's Import & Automated-Edit guidelines — human-reviewed, attributed, never a firehose — or you get reverted and resented. Slow and clean beats fast and bulk.

Metric: track facts contributed back to OpenStreetMap by Commons contributors — it proves the give-back is real and makes a genuinely good community story.