OpenStreetMap social infrastructure through Overpass

OSM is the widest flexible source for schools, health facilities, toilets, drinking water, social facilities, community centers, libraries, playgrounds and accessibility tags, with names, addresses, hours, contacts and operators where contributors supplied them.

Provenance and access

How the data is reached

Overpass QL over public /api/interpreter endpoints. JSON output, no auth; public instances have variable load/rate limits. Cached extracts are safer for demos.

Reuse status

Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0; attribution and share-alike obligations apply.

Read license or terms ↗

Overpass API

https://overpass-api.de/api/interpreter ↗

Method: POST
Format: JSON
Authentication: None

Instance availability and rate limits vary.

Field-level detail

What is actually returned

livereferencederivedhistoricalunknown

Overpass JSON response

Response envelope and OSM elements.

10 fields

Field / path	Type	Null?	Example	Meaning	Freshness
`version`	number	No	0.6	OSM API format version	reference
`generator`	string	No	Overpass API	Producing software/server	reference
`osm3s.timestamp_osm_base`	ISO datetime	Yes	2026-07-17T...Z	OSM replication base timeNot a per-object survey time.	live
`osm3s.copyright`	string	Yes	The data included...	Attribution/license notice	reference
`elements`	array<object>	No	[...]	OSM objects	reference
`elements[].type`	string enum	No	node	Element typenode, way or relation.	reference
`elements[].id`	integer	No	9442298387	ID within element type	reference
`elements[].lat`	number	Yes	41.6982888	Node or computed-center latitude	reference
`elements[].lon`	number	Yes	44.7891882	Node or computed-center longitude	reference
`elements[].tags`	object<string,string>	Yes	{"amenity":"school"}	Flexible feature attributesOmitted tag means unknown, not false.	reference

High-value OSM tags

All paths are optional string tags under elements[].tags.

17 fields

Field / path	Type	Null?	Example	Meaning	Freshness
`elements[].tags.amenity`	string	Yes	school	Primary amenity class	reference
`elements[].tags.name`	string	Yes	...	Default name	reference
`elements[].tags.name:ka`	string	Yes	...	Georgian name	reference
`elements[].tags.name:en`	string	Yes	...	English name	reference
`elements[].tags.official_name`	string	Yes	...	Formal name	reference
`elements[].tags.addr:*`	string fields	Yes	street, housenumber, city, postcode	Address components	reference
`elements[].tags.operator`	string	Yes	...	Operator name	reference
`elements[].tags.operator:type`	string	Yes	public	Operator type	reference
`elements[].tags.opening_hours`	string	Yes	Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00	Opening hours	reference
`elements[].tags.phone / contact:phone / contact:mobile / contact:email / website`	string	Yes	...	Public contact fields	reference
`elements[].tags.healthcare / healthcare:speciality / emergency`	string	Yes	clinic	Medical classification fields	reference
`elements[].tags.school / education / grades / language:*`	string	Yes	1-12	School-level, grades and language attributes	reference
`elements[].tags.toilets:* / drinking_water`	string	Yes	yes	Toilet and drinking-water attributes	reference
`elements[].tags.wheelchair`	string enum	Yes	limited	Wheelchair accessibilityMissing means unknown.	reference
`elements[].tags.toilets:wheelchair`	string enum	Yes	yes	Accessible-toilet status	reference
`elements[].tags.tactile_paving / kerb / incline / elevator`	string	Yes	yes	Specific accessibility attributes	reference
`elements[].tags.check_date`	date string	Yes	2025-06-01	Contributor field-check date	historical

Representative evidence

Sample records

Representative school element shape

Retrieved 2026-07-17

JSON

{"type":"node","id":9442298387,"lat":41.6982888,"lon":44.7891882,"tags":{"amenity":"school","name":"...","contact:email":"...","education":"general","grades":"1-12","language:ka":"yes","operator:type":"public"}}

Representative schema fragment; exact retained snapshot is linked by snapshotPath.

Boundaries

Reliability, caveats, and privacy

What held up

Existing project snapshot contains toilets, clinics, hospitals, drinking water and schools.
ODbL license is explicit.
Fallback is cached extract or dedicated Overpass provider.

What can go wrong

Coverage and tag completeness vary.
Absence is not evidence that a place or property is absent.
Public Overpass instances can reject or rate-limit queries.
Hours, contacts and access tags can become stale.

Cross-source possibilities

Ideas using this source

Civic accountability

Officially Invisible Facility

Why do public systems disagree about whether this facility exists?

Joined with 3 other sources →Environment & memory

Species Without Addresses

Which observations may point to habitat outside recognized green spaces?

Joined with 3 other sources →

Source trail

Primary pages and documentation

DocumentationOpenStreetMap copyright and license ↗
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
DocumentationOverpass API documentation ↗
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API