osm_sidewalkreator

OSM Sidewalkreator

A QGIS plugin to automatically generate sidewalk networks from OpenStreetMap streets. Available in the official QGIS Plugin Repository: https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/osm_sidewalkreator/

Overview

• Generate sidewalk lines, crossings, and kerb points from OSM roads.
• Use interactively in QGIS or headlessly via Processing/CLI.
• Package releases and run tests locally or in Docker.
• Requires QGIS 3.40+.

What’s New

Recent updates introduce a Processing provider and headless tooling that make it easier to automate and test the full pipeline:

• Processing provider: four algorithms under the “SidewalKreator” toolbox group
  • generateprotoblocksfromosm — protoblocks from polygon input
  • generateprotoblocksfrombbox — protoblocks from BBOX extent
  • fullsidewalkreatorfrompolygon — full pipeline from polygon (sidewalks, crossings, kerbs)
  • osm_sidewalkreator_full_bbox — full pipeline from BBOX extent
• Headless runners in docker/ for bbox/polygon inputs (no local QGIS install required)
• CI-friendly QGIS tests via scripts/run_qgis_tests.sh and quick local tests via pytest -m 'not qgis'
• Release packaging with release/release_zip.py

Features

• Sidewalk generation from OSM highways with configurable widths and classes
• Optional building/address data fetch for improved geometry and segment splits
• Crossing line creation and kerb point extraction at intersections
• Export to JOSM‑ready GeoJSON for OSM editing

Quick Start (QGIS)

1. Install the plugin: search for “OSM SidewalKreator” in QGIS Plugin Manager
2. Prepare AOI: add a polygon layer for your area of interest
3. Run: open Processing > SidewalKreator, pick a polygon or BBOX, choose outputs
4. Export: view layers and export to your preferred format

Tutorials:

• Basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq-K3Ixx0IM
• First import to JOSM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apqdb73lNvY

Processing / Headless Usage

Provider id: sidewalkreator_algorithms_provider. A helper executes Processing inside Docker so you don’t need a local QGIS:

# From source tree
./scripts/run_qgis_processing.sh generateprotoblocksfromosm INPUT=/path/to/polygon.gpkg OUTPUT=/tmp/protoblocks.gpkg

# From a packaged release
./scripts/run_qgis_processing.sh --use-release generateprotoblocksfromosm INPUT=/path/to/polygon.gpkg OUTPUT=/tmp/protoblocks.gpkg

Examples with full pipeline:

# Full network from polygon (sidewalks, crossings, kerbs)
./scripts/run_qgis_processing.sh fullsidewalkreatorfrompolygon \
  INPUT_POLYGON=/path/to/aoi.gpkg \
  OUTPUT_SIDEWALKS=/tmp/sidewalks.geojson \
  OUTPUT_CROSSINGS=/tmp/crossings.geojson \
  OUTPUT_KERBS=/tmp/kerbs.geojson

# Full network from BBOX extent (EPSG:4326)
./scripts/run_qgis_processing.sh osm_sidewalkreator_full_bbox \
  INPUT_EXTENT="-49.3,-25.5,-49.29,-25.45" \
  OUTPUT_SIDEWALKS=/tmp/sidewalks.geojson

Headless runners (simpler Docker scripts) are also available — see docker/README.md:

• docker/run_full_bbox.sh, docker/run_full_polygon.sh
• docker/run_protoblocks_bbox.sh, docker/run_protoblocks_polygon.sh

Notes:

• BBOX coordinates are in EPSG:4326
• Scripts create outputs under assets/test_outputs/ by default (overridable)

Testing

Quick local tests (no QGIS):

pip install -r docker/requirements.txt
pytest -m "not qgis"

Full test suite in Docker/QGIS:

./scripts/run_qgis_tests.sh

Optionally build a helper image:

docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t my-org/qgis-test:latest .

Test data lives under assets/test_data/. To refresh the small OSM extract used by tests:

curl -L "https://overpass-api.de/api/map?bbox=-49.248337,-25.491146,-49.239228,-25.486957" -o test/data/curitiba_sample.osm

Releases

Create a plugin zip (written under ~/sidewalkreator_release by default):

python release/release_zip.py

Customize the source and output directories:

python release/release_zip.py --plugin-dir /path/to/plugin \
  --output-dir /tmp/build

The release builder uses a fixed runtime manifest. Development files such as tests, Docker helpers, shell scripts, source translations, and repository documentation are never copied into the plugin archive. Compiled .qm translations are included when available.

References

• QGIS Plugin page: https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/osm_sidewalkreator/
• OSM Wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_SidewalKreator
• State of the Map 2022: slides https://rebrand.ly/kauevestena_sotm22 • video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B–1ge42UHY • abstract https://zenodo.org/record/7004523

Publication

European Journal of Geography (12/12/2023): https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/553

de Moraes Vestena, Kauê, Silvana Philippi Camboim, and Daniel Rodrigues dos Santos. 2023. “OSM Sidewalkreator: A QGIS Plugin for an Automated Drawing of Sidewalk Networks for OpenStreetMap”. European Journal of Geography 14 (4):66–84. https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.k.ves.14.4.066.084

Experiments repository: https://github.com/kauevestena/sidewalk_analysis

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