MAPPING THE ACCESSIBILITY IN OPENSTREETMAP: A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

Abstract. Architectural barriers are physical elements that limit the freedom of movement and use of services of a person. The lack of accessibility is one of the physical barriers that most limit people with motor disabilities, as recognised by the World Health Organization. The work aims to identify the optimal methodology to map accessible ways and critical barriers, in order to produce cartographic support for people with motor disabilities. It should also be a tool that allows citizens to report barriers to public authority. The work is part of the ViaLibera?! project, which aims to apply the methodology in the Municipality 9 of the city of Milan. The project is founded by Fondazione di Comunit`a Milano; Politecnico di Milano is the scientific partner, while the other partners are associations that represent people with disabilities: Spazio Vita Niguarda Onlus, Ledha Milano and AUS Niguarda Onlus. The mapping elements of interest for the project were identified in collaboration with the other partners, also studying the state of the art. In the framework of Open Street Map, a comparison between different existing mapping techniques was done to select the optimal compromise between rigour and simplicity. In addition, the different techniques must be suitable for the chosen tagging scheme to map accessibility elements. The techniques analysed involve the use of paper maps, Field Papers, and street-level images or applications for smartphones. They are compared to identify the best one.