Data quality analysis in a GIS environment of OpenStreetMap geodatabase for Sri Lanka

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the data quality of OpenStreetMap geodatabase in a GIS environment; the case of study is a region of Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is one of the most well-known crowd-sourced products, providing a global map base thanks to the mapping activity carried out by volunteers all around the world. As the quality of collected information remains a significant concern for the geospatial information community and in geospatial data management, a qualitative and quantitative assessment of OSM data is of great importance, due to the large diffusion and adoption of this kind of volunteered geospatial information (VGI). This study concerns the OSM dataset currently available for the Mawanella area in Sri Lanka and has been performed in an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, QGIS. OSM vector files are the raw materials for the analysis. The evaluation has been realized considering the main quality attributes to be maintained in a mapping product, either based on intrinsic properties and on the relationship with official databases available for the same area. The results of the study suggest that the current quality of OSM maps in the study area is fairly good, but completeness is poor and must be improved.