Discovering transition patterns among OpenStreetMap feature classes based on the Louvain method

Numerous studies have shown that OpenStreetMap (OSM) data can achieve high positional quality. However, the thematic attributes of OSM objects can be modified several times, which has a large impact on semantic heterogeneity. Identifying transition patterns within OSM feature classes is an important preliminary step for the tag recommendation algorithm, which can reduce the number of modifications and enhance the efficiency of OSM data updates. In this article, we propose an approach for discovering transition patterns among OSM feature classes. We first produced the transition matrix of feature classes and then developed a graph. Next, the Louvain method for community detection was utilized to cluster the feature classes. OSM data from Indiana, USA, and the Azores, Portugal, were used for our experiments. Some transition patterns were discovered: (1) many feature classes with the most transitions are the same in both datasets and most transitions occur in road-related feature classes; (2) people tend to tag general classes if they are unsure of the specific classes of tagged objects; and (3) most class transitions occurred as a result of volunteers improving the specificity and precision of feature classes. Moreover, consistently confusing concept pairs were identified.