Cognised existence: A business location is the physical place where economic activity happens. It is an operational presence in space, not only a legal registration.
Question: Where does a business physically operate?
OSM wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:shop | https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:amenity | https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:office
Realisations
OpenStreetMap — shop=*, amenity=*, office=*
OSM provides global point and polygon features for businesses and services. Coverage is strongest in dense urban areas.
osmnx access
import osmnx as ox
ox.settings.cache_folder = ".cache/"
businesses = ox.features_from_place(
"Copenhagen, Denmark",
tags={
"shop": True,
"amenity": ["restaurant", "cafe", "bank", "pharmacy", "hospital", "school"],
"office": True,
},
)Geofabrik layers
| Layer | Content |
|---|---|
gis_osm_pois_free_1.shp | Point POIs including shops and amenities |
gis_osm_pois_a_free_1.shp | Polygon POIs |
Key OSM tags
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
shop=* | Retail business class |
amenity=* | Public/commercial service class |
office=* | Office function |
name=* | Business name |
brand=* | Brand chain |
opening_hours=* | Opening schedule |
Geometry Representations
| Rep ID | Source Dataset | Geometry Type | Native CRS | Suitable For | Not Suitable For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
business_osm_points | OSM via Geofabrik | Point | EPSG:4326 | Distribution mapping, nearest-service search, density analysis | Parcel-level frontage and floor area analysis |
business_osm_polygons | OSM via Geofabrik | Polygon | EPSG:4326 | Site footprint context, land-use overlap | Routing without network graph |
Limitations
- OSM does not provide legal company identifiers by default.
- Categories are community-defined and inconsistent across regions.
- Business closure/opening dynamics are unevenly updated.
Realised By Links
- OpenStreetMap (collection)