Streets Projects

By default, Podaris uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to route bus services and calculate isochrones. A Streets project lets you replace or supplement that default network with your own custom road and street data. For example, to model a proposed new road, a bus rapid transit corridor, or an area where OSM coverage is incomplete.

The Streets project you create can then be referenced from Plan projects and Podaris:Insight analyses, so your custom network is used consistently wherever routing takes place.

When to use a Streets project

A Streets project is useful when:

You are modelling a proposed new road or busway that does not yet exist in OSM
OSM data for your study area is incomplete or inaccurate
You want to model a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor or guided busway with specific access rules
You need a controlled street environment for simulation work, rather than relying on live OSM data

If OSM is accurate for your area and you are not modelling proposed roads, you do not need a Streets project — the default routing will work without one.

How Streets projects work

A Streets project stores an OSM-format road network. When you attach a Streets project to a Plan project or Insight analysis, Podaris uses that network instead of (or on top of) the default OSM data for:

Bus route alignment — bus routes snap to the streets in your network
Isochrone calculation — walking, cycling, and driving isochrones follow your custom network
Journey planning and simulation — multi-modal routing uses your network for the road-based legs

The street network data uses standard OSM tags to define which vehicle types can use each road and at what speed. This means you can create bus-only corridors, pedestrian zones, speed-restricted sections, and so on.

Creating a Streets project

On the Podaris home screen, click New and select Streets.
Set your privacy level and starting location, then click Create.
You will be taken to the project settings page, where you can upload your network file.
Click Upload an OSM file and choose your file (up to 500 MB).
Once the upload is complete, click Finish Setup. Podaris will process the file and prepare the routing engine.

You will receive a notification when the Streets project is ready to use.

Useful OSM tags for routing

Tag	Effect
highway=bus_guideway	Permits bus routing only
highway=cycleway	Permits cycling only
motor_vehicle=no	Closes the road to motor vehicles
maxspeed=*	Sets the maximum speed (km/h)

Attaching a Streets project to a Plan project

Once your Streets project is set up, open the Plan project you want to use it in and go to Project Menu > Settings. Under the Streets section, select your Streets project from the Asset Library . Bus routes and isochrones in that Plan project will now use your custom network.

Native Street Editor

Podaris now features a full, native street network editor that allows you to make edits directly in your web browser. You no longer need to rely on external desktop GIS editors or complex file exports for standard modifications.

Exporting Street Networks

Once your network has been built and published, you can export the street data from the project export menu in three formats:

OSM PBF: The complete, raw network file for your active view’s version, integrating all custom browser patches.
Street Network GeoJSON: A standard GeoJSON translating your links into LineStrings with their full custom OSM properties.
Street Network GeoParquet: A highly compressed, optimised format designed for high-performance spatial analysis in desktop GIS tools like QGIS.

Views as Scenario Branches

In a Streets project, a view acts as a full scenario branch rather than a mere layer visibility toggle.

Isolated Scenarios: Each view points to a specific immutable, published network version. This design allows you to easily model different planning options (e.g., a "Do-Nothing" baseline vs. "Option B") within a single Streets project.
State Safeguards: To protect your work, the platform prevents you from switching views or previewing alternative versions while you have unpublished edits pending in your active view.
Soft Deletions: Deleting a view only soft-deletes the version history; it preserves any historical network versions that are still referenced by other active views.

Things to keep in mind

Street network processing can take a few minutes after upload. You will be notified when it is ready.
If the upload fails or the network does not process correctly, use the Retry Setup button in the Streets project settings.
Accepted formats for the base network are `.osm`, `.osm.pbf`, `.osm.bz2`, and `.osm.gz`. Changesets must be `.osc` format.
HTTPS is required for any externally hosted tile or data sources you reference.