Configurational maps with Open Street Map and QGIS: workflow and comparison of free tools

Abstract

Axial maps have been progressively replaced by “Road Center Line” (RCL) maps such as those afforded by Open Street Map, due to greater ease of obtaining data and preparing the base map for Space Syntax quantitative analyzes. With the availability of free tools, they have become increasingly accessible to a greater number of researchers. However, this process still raises questions and poses challenges for users, especially when the aim is to automate it in order to avoid redoing the work, and allow reproduction by other interested parties. In this context, we tested three free tools for preparing and creating configurational maps – Space Syntax Toolkit (SST), PST and sDNA–, comparing their functionalities, strengths and weaknesses. To do this, we used a sample in Florianópolis and went through all stages of the process, with special emphasis on filtering and selecting pathways and on the geometric preparation to adapt the raw map to the necessary format for syntactic calculations. Finally, we compare Global Integration measures achieved by the three tools, demonstrating that the results are very similar, and we suggest a workflow to automate this process through QGIS graphical models, which can be reused, improved and adjusted for specific contexts.