Introduction
The physical and mental health benefits of getting outside are now widely accepted. Charities such as Paths For All aim to help everyone to enjoy the benefits of walking.
A barrier to people getting out walking is not knowing what route may (am I permitted to) and can (am I capable to) I undertake. Thanks to Scotland's Outdoor Access Code, there are plenty of routes people may try. However some routes are harder than others and a big fear is that a route will be too difficult. How do you know if a path might be suitable? Is there a way to find out?
Difficulty grading exists for rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing were the number of routes is more limited. For walking, we have thousands of kilometres of paths. What grade guides exist?
In Scotland's upland area, WalkHighlands has a 1-5 boots grading. Forestry and Land Scotland has some excellent accessible paths and a useful grading within their forests. These are great but are localised away from centres of population. There is no standard across Scotland and the infrastructure to provide it is unlikely to come via private interests or government alone.
Crowdsourcing Path Data - OpenStreetMap
In a similar way to Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap crowdsources content. OpenStreetMap, though independent, is supported by some of the biggest companies including Apple and Microsoft. It is used by our own Ordnance Survey, along with outdoor names Strava, Komoot and AllTrails. It is also used by Pokemon Go.
The use of Phone Apps is not without its critics. This story "Concerns raised over crowdsourced maps used by popular hiking apps" illustrates the importance of both having and taking account of extra information on the suitability of a path. Of course, in the mountains one should always have and know how to use a physical map and compass. But walking does not and should not just be taking place in the mountains. It should be happening in our neighbourhoods.
OpenStreetMap has approximately 20,000 km of path mapped already for Scotland. This does not include all the additionally mapped tracks such forestry tracks or city pavements. This represents a huge potential resource for people to enjoy the outdoors.
The information on OpenStreetMap is free at the point of access. Companies like Strava charge for the added value, such as the heat maps, but the map information comes free from OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMap provides a rich set of attributes for footways and paths:
- width
- smoothness (useful for wheelchairs, buggies and bicycles)
- steps (include how many and if there are handrails)
- incline (gradient %)
- trail visibility
- hiking grade (use the Swiss Alpine Club Grade)
- access (tag for legal aspects of access)
However, these attributes are not always mapped. If and when they are mapped, these data can assist people seeking an achievable walk. The data also aids identification for targeted path funding to achieve the largest social impact.
Around Dunkeld, in Perthshire, an effort to provide this information has reaped results. In Figure 1, we can see that the area is well served for easy hiking. Paths which need more outdoor experience are shown in orange. The red section represents a difficult route that utilises a hazardous watercourse tunnel under the A9.
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| Figure 1 - Paths around Dunkeld showing accessibility grading |
The mapping in the Dunkeld area will assist the local Community Action Plan in articulating issues most relevant to residents - for example poor wheelchair access and safer junctions. It has already assisted in identifying the absence of pedestrian workarounds when a pedestrian bridge and embankment were washed away in the October 2023 floods.
How Well Tagged Are Scotland's Paths?
Since 2021, the tagging of hiking grade information has increased in some areas. For example, Stirling has 13% of paths graded whereas Perth and Kinross has 11% graded. In contrast, the Highlands (which accounts for nearly half of mapped path distance in Scotland) has just 1.5% of paths graded (data from https://dashboard.ohsome.org).
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| Figure 2 An easy hiking grade path through a beautiful woodland. |
One of these updated paths is shown in Figure 2. It has a "hiking" tag and a width of 0.5m. The surface is tagged as "dirt". Whilst it is not wheelchair accessible the section pictured is achievable for most walkers. This attractive path is not part of a well-known circuit and without mapping fewer people will benefit.
Does Having Better Path Information Increase Healthy Outdoor Activity?
Online map data is an enabler - multi-million pound companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google know this. Residents of Dunkeld and Birnam will testify to the high numbers of walkers and mountain bikers out enjoying the paths. Does popularity cause better maps or do good maps lead to popularity? It is more likely both - a positive feedback loop.
Studies indicate exercise, particular outdoors, is beneficial for physical and mental health (see Useful Links below). It is not unreasonable to believe better path information will enable an increase in path usage, and thereby positively influence health.
Challenges On The Road Ahead?
If we assume that having better access to path information is an enabler for walking, the biggest challenge is increasing the contributions and accuracy of path information. To do this effectively will require crowd-sourcing. New contributors will need to be identified, trained and mentored to help their community map. The new contributors will have to survey the paths, and do so with empathy for those with different accessibility needs. (See this blog post for more thoughts).
Conclusion
Just as Pokemon-Go inspired many young people to go explore their local area, could community mapping tap into a similar enthusiasm? Perhaps some people who may be attracted to mapping would not otherwise consider walking for enjoyment in the outdoors. The activity could enrich their outdoor experience.
Mapping projects need not be solely be about paths. It may be easier to start mapping amenities such as toilets, play parks, litter bins, benches or whatever is valuable to your community.
The one thing that is certain, with big players sponsoring OpenStreetMap's community, crowd-sourced model, the platform is here to stay. So why not look into the beginners guide today?
Useful links
- https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/ has lots of documentation on using and contributing to your community's map.
- https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/ may have some routes near you.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36767034/ describes benefits of outdoor exercise in systematic review.
- https://mapcomplete.org/ is a useful tool for searching the map for benches, water points or other amenities.
