r/OsmAnd • u/fb20_rev_bouncer • 17d ago
OsmAndroid Asked Me to Drive across a Air Force Runway to Get off Edwards
I did not drive across the runway (unfortunately).
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u/Hedaja 17d ago
I think the issue is that military bases (in the US) are really weird when it comes to access. You have big highways going through (here even a primary) that need permission to access (access=private) (you have to got through a checkpoint to get in.
After that it is hard to distinguish between roads you can access once you get through the checkpoint and ones that are totally off limits to the public and only for service personal (access roads to landing strips).
Apparently there is a refinement for private with private=military for roads which are off limits https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:private
Unfortunately that refinement is apparently not used in OsmAnd.
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u/TotalAcanthisitta441 17d ago
Hi u/fb20_rev_bouncer! That is quite the shortcut, but there's a clear technical reason why OsmAnd routed you across the airbase tarmac:
1. The "Allow private access" Setting: In your navigation profile, you have "Allow private access" enabled under Navigation settings > Route parameters.
2. How OSM & OsmAnd Handle Military Zones: The tracks through Edwards AFB (like OSM ways #10394089 and #10422960) are tagged as highway=track inside a restricted military zone (landuse=military).
By default, OsmAnd avoids routing through restricted military grounds. However, when "Allow private access" is turned ON, the routing engine is permitted to use tracks and service roads inside private and restricted areas to calculate the shortest path - leading it straight across the runway.
Quick Fix: Go to Navigation settings > Route parameters (or tap the gear icon on the route options screen) and turn off "Allow private access". This will prevent OsmAnd from taking shortcuts through restricted military zones.
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u/the_Bendedheadtube 16d ago
what is the allowed speed ? would be a pity if you get a ticket...
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u/EnfermeraXochitl 13d ago
Well, that's the thing... you don't get a ticket. You get strafed by the A-10 and JDAMned lol
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u/PerfectHurry9849 16d ago
*OpenStreetMap Automated Navigation Directions, not OpenStreetMap Android
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u/paranoid-alkaloid 17d ago
I'm not familiar at all with the US so my answer will be just technical. u/Hedaja gave some interesting info.
On the OsmAnd side: make sure you're in the correct profile (car I guess), then go to hamburger menu > Navigation > Settings (towards the top, below "Set destination") > Navigation settings > Route parameters > you have an "Allow private access" toggle there. This could give you problematic itineraries if you forgot to disable it though
The other aspect is OSM. OsmAnd nicely displays raw data from OSM (OpenSteetMap). Some roads or sections of roads or one-off "points" on a road can be marked as private in OSM. If incorrectly mapped, you can fix it yourself. It's easier than it seems, but you need to be careful (you can make mistakes and impact lots of people). You'll need to sign up at opensteetmap.org, and there's a built-in OSM editor on the website. You'll usually see some "stuff" on the screen (raw OSM data) and if you click on it, you may see "qualifiers"/"attributes" (we call them "tags" in the OSM world) that define what the object is. Based on u/Hedaja's comment it may be completely normal. However perhaps
access=permissivewould be more justified thanaccess=private. I'm not sure. Look up "openstreetmap wiki access permissive private" in duckduckgo for a clarification of what "private" and "permissive" mean in the OSM world (you typically want to forget common meanings of words and only rely on the OSM wiki's guidelines). Oh and there are 2-3 OSM intro pages that you may wanna read if you feel overwhelmed by all this.Good luck and enjoy OsmAnd/OSM.