Load Street Network

Category: Mega-Polis → Gathering → Gathering Design Tools
Node ID: SvMegapolisLoadStreetNetwork
Tooltip: Load a street network from OpenStreetMap
Dependencies: osmnx, networkx, geopandas

Functionality

Loads a street network graph from OpenStreetMap using osmnx and converts it into a graph structure suitable for network-based analysis workflows.

The node retrieves a street network using a place name and network type (drive, walk, bike, etc.), then outputs the resulting NetworkX graph together with node and edge data structures that can be used by downstream Mega-Polis analysis nodes (e.g., shortest path, network analysis, centrality metrics).

This node acts as the primary bridge between OpenStreetMap and network-based spatial analysis pipelines.

Inputs

Socket Type Description
Place SvStringsSocket Place name used to download the street network (e.g., “Melbourne, Australia”)

Parameters

Name Type Default Description
network_type Enum drive Type of network to retrieve from OpenStreetMap
simplify Bool True Simplifies the graph topology (merges unnecessary nodes)
retain_all Bool False If enabled, keeps disconnected components
truncate_by_edge Bool False If enabled, truncates edges at boundary limits

Available network types

  • drive
  • walk
  • bike
  • all
  • all_private

These correspond to standard osmnx network filters.

Outputs

Socket Type Description
Graph SvStringsSocket NetworkX graph object representing the street network
Nodes SvStringsSocket Node table extracted from the graph
Edges SvStringsSocket Edge table extracted from the graph

How it works

  1. Uses osmnx to request a street network from OpenStreetMap:

    ox.graph_from_place(place, network_type=network_type, simplify=simplify, retain_all=retain_all, truncate_by_edge=truncate_by_edge)

  2. Converts the result into:

    • A NetworkX graph
    • Node data (coordinates, attributes)
    • Edge data (length, type, connectivity)

  3. Outputs the graph and associated tables for downstream network analysis nodes.

Example

Basic workflow

  1. Add Load Street Network node.
  2. Connect:
    • Place → “Melbourne, Australia”
  3. Set:
    • network_type → walk (for pedestrian network)
  4. Use outputs:
    • Graph → Network analysis nodes
    • Nodes → spatial analysis / point workflows
    • Edges → geometry-based processing

Typical uses

  • Feed Graph into:
    • Shortest Path
    • Network centrality analysis
    • Accessibility analysis
  • Use Nodes/Edges for:
    • Spatial visualisation
    • Attribute filtering
    • Graph-to-geometry conversion

Notes

  • Data is downloaded live from OpenStreetMap.
  • Output graph is compatible with NetworkX-based workflows.
  • Pedestrian networks typically produce denser graphs than drive networks.
  • Large cities can produce heavy graphs; consider testing with smaller places first.