TCAT at State of the Map US 2026: OpenSidewalks, OS-CONNECT, and Walksheds

The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology participated in State of the Map US 2026, the annual national gathering of the OpenStreetMap community. The conference brought together mappers, researchers, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, companies, educators, and open-data practitioners.

TCAT was represented through two presentations focused on pedestrian accessibility, open data, and the practical use of OpenStreetMap data.

In “The Walksheds Tool: Evaluating Pedestrian Accessibility Using OSM Data,” Sam Yasen presented how the Walksheds tool turns OpenStreetMap sidewalk, crossing, and barrier data into an OpenSidewalks Schema graph. The tool then calculates accessibility walksheds that can support transportation planning, analysis, and public understanding of pedestrian access.

In “OpenSidewalks in OpenStreetMap: Using OS-CONNECT as a Reference Layer in Rapid,” Amy Bordenave presented how OpenSidewalks and Washington State’s OS-CONNECT dataset can support careful pedestrian infrastructure mapping in OpenStreetMap. The presentation focused on using OS-CONNECT as a reference layer in Rapid, rather than as an automated import, and emphasized manual verification, mapper judgment, and responsible use within OpenStreetMap community norms.

Together, the presentations highlighted how open pedestrian network data can make sidewalk connectivity, crossings, curb-related details, and accessibility barriers more visible and actionable.

Recordings from the conference are now available. Sam Yasen’s session, “The Walksheds Tool: Evaluating Pedestrian Accessibility Using OSM Data,” can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZuZEhqBsdE

Amy Bordenave and Jacob Hall’s session, “PWG 1.0: Creating the Pedestrian Working Group Schema & Guide,” can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkkWVjAqQR4