An Area Datatype for OSM
One of the biggest problems with the OSM data model is that there are no real polygons. Polygons or multipolygons are “simulated” using closed ways or multipolygon relations and several other methods. These multipolygon relations are often broken. Some of the problems resulting from this non-existence of multipolygons are affecting many people, for instance with broken coastlines and country or other boundaries.
Tags: openstreetmap · osmdata