Using mapped waterways without assuming flow or water rights

OpenStreetMap waterway geometry provides mapped river and canal context in Thailand. Proximity to a mapped line does not show flow, year-round water supply, drainage capacity or a legal right to draw water. These questions need separate evidence.

Procedure

Identify the mapped waterway and verify its type and geometry at a suitable scale.
Use an appropriate projected coordinate system if measuring distance; degrees are not metres.
Request seasonal measurements and access permissions when irrigation or industrial water is the decision.

Interpretation checks

Input or condition	How to interpret it
Nearby geometry	A mapped spatial relationship, subject to completeness.
Flow direction or volume	Needs hydrological measurement, not inferred availability.
Access right	Needs permission or legal evidence separate from the map.

Illustrative working example

Code illustrates a review procedure, not an observed result. Replace illustrative inputs with verified records; missing values deliberately remain unknown.

context = {"mapped_waterway_nearby": None,
    "seasonal_flow": None, "water_access_rights": None}
# Geometry cannot supply the missing flow or legal-access fields.

Useful output and decision limits

A waterway-context note with explicit hydrology and permission gaps. It is not an irrigation guarantee, navigation assessment or environmental permit.

Datasets, coverage and source contracts

Waterways

Coverage: Mapped OpenStreetMap coverage in Thailand
Publication cadence: Versioned releases; no fixed public cadence
Freshness policy: Historical or versioned data; no real-time freshness claim
Dataset limits: Rivers and streams derived from OpenStreetMap. Hydrography completeness varies by area and is not a flood-risk model.
Licence: ODbL 1.0

Terrain

Coverage: Thailand district summaries
Publication cadence: Static historical elevation model
Freshness policy: Historical or versioned data; no real-time freshness claim
Dataset limits: District-level elevation summaries sampled from Copernicus DEM GLO-30. They are regional context, not parcel or building elevation and not a flood-probability model.
Source: Copernicus DEM GLO-30 via Mapterhorn
Licence: Copernicus WorldDEM-30 Licence (commercial use permitted)

Related customer workflows

Water and terrain context for Thailand agriculture Industrial site screening with Thailand geographic data

All analysis guides Evidence methodology API documentation Discuss a data workflow