[TISA-LR-OpenLR - FAQ2] OpenLR is a royalty-free, map-agnostic location referencing method designed to support cross-map interoperability in digital mobility ecosystems. Over time, different versions and adaptations have been developed, including TomTom’s binary and XML formats, TISA’s standardized ISO TPEG2-OLR, and XML variants used in DATEX II and TN-ITS. Each version offers trade-offs in terms of interoperability, complexity, and integration scope. Selecting the right approach depends on the stakeholder’s objectives, technical context, and the location reference types required. |
OpenLR is a royalty-free, map-agnostic location referencing method designed to support cross-map interoperability in digital mobility ecosystems. Over time, different versions and adaptations have been developed, including TomTom’s binary and XML formats, TISA’s standardized ISO TPEG2-OLR, and XML variants used in DATEX II and TN-ITS. Each version offers trade-offs in terms of interoperability, complexity, and integration scope. Selecting the right approach depends on the stakeholder’s objectives, technical context, and the location reference types required.
Public Authorities: Benefit from using standardized OpenLR variants to support data exchange on national access points, traffic message delivery, and consistent public service integration.
Content Providers: Gain from format flexibility and map-agnostic location encoding, facilitating the aggregation and distribution of location-based data across diverse platforms and services.
Service Providers: Require scalable bandwith-efficient formats with strong support for encoding, decoding, and dynamic referencing to ensure high-quality, real-time mobility services.
OEMs: Depend on compact, fast-decoding formats that work across maps, for navigation services and also increasingly in safety-critical environments like ADAS and V2X, often requiring low-latency and embedded system support.
| Version / Format | Description | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| TomTom OpenLR Binary v3 | Original, low-bandwidth binary encoding | Compact, efficient, widely used in in-vehicle systems. | Tight coupling with TomTom decoder tools; hard to debug |
| TomTom OpenLR XML v3 | XML-based version from the original OpenLR white paper | Human-readable, well-documented | Verbose; best suited for internal or TomTom-centric use |
| TISA TPEG2-OLR (ISO 21219-22) | ISO-standardized adaptation (by TISA) in binary, protobuf, and TPEGml | Interoperable, ISO-compliant, used in TPEG services worldwide (broadcast and IP) | Not interoperable with TomTom or DATEX II XML; different field structure |
| DATEX II OpenLR XML | Adaptation for public traffic management systems | Integrates into existing DATEX II platforms | Incompatible at XML level with TomTom and TISA variants |
| TN-ITS OpenLR (XML & Binary) | Used in TN-ITS for static road data exchange (e.g. speed limits). In essence this is a reference to TomTom OpenLR whitepaper formats. | Used for communicating of infrastructure updates in TN-ITS environments |
Public Authorities: Use TISA ISO TPEG2-OLR in traffic services and DATEX II / TN-ITS for infrastructure or incident data integration.
Content Providers: Rely on map-agnostic encoding (e.g., OpenLR XML) to harmonize location data across different sources.
Service Providers: Choose binary or TPEG formats depending on delivery methods and standards.
OEMs: Use TomTom or ISO TPEG2-OLR Binary format for their compactness and real-time suitability in vehicle systems.
Encoding formats differ in structure and support: ISO TPEG2-OLR uses binary, protobuf, or XML (TPEGml); TomTom formats have specific versioning rules.
TomTom Core spec includes Line Location and Point Along Line; more complex types (POI with Access, GeoCoordinate, Area) require OpenLR+ or custom extensions. ISO TPEG2-OLR covers all use cases.
XML variants are not mutually compatible; schema mapping or transformation logic may be required for integration across ecosystems.
| If you are a... | And your goal is... | Use this version | Supported Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Authority | Traffic and road data exchange or event messages | ISO TPEG2-OLR or DATEX II XML | Line, Point, Area |
| Content Provider | Distributing harmonized POIs or road segments | TomTom OpenLR XML or ISO TPEG2-OLR | Line, Point, POI |
| Service Provider | Delivering real-time mobility or traffic services | TomTom Binary or ISO TPEG2-OLR | Line, Point |
| OEM | ADAS/V2X, embedded vehicle systems | ISO TPEG2-OLR | Line, Point, Area (OpenLR+) |
| TN-ITS User | Updating static map attributes | TN-ITS OpenLR XML and Binary | Point Along Line, Line, Area |
Tooling: OpenLR.org provides open-source encoders and decoders for TomTom formats; TISA and DATEX II require ecosystem-specific tooling.
Compatibility: XML schemas differ between TomTom, TISA (ISO), DATEX II, and TN-ITS—conversion may be needed.
Extended Types: Support for POI with Access, GeoCoordinate, and Closed Line is limited in TomTom's version, yet fully supported in ISO TPEG2-OLR. Ensure that decoders support these extended types.
General Tip: When selecting a format, consider both technical integration and organizational ecosystem alignment—OpenLR’s core strength is overcoming map differences.
DATEX II Specifications, see also DATEXII OpenLR™ (Point, linear and area location)
TN-ITS Specifications: TN-ITS integration to become EN TS 16157, Part 14: TN-ITS (work-item in CEN TC278 W7, publication expected Q1 2026)