Ten walks, checked against Google Maps
Accuracy check · Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore · 5 November 2026
The question
Can walking distances measured on open map data be trusted for planning?
The place and the method
Ten walks between the same start and end points, measured in OSMosis and asked of Google Maps for walking directions on 5 November 2026. OSMosis walks at 4.8 km/h unless another pace is chosen; Google Maps uses its own pace, so distance is compared first.
What was measured
| Walk | OSMosis | Google Maps | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Dubai: largest residential building to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station | 827 m | 850 m | −2.7% |
| Downtown Dubai: housing at the edge to the same station | 3,121 m | 2.6 km | +20.0% |
| Dubai Marina: largest residential building to DMCC station | 391 m | 500 m | −21.8% |
| Dubai Marina: housing at the edge to DMCC station | 2,788 m | 2.8 km | −0.4% |
| Deira: largest residential building to Salah Al Din station | 955 m | 900 m | +6.1% |
| Deira: housing at the edge to Salah Al Din station | 2,030 m | 2.2 km | −7.7% |
| Al Ras: Al Ahmadiya School to Al Fahidi Fort, across the Creek | 2,768 m | 1.7 km | +62.8% |
| Al Ras: Al Ras Public Library to Al Ras metro station | 418 m | 1.0 km | −58.2% |
| Abu Dhabi downtown: housing at the edge to a bus stop | 2,651 m | 2.3 km | +15.3% |
| Singapore CBD: housing at the edge to Shenton Way station | 2,144 m | 2.3 km | −6.8% |
What it shows
Half agree within 15%. 5 of the 10 walks agree within 15% in distance; Google Maps gives distances to the nearest 100 m above 1 km, so small differences are rounding.
Where they differ, most reasons are known. Google Maps uses indoor passages through malls and towers (about 400 m indoors on the Downtown edge walk) and the abra ferry across Dubai Creek, and its Dubai Marina route enters DMCC station by the JLT exit; OSMosis walks the mapped outdoor streets and paths only, covered bridges and walkways included, which is the walk people make in the heat. No single reason was found for the Abu Dhabi walk.
One to check on site. In Al Ras the straight line from the library to the station is about 270 m; the two tools take different lanes through the souk, and the right one is for a site visit to settle.
What it means for planning
- Use outdoor walking distances for heat and shade planning, and indoor links as a separate layer where they are public and open.
- Check some routes against another map before relying on any walking model for a decision.
Limits
- Ten walks are a check, not a survey.
- Both tools depend on what is mapped; new paths and closures take time to appear.
Questions
How accurate are OSMosis walking distances?
In a check of 10 walks in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore on 5 November 2026, 5 agreed with Google Maps within 15% in distance; the larger differences came from Google using indoor passages or the abra ferry, entering a station by a different exit, or taking different lanes through the souk; OSMosis walks outdoors only.
Does OSMosis count indoor routes through malls?
No. OSMosis walks the mapped outdoor streets and paths, covered bridges and walkways included.
Related
The same readings can be made for any place in OSMosis: see how.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors and other open datasets.