Lots of them! Pokemon go has a few main biomes with lots of other factors to determine what spawns. Main biomes are grass, city, mountain, and water.
Then you have other tags for things like parks and paths, which give special spawn points. Parks have rotating habitats for one particular species and can have EX gyms. Paths will spawn Pokemon along them with a few unique species.
Regional spawns occur as well, with some continents or countries having one or more special species unique to it. And rather than a strict limit, some species are much more common in certain latitudes.
Beyond that are some tags that prevent spawns, like military bases or wetlands, places you aren’t encouraged to just walk around.
Lines tagged highway=footway that also carry the tag bridge=yes do not generate additional spawn points. Critically, this encompasses all boardwalks, which are correctly tagged bridge=boardwalk.
Lines tagged highway=footway do not provide a spawn point exception through the area blocked by natural=wetland as they do for natural=wood. It’s possible that this is an extension of the issue with bridge=yes – I have no local examples without both tags.
Areas tagged landuse=basin block all spawn points, despite being used correctly to tag the contemporary practice of building a stormwater retention system beneath a city park. These areas are rendered as water in-game, but do not seem to influence Water spawns, although more data would be helpful in determining this. (OSM also has issues rendering basins.)
Areas tagged leisure=nature_reserve do not nest. Could be intent, could be oversight, but seems like an odd exception, as the distinction between a park and a preserve is fluid – at least in the US. The same is true for areas tagged landuse=winter_sports, the correct tag to describe a ski resort, and areas tagged leisure=dog_park.
Areas tagged amenity=prison do not block all spawn points. Since this is the correct way to tag a prison or jail – which is to say, a high-security facility where people probably shouldn’t be chasing Pokémon – this seems wrong.
Lines tagged waterway=river, waterway=stream, and waterway=ditch are not rendered on the map despite influencing Water spawns in nearby spawn points. The same is true for areas tagged natural=wetland and points tagged amenity=fountain.
Lines tagged power=line and power=minor_line do not influence Electric spawns in the way that streams do with Water Pokémon. More of a missed opportunity than anything. You could say the same with railway=rail and Steel or any of the more specific OSM building tags the game references to seemingly no effect: leisure=stadium, amenity=cinema, tourism=hotel, and so on.
Lines tagged highway=track show up visually as paths, despite being intended to represent vehicle tracks that fall short of the qualifications for being an unpaved road. They do not generate additional spawn points, so this is assumed to be an error with the in-game renderer.
Lines tagged highway=service and service=driveway render as roads on the map, which are not to scale. This is especially glaring if houses and garages are mapped. Ideally, there probably should be a thinner style of road for all service roads, tracks, living streets, or any other highway designation where vehicles are likely to encounter pedestrians.
You contribute to OSM to have an open source database free to all
I contribute to OSM so my local Pokemon GO scene has accurate biome mapping
We are not the same
What tags does pokemon go use to determine biomes? I occasionally contribute updates around my local area, that would be a neat thing to apply
Lots of them! Pokemon go has a few main biomes with lots of other factors to determine what spawns. Main biomes are grass, city, mountain, and water.
Then you have other tags for things like parks and paths, which give special spawn points. Parks have rotating habitats for one particular species and can have EX gyms. Paths will spawn Pokemon along them with a few unique species.
Regional spawns occur as well, with some continents or countries having one or more special species unique to it. And rather than a strict limit, some species are much more common in certain latitudes.
Beyond that are some tags that prevent spawns, like military bases or wetlands, places you aren’t encouraged to just walk around.
A list of tags from Reddit
Notes on how POGO uses these:
Blocked Spawn areas http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/r42
Nest Locator http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/r43
Nests that require paths http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/r44
OSM Influences Nests and Blocked Spawns (a work in progress)
Nests
Confirmed
leisure=park
leisure=garden
leisure=golf_course
leisure=recreation_ground
boundary=physiogeographical
landuse=grass (may need secondary tag to be a nest)
Possible
landuse=recreation_ground
leisure=playground
landuse=village_green
leisure=pitch
boundary=national_park
Paths
highway=footpath
highway=path
highway=cycleway
highway= sidewalk
highway=footway
route=bicycle
route=hiking
route=foot
network
Creates Nests if Paths present
Confirmed
landuse=farmland
landuse=farmyard
natural=scrub
natural=heath
landuse=meadow
Possible
natural=moor*
natural=grassland
natural=fell
natural=bare_rock
natural=scree
natural=shingle
natural=sand
natural=mud
natural=valley
natural=rock
natural=stone
natural=arete
natural=beach
landuse=greenfield
(*Deprecated or incorrect tag)
Blocked Spawns
Blocks Spawns without Paths
Confirmed
natural=wood
landuse=forest
natural=forest*
Possible
landuse=orchard
(*Deprecated or incorrect tag)
Blocks all Spawns
Confirmed
landuse=construction
landuse=military
landuse=quarry
landuse=railway
landuse=landfill
aeroway=runway
aeroway=taxiway
amenity=school
highway=motorway
highway=trunk
highway=primary
highway=secondary
highway=tertiary
Water tags, unknown if surrounding spawns are water influenced
natural=wetland
wetland=
natural=glacier
natural=marsh*
(*Deprecated or incorrect tag)
Possible
amenity=daycare
amenity=kindergarten
Water
Effects biomes on edges. Blocks spawns away from land unless crossed by route=ferry?
Confirmed
landuse=basin
landuse=reservoir
natural=coastline
natural=spring
natural=water
water=lake
water=pond
water=reservoir
water=basin
water=canal
water=river
natural=waterway
waterway=river
waterway=riverbank
waterway=stream
waterway=canal
waterway=drain
waterway=ditch
man_made=water_tower
Possible
landuse=salt_pond
natural=bay
waterway=wadi
waterway=drystream
waterway=fairway
waterway=dock
waterway=boatyard
waterway=dam
waterway=weir
waterway=stream_end
waterway=waterfall
waterway=lock_gate
water=lagoon
water=reflecting_pool
water=fish_pass
water=oxbow
water=lock
water=moat
water=wastewater
water=stream_pool
Possibly Effects Biomes Only
natural=peak (Mt Moon biome forms around peaks)
landuse=industrial
landuse=commercial
landuse=residential
landuse=retail
Does not block spawns or create nests but otherwise unknown
landuse=cemetery
landuse=port
landuse=depot
landuse=garages
amenity=grave_yard
Boundaries
May influence all nests needing paths to spawn within that area
boundary=administrative
boundary=historic
boundary=maritime
boundary=political
boundary=postal_code
boundary=religious_administration
boundary=protected_area
boundary=national_park
boundary=physiogeographical
Unknown Effects
Area
natural=hot_spring
natural=volcano
natural=sinkhole
natural=tundra
landuse=brownfield
landuse=allotments
landuse=greenhouse_horticulture
landuse=plant_nursery
landuse=vineyard
geological=moraine
geological=outcrop
geological=palaeontological_site
Lines
natural=ridge
natural=cliff
natural=saddle
natural=tree_row
Nodes
natural=geyser
natural=tree
natural=cave_entrance
Some tag info from Reddit regarding paths and spawn blocking:
highway=footwaythat also carry the tagbridge=yesdo not generate additional spawn points. Critically, this encompasses all boardwalks, which are correctly taggedbridge=boardwalk.highway=footwaydo not provide a spawn point exception through the area blocked bynatural=wetlandas they do fornatural=wood. It’s possible that this is an extension of the issue withbridge=yes– I have no local examples without both tags.landuse=basinblock all spawn points, despite being used correctly to tag the contemporary practice of building a stormwater retention system beneath a city park. These areas are rendered as water in-game, but do not seem to influence Water spawns, although more data would be helpful in determining this. (OSM also has issues rendering basins.)leisure=nature_reservedo not nest. Could be intent, could be oversight, but seems like an odd exception, as the distinction between a park and a preserve is fluid – at least in the US. The same is true for areas taggedlanduse=winter_sports, the correct tag to describe a ski resort, and areas taggedleisure=dog_park.amenity=prisondo not block all spawn points. Since this is the correct way to tag a prison or jail – which is to say, a high-security facility where people probably shouldn’t be chasing Pokémon – this seems wrong.waterway=river,waterway=stream, andwaterway=ditchare not rendered on the map despite influencing Water spawns in nearby spawn points. The same is true for areas taggednatural=wetlandand points taggedamenity=fountain.power=lineandpower=minor_linedo not influence Electric spawns in the way that streams do with Water Pokémon. More of a missed opportunity than anything. You could say the same withrailway=railand Steel or any of the more specific OSM building tags the game references to seemingly no effect:leisure=stadium,amenity=cinema,tourism=hotel, and so on.highway=trackshow up visually as paths, despite being intended to represent vehicle tracks that fall short of the qualifications for being an unpaved road. They do not generate additional spawn points, so this is assumed to be an error with the in-game renderer.highway=serviceandservice=drivewayrender as roads on the map, which are not to scale. This is especially glaring if houses and garages are mapped. Ideally, there probably should be a thinner style of road for all service roads, tracks, living streets, or any other highway designation where vehicles are likely to encounter pedestrians.Waouh. Gather such knowledge is some dedication to a game. Congrats!
The Silph Road community goes hard lol