Overpass Turbo Basics

Overpass Turbo is a powerful web-based tool that allows you to query OpenStreetMap data using the Overpass API. This lesson will introduce you to the basics of querying OSM data for intelligence gathering.

What is Overpass Turbo?

Overpass Turbo is:

• A web-based data mining tool for OpenStreetMap
• A query interface for the Overpass API
• A visualization tool for OSM elements
• An export tool that supports multiple formats

Accessing Overpass Turbo

You can access Overpass Turbo at https://overpass-turbo.eu/.

The interface has two main areas:

1. Query Editor (left side): Where you write Overpass QL queries
2. Map View (right side): Where results are displayed

Basic Query Structure

Overpass uses its own query language (Overpass QL). Here's a basic query structure:

[out:json];  // Output format (json, xml, etc.)

// Search area definition
{{geocodeArea:Berlin}}->.searchArea;

// Data selection
(
  node["amenity"="police"](area.searchArea);
  way["amenity"="police"](area.searchArea);
  relation["amenity"="police"](area.searchArea);
);

// Output statement
out center;

Common Query Components

Area Definitions

Define the search area:

// By name
{{geocodeArea:Berlin}}->.searchArea;

// By coordinates and radius (500m around a point)
node(around:500,52.5200,13.4050);

// By bounding box (min_lat,min_lon,max_lat,max_lon)
node(52.4,13.3,52.6,13.5);

Element Selection

Select map elements based on tags:

// Police stations
node["amenity"="police"];

// Military installations (any military tag)
way["military"];

// Government offices with specific properties
relation["office"="government"]["admin_level"="2"];

Wizard for Beginners

For beginners, Overpass Turbo provides a "Wizard" feature that generates queries for you:

1. Click the "Wizard" button
2. Type a natural language description (e.g., "police stations in Berlin")
3. Click "Build and Run Query"

Running Your First OSINT Query

Let's create a simple query to find security-relevant locations:

1. Open Overpass Turbo
2. Enter this query:

[out:json];
{{geocodeArea:Paris}}->.searchArea;
(
  node["amenity"="police"](area.searchArea);
  way["amenity"="police"](area.searchArea);
  node["military"](area.searchArea);
  way["military"](area.searchArea);
  relation["military"](area.searchArea);
);
out body;
out skel qt;

1. Click "Run"
2. Analyze the results on the map

Exporting Results

Overpass Turbo allows you to export results in multiple formats:

1. Click "Export" after running a query
2. Choose a format:
3. GeoJSON (for GIS software)
4. KML (for Google Earth)
5. GPX (for GPS devices)
6. Raw OSM data
7. Standalone HTML
8. Image

Exercise

Try these OSINT tasks using Overpass Turbo:

1. Find all government buildings in a city of interest
2. Locate all emergency service facilities (fire stations, hospitals, etc.) in a specific neighborhood
3. Export the results as GeoJSON for further analysis in a GIS tool