  OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free map of the world which can be edited by global
volunteers. Existing studies have showed that completeness of OSM road data in
some developing countries (e.g. China) is much lower, resulting in concern in
utilizing the data in various applications. But very few have focused on
investigating what types of road are still poorly mapped. This study aims not
only to investigate the completeness of OSM road datasets in China but also to
investigate what types of road (called omission roads) have not been mapped,
which is achieved by referring to both Street Map and Street View. 16
prefecture-level divisions in the urban areas of Hubei (China) were used as
study areas. Results showed that: (1) the completeness for most
prefecture-level divisions was at a low-to-medium level; most roads (in the
Street Map), however, with traffic conditions had already been mapped well. (2)
Most of the omission OSM roads were either private roads, or public roads not
having yet been named and with only one single lane, indicating their lack of
importance in the urban road network. We argue that although the OSM road
datasets in China are incomplete, they may still be used for several
applications.
