Pedestrian Routing with HERE Routing API

Pedestrian routing, also known as walking or footpath navigation, plays a pivotal role in modern urban life. As our cities grow more complex and interconnected, finding the optimal path on foot becomes increasingly important for both residents and visitors. Whether you're exploring a new city, commuting to work, or simply taking a leisurely stroll, efficient and safe pedestrian routing is essential.

This blog will delve into the world of pedestrian routing by HERE Routing API.

Transport Mode: Pedestrian

To use pedestrian routing, set transportMode=pedestrian. The default speed is 1 meter per second / 3.6 kilometers per hour / 2.23 miles per hour. Or the running or hiking speed equivalent, it is 26.8 minutes per mile or 16.67 minutes per kilometer. Below is the sample request using the default speed. Refer to this tutorial for more information.

https://router.hereapi.com/v8/routes?
	origin=52.547019,13.328605&
	transportMode=pedestrian&
	destination=52.495002,13.501983&
	return=summary&
	apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}

Walking Speed

As not everyone walks at the same pace, you can adjust the walk speed in the request, by means of the pedestrian[speed] parameter. The unit is in meters per second. Refer to this tutorial for more information.

https://router.hereapi.com/v8/routes?
	origin=52.547019,13.328605&
	transportMode=pedestrian&
	destination=52.495002,13.501983&
	pedestrian[speed]=2&
	return=summary&apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}

Response Sample

{
  "routes": [
    {
      "id": "e9f1997b-81ea-4b1c-9441-73f9b8dddcb0",
      "sections": [
        {
          "id": "1ad0c672-60bd-4be5-baa9-336959bdc411",
          "type": "pedestrian",
          "departure": {
            "place": {
              "type": "place",
              "location": {
                "lat": 52.546886,
                "lng": 13.328481
              },
              "originalLocation": {
                "lat": 52.54702,
                "lng": 13.328605
              }
            }
          },
          "arrival": {
            "place": {
              "type": "place",
              "location": {
                "lat": 52.49493,
                "lng": 13.501934
              },
              "originalLocation": {
                "lat": 52.495003,
                "lng": 13.501983
              }
            }
          },
          "summary": {
            "duration": 7645,
            "length": 14798
          },
          "transport": {
            "mode": "pedestrian"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

HERE Maps API for Javascript Sample

To implement this on HERE Maps API for Javascript, this is how the code would look like below.

var platform = new H.service.Platform({
  apikey: window.apikey
});

function calculateRouteFromAtoB (platform) {
  var router = platform.getRoutingService(null, 8),
      routeRequestParams = {
        routingMode: 'fast',
        transportMode: 'pedestrian',
        origin: '51.51326,-0.0968752', // St Paul's Cathedral
        destination: '51.5081,-0.0985',  // Tate Modern
        return: 'polyline,turnByTurnActions,actions,instructions,travelSummary'
      };


  router.calculateRoute(
    routeRequestParams,
    onSuccess,
    onError
  );
}