<p>Introducing a new open-source map library for both Android and iOS - developed by MapTiler team in cooperation with Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and MapLibre community. With the MapLibre SDK, developers can write native applications for any mobile device. Community management ensures it stays free forever.&nbsp;</p><h2>Free alternative to Mapbox Maps SDKs</h2><p>MapLibre Native is a library for mobile devices that allows developers to display vector maps in their applications. It is an alternative to Google Maps SDK for Android and Apple MapKit on iOS for developers who need advanced functionality like custom map styles, integrating their own business data, and more.</p><p>The need for an independent mobile SDK emerged when Mapbox decided to discontinue the development of open-source mobile map SDKs for Android &amp; iOS in the middle of 2020. MapTiler took over the reins, in December 2020 forked the last version released under the OSS license, and soon released it under the MapLibre brand.</p><p>MapLibre Native is backward compatible with the latest open-source version of Mapbox SDK (therefore migration of your apps is a few lines of code change), however, there are things specific to MapLibre SDK:</p><ul><li>Tracking of end-users (telemetry) has been removed</li><li>OSS license: community ownership ensures it stays open-source forever</li><li>Updated distribution model: the library is now distributed via the Maven Central repository for Android and as a Swift package for iOS</li><li>Optional usage of authorization: access token requirement depended on the map provider and its policy</li></ul><h2>Core Library</h2><p>The native map SDKs for Android and iOS are built on top of the core C++ library (written in C++14) that powers customizable vector maps by taking stylesheets that conform to the Mapbox Style Specification, applying them to vector tiles, and rendering them using OpenGL or Metal.</p><p>The core library consists of essential components such as style object model with various layer types (raster, vector, hillshade, heatmap,…), map component, renderer, networking and threading support, storage and resource management, and offline caching. The renderer uses OpenGL ES 2.0 technology for pixel-perfect map design, from antialiased fonts to polygon blurring, all hardware-accelerated and optimized for mobile devices. The core library is designed for mobile and desktop platforms and shares OpenGL shaders with its counterpart designed for web - MapLibre GL JS - a JavaScript library that uses WebGL.</p><p>To make interactive maps available for native applications on Android and iOS, the core library is packaged into platform-specific SDK. Components from the core library are wrapped by adapters written in platform language (Objective C, Java, …) and exposed in the public API to application developers.</p><h2>Building Apps for Android and iOS With MapLibre SDK</h2><p>The MapLibre SDK for Android and iOS allows embedding interactive vector maps that conform to Mapbox style specification into any Android and iOS application where developers need customizable and interactive maps. The SDK along with MapTiler Cloud makes it possible to add additional layers, visualize 3rd party data, fine-tune maps graphical look and feel and implement rich interaction with users.</p><h3>Android Developers</h3><ul><li>Android developers can build their apps in Kotlin or Java.&nbsp;</li><li>The SDK installation consists of adding maven package reference to gradle script and implementing activity/fragment with MapLibre MapView control. In order to load predefined or custom maps in your app, MapTiler Cloud can be used - just create an account and get your API key for FREE. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cloud.maptiler.com/account/keys">cloud.maptiler.com/account/keys</a></li><li>Check out “get started” tutorial: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-android/android-basic-get-started/">docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-android/android-basic-get-started/</a></li><li>Learn more on MapTiler documentation for Android <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-android">docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-android</a></li></ul><h3>iOS Developers</h3><ul><li>iOS developers can implement their apps in Swift or Objective-C and use either interface builder or SwiftUI.</li><li>The SDK installation consists of adding Swift packages to the project and using MapView MapView control in the user interface. In order to load predefined or custom maps in your app, MapTiler Cloud can be used - just create an account and get your API key for FREE. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cloud.maptiler.com/account/keys">cloud.maptiler.com/account/keys</a></li><li>Check out “get started” tutorial:<ul><li>for SwiftUI: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios/ios-swiftui-basic-get-started/">docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios/ios-swiftui-basic-get-started/</a></li><li>For UIKit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios/ios-uikit-basic-get-started/">docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios/ios-uikit-basic-get-started/</a></li></ul></li><li>Learn more on MapTiler documentation for iOS <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios">docs.maptiler.com/maplibre-gl-native-ios</a></li></ul><h2>Partnership with Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and the MapLibre community</h2><p>The MapLibre community consists of many individuals and companies. MapTiler, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft are the most visible ones; Christian Sturm, Jukka Hietanen, Nuno Goncalves, Petr Pokorný, Rob Chohan, Szymon Ulewicz, Yuri Astrakhan count among the most active developers there.</p><h2>iOS Metal supported and the future</h2><p>Support for Metal Framework, Apple’s replacement of OpenGL and OpenCL in a single 3D graphic and shader API, is already available in beta version - thanks to great contributions from the Amazon engineers.</p><p>The team is also working on configuration improvements that will remove hardcoded Mapbox configuration and will expose the API for application developers to provide custom configuration if needed or to use predefined vector maps providers configuration, which comes with their standard styles so that the developer doesn’t need to look for exact URLs but use just the style name. The ability to fully configure the SDK is also removing obstacles in offline caching for non-mapbox maps in the original mapbox SDK, where non-mapbox resources were cached along with API keys and tile URL subdomains causing duplicates in the offline cache and other problems. Removing these issues will be possible because the backend URL, canonical-to-normalized URL conversion, templates for glyphs, sprites URLs, and so on will be fully configurable.</p>

Introducing a new open-source map library for both Android and iOS.

<p>After Mapbox announced the closure of Mapbox GL JS, their JavaScript library for displaying maps using WebGL, the community made a collective decision to maintain and further develop the last open-source version and build a free alternative. Read the story and technical details.</p><p class="message">MapTiler has launched the <a href="/sdk-javascript/">MapTiler SDK</a>, which extends the functionality of MapLibre and provides an even more user-friendly experience for MapTiler Cloud maps. <a href="https://docs.maptiler.com/sdk-js/examples/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">See how easy coding maps can be!</a></p><h2>MapLibre is born</h2><p>In December 2020, Mapbox released the second version of their JavaScript library for publishing maps online. However, this time all the new features were overshadowed by a change in the license: previously free as a freedom, it became closed for external contributors and usage was restricted to people with active Mapbox subscriptions. One has to pay even for loading this JavaScript library.</p><p>The community reacted swiftly: forks of the latest open-source version were made almost immediately by multiple parties. In another positive development, the community came together the next day and agreed to make this a joint effort, rather than splitting energies. A video call was organized and the MapLibre coalition was formed. It includes people working for MapTiler, Elastic, StadiaMaps, Microsoft, Ceres Imaging, WhereGroup, Jawg, Stamen Design, etc.</p><p>The name, MapLibre, stands as an abbreviation for <strong>Map</strong> <strong>lib</strong>rary <strong>re</strong>started (or <strong>re</strong>invented), at the same moment the word <i>Libre</i> refers to freedom &amp; independence.</p><p>Members of open-source communities and companies working in the map industry agreed on basic rules, which were formalized into a guiding Memorandum. This summarized the project goals, rough roadmap, community governance details, and communication channels. <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UB8VJ6_vMD9Zxfem7cunwa_G-hXo_ZRY1IeF5iGlh4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read the full text</a> of the memorandum and join the effort: new members are welcomed!</p><h2>Independent JavaScript GL mapping library</h2><p>MapLibre is based on Mapbox GL JS 1.13, the most recent version available under the BSD license. The source code and ticketing system is <a href="https://github.com/maplibre/maplibre-gl-js" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hosted on GitHub</a>. Together with the fork, the whole ecosystem around the library (NPM packages, binding to react, …) were also updated.</p><p>For a complete working example of the map with a style loaded from a CDN (JavaScript and HTML code sample), click on the button below (note, MapLibre is still under heavy development - this is the fourth release candidate). However, MapLibre will always be provider-independent, and you can load maps from your preferred provider or self-hosted maps.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="https://support.maptiler.com/i849-how-to-use-maplibre" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JAVASCRIPT TUTORIAL</a></p><p>Current Mapbox GL JS users can simply switch by changing a few lines of code.</p><p>If you use npm and depend on mapbox-gl directly, simply replace <code>mapbox-gl</code> with <code>maplibre-gl</code> in <code>package.json</code>:</p><p><img class="image_resized" style="width:60.03%;" src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_2_93ebbf4a23.png" alt="2021-01-08-mapbox-gl-open-source-fork-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_2_93ebbf4a23.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_2_93ebbf4a23.png 500w," sizes="100vw" width="500px"></p><p>You can use this library in your React app as well with help of React.useRef and React.useEffect hooks. See our <a href="https://codesandbox.io/s/elegant-snyder-p8fij" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">live example</a>. The most popular bindings for React and other libraries are going to be updated soon.</p><h2>Native SDK for Android &amp; iOS</h2><p>As development of open-source mobile map SDKs for Android &amp; iOS was discontinued somewhere in the middle of last year, the MapTiler team was for some time working internally on own version. This latest situation sped things up, and we are releasing the code for a broad community.</p><p>MapLibre GL Native was forked from mapbox-gl-native prior to their switch to a non-OSS license. The fork also includes Maps SDK for iOS and macOS (forked from mapbox-gl-native-ios) and Android SDK (forked from mapbox-gl-native-android). The first version is <a href="https://github.com/maplibre/maplibre-gl-native" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">available on GitHub</a>.</p><p>The source code which was updated to the latest version of Clang/Xcode and can be used immediately. Continuous integration and delivery was moved over to GitHub Actions from CircleCI and iOS binaries are distributed as a Swift package that contains binaries packaged using the new XCFramework format.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_3_7934aeaeb9.png" alt="2021-01-08-mapbox-gl-open-source-fork-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_3_7934aeaeb9.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_3_7934aeaeb9.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_3_7934aeaeb9.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2021_01_08_mapbox_gl_open_source_fork_3_7934aeaeb9.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><p style="text-align:center;">&nbsp; <a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="https://github.com/maptiler/mobile-code-samples/blob/main/samples/android/TUTORIAL.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ANDROID TUTORIAL</a>&nbsp; <a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="https://github.com/maptiler/mobile-code-samples/blob/main/samples/ios-swiftui/TUTORIAL.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IOS TUTORIAL</a></p><p>Our further proposal is to move this fork under the wings of MapLibre and further develop it together with the community. Suggestions for improvements and pull requests are welcomed!</p><p><i>Even though Mapbox has changed the direction in relation to open-source, we would like to express a huge appreciation to the great team of Mapbox engineers for all their effort made on the development of the numerous tools and components used in here.</i></p><p>Update 5.2.2021: as we promised in January, the Native SDKs for Android and iOS has been moved under the MapLibre organization on <a href="https://github.com/maplibre/maplibre-gl-native" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub</a>.</p>

After Mapbox announced the closure of Mapbox GL JS, the community made a collective decision to maintain and further develop the last open-source version and build a free alternative.

<p>We are happy to announce our collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. After a successful kick-off earlier this year, we now support the swisstopo cartography team in building the next generation of swisstopo maps, powered by the technology of vector tiles. Their first goal is to provide a new light base map, a backdrop map optimized to overlay thematic layers of the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI and many other data.</p><p>Swisstopo maps are both beautiful and accurate while being renowned for their unique visual style. Our challenge is to introduce as much “Swissness” as possible in the new vector styles while making the maps fast and keeping the datasets aligned with the high standards set by swisstopo cartographers.</p><p>It has long been a personal dream of mine, to be able to contribute to the field of Swiss cartography with the innovations developed by MapTiler.</p><h2>Swiss map style proof-of-concept</h2><p>As a first step, we created a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labs.maptiler.com/showcase/swisstopo/">demonstration</a> with the goal of reproducing the Swiss National Map color and style. We generated basic vector tiles from sample swisstopo data extracts using MapTiler Desktop and uploaded these to the web infrastructure. From there, we used the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://support.maptiler.com/i30-edit-style-advanced-changing-of-the-map">Advanced Editor</a> to refine the style of the maps with color codes, fonts, and symbols inspired by official Swiss cartography.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UXtpa0-GAAw?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;enablejsapi=1"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UXtpa0-GAAw" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p><i>Preview of the prototype</i></p><p>Along with customization, vector tiles allow the users to interact with the data, rotating and tilting the maps, while ensuring crystal clear details are visible on every screen - even on your mobile devices.</p><p>This proof-of-concept was a precursor to our ongoing collaboration with swisstopo, for whom the MapTiler team is developing a new vector tiles pipeline.</p><h2>Vector tiles&nbsp;pipeline</h2><p>This new software, powered by our open-source technology, is intended to process a massive amount of FSDI data directly from PostGIS. The tool will generate ready-to-use vector tilesets while enabling easy automated updates. Our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.org/schema/">OpenMapTiles schema</a> is being extended to include features specific to swisstopo and prepare these to match the high standards of Swiss cartography. The FSDI data covering Switzerland is inserted into a weekly updated clipped version of OpenMapTiles data to provide worldwide coverage.</p><p>A variety of vector data comes into play, including daily updated official addresses, public transportation stops, road and rail networks, detailed landcover and landuse, points of interest, and contour lines. The raster data being processed encompasses handmade relief shading (a Swiss tradition), rock features, scree, and glacial forms.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_2_475af9a299.jpg" alt="2020-08-07-swisstopo-vector-tiles-development-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_2_475af9a299.jpg 231w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_2_475af9a299.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_2_475af9a299.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_2_475af9a299.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px">Here are two previews of the light base map prototype styling with swisstopo terrain, but still with OMT vector data overlayed. The production version will contain the vector data from swisstopo.<br><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_3_0adfc95721.png" alt="2020-08-07-swisstopo-vector-tiles-development-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_3_0adfc95721.png 222w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_3_0adfc95721.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_3_0adfc95721.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_3_0adfc95721.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_4_e3dedbd206.png" alt="2020-08-07-swisstopo-vector-tiles-development-4.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_4_e3dedbd206.png 227w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_4_e3dedbd206.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_4_e3dedbd206.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_08_07_swisstopo_vector_tiles_development_4_e3dedbd206.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px">We are very proud to collaborate with the Swiss government - and specifically with swisstopo - to contribute a small piece to the innovation of cartography in Switzerland. We will show you more soon, stay tuned!&nbsp;</p>

We are happy to announce our collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo.

<p>Adding beautiful maps that fit your needs is now straightforward with <a href="https://maptiler.link/3fbzq1O" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MapTiler plugin for QGIS</a>. You can select one of the predefined map styles, load custom maps, and use geodata hosted on a global infrastructure.</p><h2>Really fast-loading maps</h2><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://vimeo.com/876423517?share=copy"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/876423517?background=1" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>MapTiler Cloud offers a set of beautiful maps to give your data context.&nbsp;There are street and satellite maps of the entire world based on the OpenStreetMap project and local maps from government open data. All maps can be easily loaded to QGIS using&nbsp;the new plugin.&nbsp;</p><p>Installing the MapTiler plugin is straightforward:</p><ol><li>Open the <a href="https://qgis.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">QGIS application</a></li><li>Click on the menu <i>Plugins</i> → <i>Manage and Install Plugins…</i></li><li>Search for <i>maptiler</i></li><li>Click on the <i>Install Plugin</i></li><li>Restart QGIS</li></ol><p>Now, just add your key, which you will find in the MapTiler Cloud administration on the web, and you can start loading maps. Add them as a new layer and maps appear immediately.</p><h2>Maps with your own colors and&nbsp;fonts</h2><p>Making your own map design can be done with a few mouse clicks. Select a map you like → right-click on the map → select <i>Customize in Cloud</i> → now change colors and fonts in the <a href="https://maptiler.link/2MO301c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Customize tool</a> the way you like → <i>Save</i> → <i>Publish</i>.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_2_36cad5bdb8.gif" alt="2020-06-10-say-hello-to-the-new-qgis-plugin-2.gif" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_2_36cad5bdb8.gif 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_2_36cad5bdb8.gif 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_2_36cad5bdb8.gif 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_2_36cad5bdb8.gif 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px">To add customized map back to QGIS, right-click on the plugin → select <i>Add new map</i> → pick From URL tab → fill in a <i>Name</i> you like and paste the 256x256 <i>JSON URL</i> from MapTiler Cloud and click on the <i>OK</i> button. That’s it; your own map is loaded to QGIS.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://vimeo.com/877548906?share=copy"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/877548906?background=1" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>MapTiler Cloud also allows hosting geodata of any size, including very large analytical datasets. They can be easily added to QGIS in the same way as custom maps.</p><p>All maps and geodata are hosted on a reliable global infrastructure using more than 150 servers on 5 continents.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_5_2bc818c047.png" alt="2020-06-10-say-hello-to-the-new-qgis-plugin-5.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_5_2bc818c047.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_5_2bc818c047.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_5_2bc818c047.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_06_10_say_hello_to_the_new_qgis_plugin_5_2bc818c047.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Agricultural data on top of the satellite map</i></p><h2>Open-source code on&nbsp;GitHub</h2><p>The MapTiler plugin for QGIS is released under an open-source license <a href="https://github.com/maptiler/qgis-maptiler-plugin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">on GitHub</a>. Feel free to report issues or send pull requests!</p><p>We would like to thank our partner, <a href="https://mierune.co.jp/#en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MIERUNE</a>, who made a significant part of the work on the plugin and is a long-term supporter of the QGIS community.</p><p>For the upcoming QGIS 3.14, there is ongoing work by <a href="https://www.lutraconsulting.co.uk/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lutra Consulting</a> on native support for vector tiles. MapTiler plugin is already able to load them - you can test it using the QGIS nightly releases.</p>

Open-source plugin for QGIS that loads fast vector maps. Change colors and fonts of the map to get unique look.

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.org/">OpenMapTiles</a> disrupted web cartography by allowing anyone to launch OpenStreetMap on their computer in minutes. For free! We estimate that maps generated by the OpenMapTiles are viewed by 250 million people every month.</p><p>We are extremely happy that community involvement is steadily increasing and keen to help with boosting further growth. Do you want to know what is on the roadmap?</p><h2>OpenStreetMap vector tiles directly from&nbsp;PostGIS</h2><p>Apart from pre-generating tiles for weekly or monthly updates, the people around the project are developing <i>realtime</i> serving from PostGIS. It gives OpenMapTiles the ability to serve hourly or minute OSM updates with a tradeoff of higher hardware requirements, deployment and maintenance costs.</p><p>Currently, the OpenMapTiles project is using mature MapnikVT C++ code (wrapped via Tilelive Node.js) for generating vector tiles from PostGIS.</p><p>The realtime approach is switching to <i><strong>ST_AsMVT</strong></i> native vector tile generator, which is faster and directly implemented in PostGIS 3+. It also eliminates the need to transfer the vector features from the database to another form of in-memory representation and makes the whole stack much simpler.</p><p>This step will be accompanied by further optimization on SQL queries, which needs to be made <i>parallel safe</i> and faster for realtime serving.</p><h2>Continuous integration: QA on every pull&nbsp;request</h2><p>Newly, we run QA tests on each pull request checking the size of the final tiles and the speed of generating.</p><p>A new utility called <i><strong>test-perf</strong></i> compares speed and size before and after modification for each zoom level.</p><p><img class="image_resized" style="width:100%;" src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_2_d645576e1b.png" alt="2020-05-14-the-future-of-openmaptiles-project-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_2_d645576e1b.png 121w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_2_d645576e1b.png 386w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_2_d645576e1b.png 580w," sizes="100vw" width="580px"></p><p>Other software tools supporting the development of the realtime serving approach have been created. This includes an experimental server <i><strong>postserve</strong></i>, or debugging tool for analyzing the content of individual tiles and their exact SQL queries <i><strong>debug-mvt</strong></i>.</p><h2>Simplification of repositories and&nbsp;tools</h2><p>Historically, the project had quite a complicated toolstack with a large number of docker images, which were hard to update and maintain. It was also unclear where the community is supposed to fill the bug report or feature request.</p><p>The entire project is now consolidated into 2 repositories:</p><ul><li>The layer definition repository - defines how to transform OpenStreetMap data into vector tiles</li><li>The tools repository - containing all the software tools needed to download, import, process, and generate tiles using layer definition.</li></ul><p>Also, the process of downloading the data required for generating maps was simplified.</p><p>Wikidata import was modified to download only the relevant information via API - instead of parsing and processing the very large complete dump stored locally.</p><p>The download of the OpenStreetMap planet or extracts is much faster thanks to the <i><strong>download-osm</strong></i> tool, which simultaneously downloads data from multiple mirrors: Geofabrik, bbbike, and osm.fr.</p><h2>Community</h2><p>Future development is being discussed at regular online conferences, which we established last year.</p><p><a href="/team/tomas-pohanka/">Tomas Pohanka</a> took the role of the project maintainer after <a href="/team/eva-jelinkova/">Eva Jelinkova</a> left for maternity leave.</p><p>Several substantial changes were recently contributed by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/nyurik">Yuri Astrakhan</a> (working on test-perf, consolidation of tools and download-osm) with generous support from Elasticsearch. We also want to thanks other contributors like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/jsanz">Jorge Sanz</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/frodrigo">Frédéric Rodrigo</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/golubev">Sergii Golubev</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/zstadler">Zeev Stadler</a> to name a few.</p><p>There is ongoing work on the integration of OpenMapTiles <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Enhancement-Proposals/issues/162">vector tiles in QGIS</a>, which is supported by the MapTiler team. Recently, OpenMapTiles serving was also added to GeoServer.</p><p>The next OpenMapTiles v3.12 release is planned for September. If you are interested in the project, start by exploring the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/openmaptiles/openmaptiles">OpenMapTiles repository on GitHub</a> and feel free to get involved.</p><p><strong>TIP</strong>: Do you know there is a new open-source style <a href="/news/2020/04/long-live-toner/">compatible with OpenMapTiles: Toner</a>? This legendary high-contrast black&amp;white map style from Stamen studio is a perfect match for print!<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_3_bac054327e.png" alt="2020-05-14-the-future-of-openmaptiles-project-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_3_bac054327e.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_3_bac054327e.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_3_bac054327e.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2020_05_14_the_future_of_openmaptiles_project_3_bac054327e.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>The legendary Toner map style: now as an open-source for OpenMapTiles</i></p>

The very sucessful open-source project OpenMapTiles is used by 250 millions users every month. Here are the plans for the future.

<p>Collect field data on the go, preview own maps even offline and get source code allowing rebranding for your business with the new generation of MapTiler Mobile app for Android, iOS phones and tablets &amp; Chromebooks.</p><h2>Your own maps on the&nbsp;go</h2><p>Bring <i>scanned maps</i> outdoor by downloading your geodata to the mobile device and walk with GPS position on top of them, even offline. Data can be imported from local SD card, email attachments, Google Drive or MapTiler Cloud in GeoJSON or MBTiles format.</p><h2>Draw points, add notes and&nbsp;photos</h2><p>Collect field data by drawing points, lines and polygons. Add notes, attach photos to your map features and track your position.</p><p>Work offline and synchronize the data with a computer when you connect to the Internet. Make additional changes to your data using <a href="/blog/2019/06/vector-data-editing-in-maptiler-cloud.html">Vector editor in MapTiler Cloud</a>.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pxa7PPqp6Fc?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;enablejsapi=1"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pxa7PPqp6Fc" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h3>Preview your map design on a mobile&nbsp;device</h3><p>Set a custom map with own colors &amp; fonts you previously <a href="/blog/2018/09/design-own-map-with-five-clicks.html">designed in MapTiler Cloud</a> and preview it on a mobile device.&nbsp;</p><h2>Benefits for users of old GeoEditor app</h2><p>MapTiler Mobile app is a successor of GeoEditor app. Users with an in-app purchase will get three months of Flex plan on MapTiler Cloud for free!</p><p>This mobile app is a <i><strong>new generation</strong></i> mobile app which replaces our original <a href="/blog/2017/05/geoeditor-mobile-app-for-maptiler.html">GeoEditor app</a>. It adds the possibility to host geodata on our reliable global infrastructure, to publish data on a web with beautiful streets and satellite base maps or to open map services in GIS tools and more.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2019_08_14_introducing_maptiler_mobile_app_2_4a255d5dfa.png" alt="2019-08-14-introducing-maptiler-mobile-app-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2019_08_14_introducing_maptiler_mobile_app_2_4a255d5dfa.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2019_08_14_introducing_maptiler_mobile_app_2_4a255d5dfa.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2019_08_14_introducing_maptiler_mobile_app_2_4a255d5dfa.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2019_08_14_introducing_maptiler_mobile_app_2_4a255d5dfa.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><h2>Build your app from our source&nbsp;code</h2><p>To speed up the development of your own mobile app, start with the functionality we have implemented. Add new features like a catalog for your clients, change the design, adapt for your use case and release under your brand. You can utilize the best from the two most popular mobile SDKs: Mapbox SDK and Google Maps API.</p><p>The source code of MapTiler Mobile is under active development with regular updates. To learn more, visit <a href="/mobile/source/">maptiler.com/mobile/source</a>.</p><h2>Download for&nbsp;free</h2><p>MapTiler Mobile app is available now on the Google Play and App Store for free. Designed for use on mobiles, tablets and Chromebooks.</p><p>For more information, visit <a href="/mobile/">maptiler.com/mobile</a>.&nbsp;</p>

Mobile app for collecting field data on the go.

<p>Data from the Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of the United Kingdom, is available on MapTiler Cloud. They can be viewed as web maps, in mobile SDKs, or as a GIS service (WMTS) with its own map design.</p><h2>Custom map design for Ordnance Survey&nbsp;data</h2><p>Official data from the UK Government can be used either on a separate map covering only Great Britain or mixed with global data into one map.</p><h2>Ordnance Survey maps via free maps API</h2><p>Ordnance Survey maps are now available for everyone, even with the Free plan. You can find them after you <a href="https://cloud.maptiler.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Sign in</strong></a> to MapTiler Cloud, click on <strong>Maps</strong> on the left menu, and scroll down.</p><p>Currently, you can see here four default map styles - <a href="/maps/#uk-openzoomstack-light//vector/6/-3.084/54.217">Light</a>, <a href="/maps/#uk-openzoomstack-outdoor//vector/6/-3.084/54.217">Outdoor</a>, <a href="/maps/#uk-openzoomstack-road//vector/6/-3.084/54.217">Road</a> and <a href="/maps/#uk-openzoomstack-night//vector/6/-3.084/54.217">Night</a>. All of them are based on the same source, but each has data suitable for a specific use case and it is styled differently. Map styles can be easily adjusted in the <a href="https://cloud.maptiler.com/maps/uk-openzoomstack-road/customize" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Customize tool</a>. It allows you to overlay the Ordnance Survey map over the global map based on OpenStreetMap, add your own data, or do more advanced edits.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_2_ab4c461c49.png" alt="2019-08-07-uk-government-map-data-on-maptiler-cloud-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_2_ab4c461c49.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_2_ab4c461c49.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_2_ab4c461c49.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_2_ab4c461c49.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><h2>OS Open Zoomstack map services via&nbsp;WMTS</h2><p>These maps contain vector data from Ordnance Survey Open Zoomstack datasets. It includes buildings, transportation, landcover, administrative layer, and contour lines. All data and styles can be found on the <a href="https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/products/os-open-zoomstack.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ordnance Survey web page</a>.</p><blockquote><p>Ordnance Survey Open Zoomstack maps are also available as a WMTS with own map style from reliable infrastructure</p></blockquote><p>The internal structure of Open Zoomstack is similar to OpenMapTiles and it can be modified using the same tools.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_3_35bfd0ffff.png" alt="2019-08-07-uk-government-map-data-on-maptiler-cloud-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_3_35bfd0ffff.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_3_35bfd0ffff.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_3_35bfd0ffff.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2019_08_07_uk_government_map_data_on_maptiler_cloud_3_35bfd0ffff.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><h2 style="margin-left:calc(var(--bs-gutter-x)/-2);">Available on MapTiler Cloud with the Free&nbsp;plan</h2><p style="margin-left:calc(var(--bs-gutter-x)/-2);">Maps from the Ordnance Survey are available to everyone via <a href="/cloud/">Maps API</a>, including users with the Free plan.&nbsp;</p>

Data from Ordnance Survey is available for developers via API for free.

<p>32 athletes from 20 countries, 1138 km by foot and paraglider through treacherous alpine terrain: this is Red Bull X-Alps, the world’s toughest adventure race. And MapTiler is the proud partner of the event by providing 3D terrain maps for live tracking!&nbsp;</p><h2>From Salzburg to Monaco in 10&nbsp;days</h2><p>Every 2 years, athletes from around the globe navigate through treacherous alpine terrain only by running or paraglide to reach the final line 1138 km away. To see their actual position, MapTiler provides 3D terrain data for live tracking of all athletes.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2019_06_14_3d_maps_for_red_bull_x_alps_2019_2_ff3faaffa2.png" alt="2019-06-14-3d-maps-for-red-bull-x-alps-2019-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2019_06_14_3d_maps_for_red_bull_x_alps_2019_2_ff3faaffa2.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2019_06_14_3d_maps_for_red_bull_x_alps_2019_2_ff3faaffa2.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2019_06_14_3d_maps_for_red_bull_x_alps_2019_2_ff3faaffa2.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2019_06_14_3d_maps_for_red_bull_x_alps_2019_2_ff3faaffa2.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.redbullxalps.com/live-tracking.html">The live tracking</a> allows everyone to follow each athlete and see details about their speed, altitude, and actual GPS position on the map. Moreover, thanks to the 3D terrain, you can watch the contestants’ journey from their point of view in a realistic environment.</p><h2>3D terrain&nbsp;maps&nbsp;</h2><p>Maps enhanced by 3D terrain hugely increase the realism of your application and improve the user experience. They can be combined with other geographic data like satellite imagery to achieve a very realistic view.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://player.vimeo.com/video/795235517?background=1&amp;#t=0s"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/795235517?background=1" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>MapTiler Cloud provides 3D terrain from reliable global infrastructure. The most straightforward development of a 3D map is by using our <a href="/sdk-javascript/">JavaScript SDK</a>.</p><p>Alternatively, the data is available for self-hosting or offline use.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="/maps/3d/">READ ABOUT 3D MAPS</a> <a class="btn btn-lighter m-o5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.maptiler.com/sdk-js/examples/3d-map/">READ DOCUMENTATION</a></p><p><strong>2021 update</strong>: Our partnership with Red Bull X-Alps continued in 2021 - and we again showed the fans the views the athletes experience during the race.</p><p><strong>2023 update</strong>: MapTiler is a proud partner of Red Bull X-Alps 2023 for the third time in a row. Go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.redbullxalps.com/live-tracking#/">live tracking</a>, switch to 3D, and see the fantastic application created by organizers with our terrain data.</p>

MapTiler is the proud partner of Red Bull X-Alps 2019, 2021, and 2023 for providing 3D terrain maps for live tracking

<p>High-resolution aerial imagery of the U.S. is now <a href="/maps/#hybrid//vector/4/-96.22/37.23" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">available in MapTiler Cloud</a>. Some of the most populated places have a resolution of up to 8cm per pixel; the minimum is around 1m per pixel.</p><h2>The entire USA on a&nbsp;high-resolution aerial map</h2><p>The whole dataset contains data for all the contiguous states of the USA. They are merged together and tiled into standard raster tiles. The resolution is up to 8cm per pixel in big cities and a minimum of around 1m per pixel for the rest.</p><p>We processed data from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) and the HRO program of the United States Geological Survey.</p><p>Most of the images are quite recent from 2016 and newer, however, you can find older images in some, mostly remote, places.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_UKOEF3TYpg?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_UKOEF3TYpg" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p><i>Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, San Francisco Bay</i></p><h2>From 80 Terabytes of data to seamlessly color-toned map</h2><p>To get a seamless map, we have processed over 80 Terabytes of data, stitched them together, and subsequently split them into regularly shaped map tiles. To make this happen, we used the power of <a href="/cluster/">MapTiler Engine</a>, which divides the work into a cluster of computers.</p><p>The biggest challenge was to get the right color toning across all the states. Sources contain data from various years and seasons, each taken under different light conditions. The goal of seamless transition while zooming and panning across borders was, in most cases, met. However, there are still areas where the transition is visible. This is something we will still be working on - by both adding new data and improving our color correction algorithms.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2019_03_26_usa_high_res_satellite_in_maptiler_cloud_2_18ba9ab6e1.jpg" alt="2019-03-26-usa-high-res-satellite-in-maptiler-cloud-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2019_03_26_usa_high_res_satellite_in_maptiler_cloud_2_18ba9ab6e1.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2019_03_26_usa_high_res_satellite_in_maptiler_cloud_2_18ba9ab6e1.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2019_03_26_usa_high_res_satellite_in_maptiler_cloud_2_18ba9ab6e1.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2019_03_26_usa_high_res_satellite_in_maptiler_cloud_2_18ba9ab6e1.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>We have data for all the contiguous states of the&nbsp;U.S.</i></p><p><strong>Tip</strong>: get free Maps API to use these data on your web using JavaScript or Static Maps API or in a mobile app using SDK with <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud</a>.&nbsp;</p>

High-resolution aerial imagery of the USA is now available in MapTiler Cloud.

<p>European Space Agency announced on the 4th December 2018 winners of the Copernicus Masters awards. The prize in the Airbus Multi-Data Challenge 2018 goes to MapTiler for an innovative solution that uses data from both Sentinel and Airbus satellites.&nbsp;</p><h2>Award by ESA for global satellite map</h2><p>European Space Agency annually organizes <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.copernicus-masters.com/">Copernicus Masters</a> award with an intent to support innovative solutions which are based on Earth observation data. It rewards the biggest “stars” working with data collected by the Copernicus program.</p><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_2_8bc847e461.jpg" alt="2018-12-05-maptiler-awarded-by-european-space-agency-and-airbus-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_2_8bc847e461.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_2_8bc847e461.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_2_8bc847e461.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_2_8bc847e461.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(107,124,146);">This year, MapTiler wins the Copernicus Masters Airbus Multi-Data Challenge with a product competing with Google Maps with Maps API powered by Copernicus open data, providing ads-free personalized maps which are protecting the privacy of users and having the ability to run offline.</span></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W1I2QpGDHtc?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W1I2QpGDHtc" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p><i>What is MapTiler in 30 seconds</i></p><h2>Open data from ESA’s Sentinel-2 satellites&nbsp;</h2><p>The data for MapTiler satellite layer is provided by a couple of ESA’s satellites, Sentinel 2, which are monitoring Earth from an altitude of 790 km. Both of them were constructed by Airbus DS and launched in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Since then, they provide data in 13 spectral channels under the open data license. Every place on Earth is visited by them once in 5 days under the same viewing angles.</p><p>MapTiler utilizes data from RGB channels from Copernicus Sentinel-2 and combines them using <a href="/cluster/">our software</a> with open data aerial imagery from local governments or other providers to create a seamless color-balanced satellite map with labels. One of them is Airbus which gives MapTiler as the winner of Airbus Multi-Data Challenge 2018 category data for creating global high-res satellite map.</p><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_3_29f05068bc.jpg" alt="2018-12-05-maptiler-awarded-by-european-space-agency-and-airbus-3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_3_29f05068bc.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_3_29f05068bc.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_3_29f05068bc.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_12_05_maptiler_awarded_by_european_space_agency_and_airbus_3_29f05068bc.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><p><i>Sentinel-2 satellite </i><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/07/Sentinel-2_brings_land_into_focus"><i>©ESA</i></a></p><h2>What can you do with a free MapTiler&nbsp;account?</h2><p>MapTiler provides street and satellite maps with worldwide coverage which can be easily customized and integrated with websites and mobile apps. We offer the map service from global infrastructure or data and software package for on-premise deployment. Moreover, we develop and supply software for data processing.</p><p>Start at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.maptiler.com/">MapTiler.com</a> with a free account.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9BJTu0J504Q?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9BJTu0J504Q" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure>

European Space Agency awarded the MapTiler team for our work on the the seamless satellite map made from the Sentinel-2 satellite imagery.

<p>The TimeMachine project allows traveling through the time by mapping the last 2000 years of history. The MapTiler Team joins the effort and contributes its know-how in the field of geographical data visualization and building online maps. With a prototype called The Venice Time Machine Atlas for EPFL Lausanne, it shows how historical data and maps can be presented to the broad audience.&nbsp;</p><h2>TimeMachine project</h2><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://timemachine.eu/">The TimeMachine project</a> is an educative collaborative effort mapping last 2000 years of history. There are about two hundred institutions involved ranging from museums and archives to high-tech companies working in the field of artificial intelligence and digitization. The MapTiler Team is involved as an expert in the field of modern as well as historical maps.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uQQGgYPRWfs?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uQQGgYPRWfs" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h2>TimeMachine Atlas prototype</h2><p>Our prototype of the TimeMachine Atlas is a Map of Venice, which is changing throughout ages - showing the last 1000 year of the city’s development. The demo project is available on the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://timemachineatlas.eu/">timemachineatlas.eu</a> address.</p><p>The geographical data were supplied by university employees and equipped with a time stamp determining building start date and its duration. Technologically, TimeMachine Atlas is a follow up of our previous <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://klokantech.github.io/roman-empire/">Roman Empire vector map</a>.</p><p>The map is armed with a time slider, which automatically plays the city’s evolution based on historical data or can bring you to your favorite era. Users can compare this map with a modern map, satellite view or two other scanned historical maps. Data are available also in 3D and with additional information about selected buildings like name, time duration and others.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i7FB-5T8Dik?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i7FB-5T8Dik" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h2>Technical details, collaboration and&nbsp;future</h2><p>The TimeMachine Atlas technology is powered by our own OpenMapTiles toolset, which is an open-source project for serving vector tiles. It is available at openmaptiles.org and the source code is published under the free BSD / CC-BY license on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/openmaptiles">GitHub</a>.</p><p>The suggested data model for future development is based on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Historical_Map">OpenStreetMap</a> tagging convention with added start_date and end_date tags. Using open- and well-known data format will boost further collaboration on the project. Open data format allows usage of a set of existing tools: e.g., vector tiles can be generated from GIS data (drawn in QGIS, supplied in Shapefiles) and turned into vector tiles for example by the upcoming <a href="/desktop/">MapTiler Desktop v10</a>.</p><p>The data has no vendor lock-in and can be ported to various environments from which they can be served. Currently, they are hosted on the <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud</a> service, which offers worldwide maps which can be easily customized to fit the old maps’ feeling, hosting for additional geodata and global satellite layer.</p><p>The whole project is collaborative, with open-data and open-source community-driven development. We hope that the map will grow with the contributions from other project partners working on time machines in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amsterdamtimemachine.nl/">Amsterdam</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hungaricana.hu/en/databases/budapest-time-machine/">Budapest</a>, Paris and other cities and countries.</p><h2>Experience the web application yourself!</h2><p>The TimeMachine Atlas prototype for Venice is available online at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://timemachineatlas.eu/">timemachineatlas.eu</a>.&nbsp;</p>

Our project for traveling in time on a digital map - TimeMachine Atlas prototype of the city of Venice - is now live!

<p>State of the Map (SotM) is an annual international conference which brings together stakeholders in the OpenStreetMap ecosystem. The attendees vary from enthusiastic mappers, software developers, academicians, open-data evangelists, NGOs to companies using the geodata in their applications. But what connects all of them is a passion for open maps.</p><h2>State of the Map&nbsp;2018</h2><p>This year, SotM took place between 28.-30. July in Milan, Italy. The event was hosted by the Polytechnic University of Milan in their beautiful campus on Piazza Leonardo da Vinci. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.slideshare.net/klokan/openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from-openstreetmap/klokan/openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from-openstreetmap">Our presentation</a> about OpenMapTiles become a vanguard for one of the most discussed topics of the whole conference: vector tiles.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bdOjVghEx3E?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bdOjVghEx3E" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h3>Vector tiles are the&nbsp;future</h3><p>The common thread of the whole conference was vector tiles. Started by our presentation and followed by others which showed how vector tiles are used in a real-world deployment like the use case of the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority.</p><p style="text-align:center;">However, the most important discussion was about vector tiles on the main page OpenStreetMap.org. While nothing is set in stone yet, there was a general agreement that the main page should slowly switch to vector tiles.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_2_0e6799e28b.jpg" alt="2018-08-03-highlights-from-the-openstreetmap-conference-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_2_0e6799e28b.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_2_0e6799e28b.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_2_0e6799e28b.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_2_0e6799e28b.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Vector tiles used by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority</i></p><h3>Data quality</h3><p>Finding errors, preventing vandalism, reverting malicious edits. The search for an ideal system for keeping the data quality high is still ongoing. Currently, there are many useful tools and we can expect many other automated mechanisms for preventing data degradation, but none of them is fully capable of replacing a human editor (yet?).</p><h3>A new data model for OpenStreetMap</h3><p>A topic touched by a few speakers as well as discussed in the OpenHistoryMap debate. The current data model was created some time ago and has some issues like the inability to use two values for one key, complicated way of working with relations and redundancy.</p><p style="text-align:center;">While some speakers suggest just a simplification by using a phrase “Evolution, no revolution” others call for a radically different model similar to the one on Wikidata.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_3_a55f5f3d20.jpg" alt="2018-08-03-highlights-from-the-openstreetmap-conference-3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_3_a55f5f3d20.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_3_a55f5f3d20.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_3_a55f5f3d20.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_3_a55f5f3d20.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>"Evolution, no revolution" approach of Jochen Topf</i></p><h3>Public transport</h3><p>Since the beginning of the OpenStreetMap, the public transport infrastructure was mapped on nodes. It was simple but fails to describe complex situations and causes problems for routing. Therefore schema v2 was created, which fixed those issues, but the price was high complexity for mappers. Consequently, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/Public_Transport_v3">the new public transport schema v3</a> is in the proposal stage right now.&nbsp;</p><p>However, the issue of public transport is more complicated because of informal systems in the global south or former Soviet Union countries. Few talks lifted the topic of mapping in developing countries as well as many discussions were focused on how to map them and even if public transport data belongs to OpenStreetMap.</p><h3>Humanitarian mapping</h3><p>Unlike commercial maps, OpenStreetMap is not focused just on the most profitable parts of the world. There are projects like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hotosm.org/">Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.missingmaps.org/">Missing Maps</a> and others which maps in the developing world to give a voice to the underrepresented communities. Thanks to the grants from the OpenStreetMap Foundation, many representatives of the local communities were able to make it to the conference and increased the diversity of the conference.</p><p style="text-align:center;">Talking about diversity, the topic of gender representation in the OpenStreetMap was reflected as well with few proposals on how to improve the situation, but the solution is a long-distance run.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_4_a43c25bc2d.jpg" alt="2018-08-03-highlights-from-the-openstreetmap-conference-4.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_4_a43c25bc2d.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_4_a43c25bc2d.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_4_a43c25bc2d.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_08_03_highlights_from_the_openstreetmap_conference_4_a43c25bc2d.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Photo ©Francesco Giunta CC-BY-SA&nbsp;4.0</i></p><h3>Social event</h3><p>Probably the most relaxing part of the whole conference. Great atmosphere, delicious food, good music and a lot of friendly people open to chatting about maps and beyond.</p><h2>Big thank organizers and see you next&nbsp;year!</h2><p>Since this year’s SotM is over, we would like to say big thank you to all organizers, the OpenStreetMap Foundation and all speakers for making such an outstanding event possible.</p><p>In case you missed any interesting talk, you can find most of them on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLqJsr_5PfdvDFbgv1qp2aQ">YouTube</a> including ours about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://youtu.be/bdOjVghEx3E">generating own vector tiles from OpenStreetMap data</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.slideshare.net/klokan/openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from-openstreetmap/klokan/openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from-openstreetmap">slides on SlideShare</a>.</p><p>See you all next year at SotM 2019 in Heidelberg!&nbsp;</p>

Our summary of the State of the Map 2018 conference.

<p>Starting July 16th, many developers are going to be slammed by bills from Google for using Maps API on their websites or in apps. Every website which uses a map and has more than 800 visitors a day must pay now. For popular projects, the price rises to thousands of dollars every month. Many developers already decided to use MapTiler.com as an alternative.&nbsp;</p><p>Google reduced the free plan from 775.000 to 28.000 map views a month – so practically every popular website needs to pay for maps. Everybody, even the users of the free plan, must provide their credit card details during registration. As Google applies the billing method known as pay-as-you-go, the developers receive an invoice based on the number of web visitors at the end of the month. The price for a thousand map views has increased from previously billed $0.5 to $7, which means an unbelievable increase of 1400%.</p><p>The search for an affordable alternative is visible in the number of registered users on MapTiler Cloud. “Since Google announced the pricing change, the number of our users increased by 200%”, summarizes Petr Pridal, the head of the MapTiler team. “We expect more people to come as they get their first bill from Google. We are ready to accommodate much more visitors worldwide thanks to our scalable server infrastructure.”</p><h3>MapTiler mapping platform</h3><p>The MapTiler service provides beautiful and detailed street maps of the entire world suitable for various use cases such as car navigation, outdoor activity, and background map for displaying business data or store locations.</p><p>For developers migrating from other map providers, MapTiler Cloud offers pre-generated source code snippets for the most popular JavaScript libraries like OpenLayers or Leaflet, which can be directly pasted into websites. It also supports multiple mobile SDKs for Android, iOS, and the development of desktop software and games.</p><p>The migration of the application code to one of the suggested open-source viewers is an excellent long-term investment. It removes the lock-in to the Google Maps product - and gives your project complete freedom to choose any map provider in the future.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/maptiler_cloud_satellite_9f964ffecd.png" alt="maptiler-cloud-satellite.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_maptiler_cloud_satellite_9f964ffecd.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_maptiler_cloud_satellite_9f964ffecd.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_maptiler_cloud_satellite_9f964ffecd.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_maptiler_cloud_satellite_9f964ffecd.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><h3>Keep the design of your maps</h3><p>The companies appreciate how easy it is to re-create the look &amp; feel of the map matching their brand. It can be done by our simple but powerful Customize tool, which completely changes the map’s design by selecting just five colors. It is possible to choose a font or one of 55 languages that should be used on the map for place names.</p><p>MapTiler has already been chosen by developers from well-known international companies such as Bosch, IBM, Airbus, KFC, Burger King, and many smaller startups. While there are some other map providers, they either provide only limited services or their price tag is significantly higher compared to MapTiler Cloud.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/maptiler_cloud_own_data_shanghai_33a0bdffbe.png" alt="maptiler-cloud-own-data-shanghai.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_maptiler_cloud_own_data_shanghai_33a0bdffbe.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_maptiler_cloud_own_data_shanghai_33a0bdffbe.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_maptiler_cloud_own_data_shanghai_33a0bdffbe.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_maptiler_cloud_own_data_shanghai_33a0bdffbe.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></p><p>For more details, visit <a href="/google-maps-platform-alternative/">Google Maps API alternative</a> page.&nbsp;</p>

Starting July 16th, many developers are going to be slammed by bills from Google for using Maps API on their websites or in apps. Every website which uses a map and has...

<p>With MapTiler Cloud announced recently, MapTiler Desktop software becomes part of an integrated family of products, where each tool can run independently, but together they can solve more complicated problems and fulfill workflows required for building your own maps.</p><p>This is the beginning of the MapTiler mapping platform!&nbsp;</p><h2>Why we decided to connect our&nbsp;products</h2><p>Sending files from one of our software to another was complicated. It should not be like that! The life is much easier if the <strong>tools and services are connected</strong>. This allows you to use your data and maps in different contexts and make them appear in different software components such as web viewers, 3D globes, mobile apps, etc.</p><p>We are keen to use <strong>open standards and documented APIs</strong>, whenever possible. You should be always able to run our tools independently or combine it in your work with other open-source or proprietary software, as you did up to now.</p><p>Over the time, we created a number of different tools and services in Klokan Technologies GmbH, each with own design, separate web page and isolated communication channels. Now with a <strong>clear product structure with unified design and communication</strong>, you can take advantage of a single design and <a href="/how-to/">central knowledge base</a> we are starting to build - while searching for an answer to your questions.</p><p>We started to call ourselves MapTiler team, but the formal entity behind, Klokan Technologies GmbH, is made of a <strong>stable team of developers and friends</strong> with more than 10 years on the market. The company is located in Switzerland and runs without any venture capital, which gives us stability and freedom to make good strategic decisions. One of them is strong <strong>open-source support</strong>, which is an essential part of our company’s philosophy.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_2_2c4882f3c4.png" alt="2018-05-31-maptiler-the-new-mapping-platform-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_2_2c4882f3c4.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_2_2c4882f3c4.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_2_2c4882f3c4.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_2_2c4882f3c4.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>All MapTiler products can now communicate with each other. You can either take the advantage of interconnection or use them separately.</i></p><h2>The MapTiler platform introduction</h2><p>While some products may slightly change their visual look or the name, all the functionality remains the same plus we always add something extra.</p><h3>MapTiler Desktop</h3><p>Software which was previously known simply as <i>MapTiler</i> is the oldest member of the whole family and the product which gives it its name. Originally started in 2008, it allows anyone to convert images and geodata into fast zoomable maps and generate map tiles - and host on any web server or cloud hosting of your choice.</p><p>Read more and download for free at <a href="/desktop/">www.maptiler.com/desktop/</a>.</p><h3>MapTiler Engine</h3><p>Previously known as <i>MapTiler Pro Headless</i>, it is the more powerful <i>twin</i> of MapTiler Desktop. With the full power of command line for processing of map data, it allows integration in automated workflows with the full power of MapTiler Desktop. It can power your own online products and be hidden behind web interfaces or automated processes, which run every night or whenever new data are available.</p><p>Read more at <a href="/engine/">www.maptiler.com/engine/</a>.</p><h3>MapTiler Cloud</h3><p>This is the youngest member of the family. With beautiful world maps, it serves maps to your web, mobile apps or desktop GIS from a reliable global server infrastructure we maintain for you. There is also a hosting for your map products, customize tool to fit a map to your brand or upload of own data. MapTiler Cloud used to be called <i>TileHosting</i> and is built on top of our open-source <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.org/">OpenMapTiles</a> project.</p><p>Read more and get a free account at <a href="/cloud/">www.maptiler.com/cloud/</a>.</p><h3>MapTiler Mobile</h3><p>Mobile app showing your maps with your actual GPS location, online or offline. It allows collecting additional data, photos and notes while in the field. It is a downloadable application for Android and iOS as well as source code which can be modified for your business purpose, tailored to the needs of your customers and released under your company brand in any of the mobile app stores.</p><p>Read more and download the free mobile app at <a href="/mobile/">www.maptiler.com/mobile/</a>.</p><h3>What is coming&nbsp;next?</h3><p>There are other products in the final stage of development which are expected to be launched soon. For more information about the products, visit our webpage <a href="/">www.maptiler.com</a> and follow us on <a href="/news/">our blog</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/MapTiler">Twitter</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/maptiler/">Facebook</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://plus.google.com/+MapTiler">Google Plus</a> to get the freshest news.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_3_fccb7fcad2.png" alt="2018-05-31-maptiler-the-new-mapping-platform-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_3_fccb7fcad2.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_3_fccb7fcad2.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_3_fccb7fcad2.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_31_maptiler_the_new_mapping_platform_3_fccb7fcad2.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>What is coming&nbsp;next?</i></p>

Use base maps of the entire world with MapTiler Cloud.

<p>Some time ago, we started a project with the aim to simplify creating and using maps based on open-data and running on open-source software. After years of active development, we are announcing <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud</a>, a map hosting service available to everyone.</p><h2>Maps of the entire&nbsp;world</h2><p>The heart of our maps is based on OpenStreetMap data. This crowdsourcing project covers entire world and variety of topics: from transportation infrastructure through landcover information to detailed information about multiple kinds of points of interest.</p><p>There are six default base maps available, each suitable for a different purpose:</p><ul><li>Street map is the best fit for car navigation and displaying points of interest and markers</li><li>Topo map with contour lines and hillshading is suitable for hiking and outdoor activities,</li><li>Gray and Dark basemaps helps your overlays to stand out.</li></ul><p>All maps are available in 55 languages, which can be optionally auto-selected based on the visitor’s language. In addition, we also offer other datasets like satellite map of the entire world or contour lines and hillshading for outdoor maps.</p><p>We have a free plan for non-commercial projects, which includes open-source and open-data communities, which we highly value for their work. The other plans are billed to ensure sustainability of our project. However, since MapTiler is not venture-funded, we can set the prices relatively low compared to our competitors like Google or Mapbox, because we are not committed to any third-party entity, only to our clients. There is also another advantage of an independent company: all the profit we make can be directed into further development of the project. And most important, we can create a clear business model by selling maps, not end users’ private data or advertisement.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5YaAVBphpfo?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5YaAVBphpfo" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h2>Use it on the web, mobile, desktop or in&nbsp;games</h2><p>With a good map in the background, you can let your imagination fly and start developing the coolest application ever. It is easy to add point, line, polygon or completely change the maps and visible data for your own purpose.</p><p>There is an built-in support for most of the popular JavaScript libraries for your web development like Leaflet, OpenLayers, Mapbox GL JS and <a href="/blog/2018/05/openmaptiles-gives-you-freedom-of-sdks.html">much more</a>. You can also use it in numerous mobile SDKs for Android and iOS including Mapbox, Tangram or Carto mobile SDK. The maps are also compatible with desktop GIS like ArcGIS or QGIS and there are static maps for printing and graphics. <img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_2_b82ee88ded.png" alt="2018-05-23-maptiler-cloud-map-hosting-for-your-apps-2.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_2_b82ee88ded.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_2_b82ee88ded.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_2_b82ee88ded.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_2_b82ee88ded.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Use it with your favorite software</i></p><h2>Hosting for your own&nbsp;geodata</h2><p>For those who need to enrich your map with more complex data prepared in third-party software, MapTiler Cloud support upload of both vector and raster map tiles in MBTiles format.</p><p>If you have a pile of images you want to overlay over the map or you are just curious about this option, <a href="/download/">download the free version of MapTiler Desktop</a> application, <a href="/how-to/overlay-image-over-map/">read</a> the short intro and turn your image into a zoomable map in a few mouse clicks.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_3_efb754063f.png" alt="2018-05-23-maptiler-cloud-map-hosting-for-your-apps-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_3_efb754063f.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_3_efb754063f.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_3_efb754063f.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_3_efb754063f.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Custom made campus plan on the Street map as a background</i></p><h2>Powered by open-source and open-data</h2><p>The hosting is run by a team who stays behind the popular OpenMapTiles project. This also means the core is based on this open-source software and we make a commitment to further development. The openness of our map hosting service is also in the data we provide, where our maps are based on weekly updated OpenStreetMap data.</p><p>If you decide to host your own maps with OpenMapTiles, you have an easy option how to download all the stuff you ever made. The only “vendor lock-in” we use is the quality of our services.</p><p style="margin-left:40px;">The only “vendor lock-in” we use is the quality of our services.</p><p>Running own map from robust infrastructure is always difficult from technical as well as financial point of view, but sometimes necessary for special requirements like an intranet or offline deployment. We support this option with our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/">OpenMapTiles project</a>, which provides pre-generated tiles and software for running a map.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_4_4da951a58c.png" alt="2018-05-23-maptiler-cloud-map-hosting-for-your-apps-4.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_4_4da951a58c.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_4_4da951a58c.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_4_4da951a58c.png 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"></p><h2>Reliable infrastructure</h2><p>MapTiler Cloud runs on a reliable global infrastructure, which is production use by our customers including big companies like IBM, Swiss Railways or Bosch, but also by many smaller organizations and individuals. We highly value every client and even if your company is not listed in Fortune 500, we will take the same care of you.</p><p>The service is running from global CDN with over 110 edge servers (POPs) on 5 continents to ensure minimal latency by selecting geographically closest server of a visitor. There are two fully redundant and automatically replicated core data centers in Western Europe and North America serving the map data. to split the traffic, but with an option to run independently. In both datacenters, we deploy a high-availability setup, with load-balancer actively triggering health checks and setting up failover to additional machines, which are launched to handle increased traffic and peaks. Our commitment in the service-level agreement is 99.9% availability.</p><p>If you want more information or you want directly use the service, visit <a href="/">www.maptiler.com</a> and get the Free plan.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_5_7e385742cc.png" alt="2018-05-23-maptiler-cloud-map-hosting-for-your-apps-5.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_5_7e385742cc.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_5_7e385742cc.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_5_7e385742cc.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_23_maptiler_cloud_map_hosting_for_your_apps_5_7e385742cc.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Two fully redundant and automatically replicated core data centers in Western Europe and North America</i></p>

<p>Google Maps API announced a change in their pricing. While it still starts with a <i>free</i> plan (reduced from 775.000 to 28.000 map views a month), the price for more intense usage grows hugely: the price hike hits unbelievable 1400% percent (from $0.5 to $7 for extra 1.000 map views). And even very low-traffic users with the <i>free</i> plan still pays with their end-users’ personal data and have no control over the map. But we have an alternative.&nbsp;</p><h2>Free for personal use, fair prices for business</h2><p>MapTiler Cloud support individuals with a free personal plan, where you have access to most of the platform’s functionality. All the advantages of the free plan are available for open-source and open-data communities, which we strongly support.</p><p>We do not charge any extra fees for commercial websites or web app with login, use on an intranet, for vehicle or asset tracking (fleet management).</p><blockquote><p>Free plan has a monthly soft limit of 100.000 map views, which is enough for most of the smaller websites. For the rest, we have fair prices.</p></blockquote><p>MapTiler Cloud doesn’t collect any personal information for further commercial use and it is not showing ads on the map, regardless of what kind of user you are. If you compare the prices, you can see the dramatic increase, especially if your project starts to grow. Our maps are available at a fraction of what competitors charge.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="/cloud/">TRY MAPTILER CLOUD</a></p><h3>Monthly fees for commercial application with dynamic zoomable maps</h3><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">&nbsp;</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">Google Maps API</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">MapTiler Cloud</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">1.500 views/day</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$125</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$20</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">3.000 views/day</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$445</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$20</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">10.000 views/day</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$1.650</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$56</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">30.000 views/day</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$5.000</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$178</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">100.000 views/day</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$17.000</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">$605</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">Targeting ads to your visitors</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">yes</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">no</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">Customization</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">limited</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">full</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">Self-hosting</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">no</td><td style="background-color:#d3dbec;border:0px solid #f3f6ff;">available</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p>NOTE: Prices have been updated since 2018. Get the latest information here: <a href="/cloud/pricing/">https://www.maptiler.com/cloud/pricing/</a></p><h2>Beautiful basemaps for the entire&nbsp;world</h2><p>When you <a href="/maps/#streets-v2//vector/2/0/30">look at our maps</a>, you will see fine details in every corner of the planet. The details you can observe differs depending on what map style you are using. There are six beautiful base styles, which are designed for showing your location, presenting your products on the map, car navigation or outdoor activity. But the whole process is fully under your control: if you want to create your own style from the scratch or just make some fine-tuning, there is a tool for map customization. You can change the color of an element or the whole map. But we don’t stop with simple visual changes: you can also add or remove particular map elements like a specific type of points of interest. The map labels can be shown in more than 50 languages, including a bi-lingual option for non-latin alphabets.</p><blockquote><p>Maps are fully under your control: you can add or remove any particular map&nbsp;element.</p></blockquote><p>Those who want to enrich their map with extra geodata, we offer additional layers. There is a global satellite cloudless map, which we are constantly improving: currently, we are working on very high-resolution imagery for the USA and Western Europe. You can also enhance the map with elevation data with contour lines and hillshading. If this is not enough, you can always upload your own geodata and serve these from our reliable high-available infrastructure and integrate these your maps.</p><p>There is a basic place search tool, which is capable to find any populated place or street on the Earth ordered by importance - and we are going to add address and POI search in future.</p><p>We have also a solution for people with specific demands: if you want to run a map from your own servers, behind the firewall or even off-line, we offer you this option with our own OpenMapTiles.com self-hosting service.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_05_21_maptiler_as_google_maps_api_alternative_3_644ba41747.png" alt="2018-05-21-maptiler-as-google-maps-api-alternative-3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_05_21_maptiler_as_google_maps_api_alternative_3_644ba41747.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_05_21_maptiler_as_google_maps_api_alternative_3_644ba41747.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_05_21_maptiler_as_google_maps_api_alternative_3_644ba41747.png 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_05_21_maptiler_as_google_maps_api_alternative_3_644ba41747.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Different basic styles on one picture</i></p><h2>Easy to switch from Google Maps&nbsp;API</h2><p>Switching from Google Maps API is very simple: just delete the Google Maps code and replace it with a pre-generated code you get in MapTiler Cloud. That’s it, now you have a working map!</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l2LWuKb4-GA?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l2LWuKb4-GA" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p><i>Switch from Google Maps API to MapTiler Cloud in 1 minute</i></p><p>Depending on your need, <a href="/blog/2018/05/openmaptiles-gives-you-freedom-of-sdks.html">you can choose</a> what JavaScript library you want to use (we have a map code generator for Leaflet, OpenLayers and Mapbox GL JS), mobile SDKs, desktop GIS or if you want to have a map as a static image for print or graphic design. The recommended libraries and SDKs are open-source and therefore you have a freedom to change the provider at any time in the future.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="btn btn-primary m-o5" href="https://cloud.maptiler.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TRY MAPTILER CLOUD</a> <a class="btn btn-lighter m-o5" href="/cloud/">READ MORE</a></p>

MapTiler is the best Google Maps API alternative with a FREE plan.

<p>Swiss cartography has a long tradition which was formalized by founding the Swiss Society of Cartography five decades ago. Klokan Technologies, a small company with the headquarter in Unterägeri is a proud member of this community and recently was awarded by the Prix Carto, the prize for innovation in the field of Swiss cartography.</p><h2>The Swiss Society of Cartography</h2><p><a href="http://kartografie.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Swiss Society of Cartography</a> is an association of professional cartographers as well as people interested in cartography. It was founded in 1969 and is based in the city of Zürich. It follows the tradition of big Swiss cartographers like Eduard Imhof, the founder of the International Cartographic Association and its first president, who became well known for his amazing work on relief shading. The Society’s goal is to promote cooperation between members, facilitate an exchange of information and ensure further development of whole map industry.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_2_a9c33e70b9.jpg" alt="2018-04-13-swiss-society-of-cartography-and-the-prix-carto-award-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_2_a9c33e70b9.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_2_a9c33e70b9.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_2_a9c33e70b9.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_2_a9c33e70b9.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><i>Eduard Imhof and his famous work on relief shading</i></p><h2>Prix Carto Award</h2><p>The prize for innovation Prix Carto awards cartographic products which are unique and setting the trend. The goal is aligned with the mission of the Swiss Society of Cartography: promote the development of Swiss map industry. Thus, only projects created by Swiss companies and institutions or strongly related to Switzerland are accepted for nomination. There are three categories: one is focused on start-ups and young talents, second is for printed products and the third award is for contribution in the digital cartography.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_3_b42ddd3f57.jpg" alt="2018-04-13-swiss-society-of-cartography-and-the-prix-carto-award-3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_3_b42ddd3f57.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_3_b42ddd3f57.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_3_b42ddd3f57.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"><i>From Eduard Imhof till these days: the Prix Carto awards the innovative contribution to the Swiss mapping community © SGK</i></p><h2>The winner: OpenMapTiles project</h2><p>Over the last two years, engineers in Klokan Technologies GmbH were developing a large project which started as a student work at University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil. They were working on the <a href="https://openmaptiles.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OpenMapTiles.com project</a> to push the craft of mapmaking into the digital world on a global scale. For this effort, they have been nominated and awarded by the main prize in the “digital category”.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_4_c7c0eff965.jpg" alt="2018-04-13-swiss-society-of-cartography-and-the-prix-carto-award-4.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_4_c7c0eff965.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_4_c7c0eff965.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_4_c7c0eff965.jpg 750w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/large_2018_04_13_swiss_society_of_cartography_and_the_prix_carto_award_4_c7c0eff965.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"><a href="/maps/#streets-v2//vector/17.42/8.539843/47.377538/-35.20/59.0"><i>Explore the OpenMapTiles maps on the web</i></a></p><p>OpenMapTiles project makes it easy to host your own worldwide street and satellite map on a local computer, or on a private and public cloud.</p><blockquote><p>Explore the fast and open-source world maps online at <a href="/maps/#streets-v2//vector/17.42/8.539843/47.377538/-35.20/59.0">MapTiler.com</a> or in the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/openmaptiles/id1089255502?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OpenMapTiles mobile app</a></p></blockquote><p>Companies and institutions who need maps in their products can easily launch independent global map services powered by the open-source software and geodata packages and integrate the maps with their websites and mobile apps. Powered by the open-source vector tile technology and OpenStreetMap data, everybody is invited to cooperate on further development by contributing to the source code or improving the map by collecting additional geographic data.</p><p>OpenMapTiles maps are already used by Siemens, IBM, Bosch, Amazon, Swisstopo, Swiss Federal Railways, and others.&nbsp;</p>

The Swiss Society of Cartography awarded MapTiler for its innovative work in the field of digital cartography.

<p>As of 25th May 2018, new EU regulation harmonizing data protection across the member states will come into force. The General Data Protection Regulation, commonly abbreviated as GDPR, will enhance the digital rights of EU citizens at the cost of a strict data protection compliance regime. The GDPR applies to all companies and institutions, regardless of their size, inside and outside of the EU, who are working with personal data of EU citizens.</p><h2>How to prepare your organization</h2><p>The new set of digital rights for EU citizens guaranteed by GDPR means a preparation of companies and organizations handling any kind of personal data, which is any information related to the natural person or data subject that can be used to identify the person directly or indirectly. This doesn’t only mean full name, photo and home address, but also things like IP address, email or even cookie if it can be used to identify the person.</p><p>For companies which are already respecting privacy and handling data in compliant with current legislation, GDPR means just a minor modification of current processes. As the information systems are becoming more complex and the flow of information is increasing, you can miss some details, which are not core to your business. Such an example is a map included in your web page or integrated into your mobile app. However, you are still responsible for all the data being collected and processed according to the GDPR.</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:40px;">The penalty can get up to €20 million, or 4% annual global turnover — whichever is&nbsp;greater.</p></blockquote><p>If you haven’t started yet, you should take an action. Prepare yourself by taking these steps:</p><ol><li>Collect, store and process only personal data you really need. Collecting data for advertising purposes is acceptable (if other conditions are fulfilled), saving individuals’ personal data “because maybe they can be useful somehow one day” is not.</li><li>Make sure you have informed consent for all personal data you are working with. If not, try to obtain it additionally. To stay on the safe side, double opt-in is a best practice. Make also sure users have a chance to revoke the consent.</li><li>Have a process for handing over the data to the client if you are requested, updating them if they are out-dated and you are asked to do and to delete all unnecessary personal data you hold or to stop processing them.</li><li>Build new project with security by design. For current ones, make sure the personal data are secured to the highest level you can achieve as a company or organization.</li><li>If your security fails and there is a security incident which involves your clients’ personal data, have a process to inform affected people within 72 hours.</li></ol><p>While most of the changes within an organization need to be done in internal processes, you also should make a revision and modifications on the software side if needed.</p><p>If you take these steps seriously and not just as a box-ticking exercise, it can have a positive effect on your organization. Organizing your data doesn’t just give you tidiness feeling, but also increase efficiency whenever someone has to work with them. Reduction of data can also be a positive thing as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.veritas.com/news-releases/2016-03-15-veritas-global-databerg-report-finds-85-percent-of-stored-data">according to the study</a> 85% of data stored in companies is redundant. And if you take your users’ privacy really seriously and stop provide the information about them to third parties, your business privacy will increase as well, because along with it you will also send out information about your business.</p><p>Underestimating the preparation and ignoring the rules will not just have a negative effect on your business reputation, but your bank account as well: the penalty can get up to €20 million, or 4% annual global turnover — whichever is greater.</p><h2>Self-hosted maps are the&nbsp;solution</h2><p>While many seek cloud services as their salvation, in case of a security issue, both parties partake in a shared responsibility. Moreover, with even a small piece of code inserted in your web or product, which is tracking your users, you are exposing an information about your business. The flow, composition and other information are gold valued, especially in the tech business.</p><p>While self-hosting a world map can be seen as a high-tech task for a skilled technician, in fact with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/server/">OpenMapTiles maps</a> it is a 10 minutes clicking job. To guarantee the security, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/openmaptiles">the source code</a> is available for an inspection. Only with a self-hosted solution you have fully under the control who is coming, what personal data are being collected, what is happening with them and guarantee you are 100% GDPR compliant.</p><h2>Our map hosting respects the end-users privacy</h2><p>Those who don’t have enough resources or don’t want to bother with self-hosting a map should search for a safe digital partner. While there are providers which claim to have a free-of-charge service, the price you are paying is your clients’ and business’ data. The <i>free</i> in their case means collecting and processing a massive amount of data and selling it out, mainly by targeted advertisement.</p><p>With <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud map hosting service</a>, you can be sure your clients’ data are not being misused, simply because we do not collect any personal information. Our map services have no geolocation tracking code and we are not making a telemetry. Our services respect privacy by design and are built and maintained by the highest security standard. All the traffic between our servers and end-users is encrypted by HTTPS.&nbsp;</p><p>With the core data centers in the EU, secure infrastructure, transparent business model, you can trust <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud map hosting service</a> as a safe digital GDPR compliant partner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The best actors, film directors, and editors meet every year in Hollywood for a very special event: The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. There is a similar ceremony in Europe held every year, but instead of Steven Spielberg or Jack Nicholson, you can see on the stage various scientists, businessmen, and developers who transfer satellite data to thrilling ideas and innovative products. Organized by the European Space Agency, the official name is Copernicus Masters. This time the event was hosted as part of the European Space Week in Tallinn, Estonia. And one of the winners was the <a href="/satellite/">OpenMapTiles Satellite</a> project. &nbsp;</p><h2>Copernicus Masters</h2><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_1_c2a420056b.jpg" alt="2018-01-31-copernicus-masters-1.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_1_c2a420056b.jpg 234w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_1_c2a420056b.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_1_c2a420056b.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"><i>Copernicus Masters ©AZO</i></p><p><a href="http://www.copernicus-masters.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Copernicus Masters</a> has been launched in 2011 by <a href="http://www.anwendungszentrum.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AZO</a> on behalf of the European Space Agency with a clear mission: promote projects based on a vast amount of data from Copernicus satellites, support them with their future development and intensify cooperation between ESA and the private sector, which encourage innovation and further transfer into Industry 4.0.</p><p>The prize for winners has a form of trophy. Moreover, there is also a financial reward where partners of each category support further development of the project. There are 14 various categories in total, each with a different objective.</p><h2>And the winners are …</h2><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_2_2329ea80ee.jpg" alt="2018-01-31-copernicus-masters-2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_2_2329ea80ee.jpg 234w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_2_2329ea80ee.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_2_2329ea80ee.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"><i>The winners of all 14 categories ©AZO</i></p><p>The winning team was represented by Prof. Adriano Camps and Prof. Alessandro Golkar who presented their idea of two small satellites for measuring soil moisture and ice thickness. Together with the main prize they also received the award in the ESA Sentinel Small Sat (S³) Challenge and 1 Million Euros as a credit to launch their own satellites to space.</p><p>But the whole ceremony was filled with very interesting ideas. Among the winners, there were applications computing up-to-date mountain bike routes, two categories were focused on wildfires, their detection, and identifying consequences. Next to them, <a href="https://dronesarpilot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DroneSAR</a> were presenting how to utilize satellite data for search and rescue operations using drones. Dutch start-up <a href="http://optoss.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OPTOSS AI</a> focused on something very relevant for its home country: extreme weather forecast. The variety of topics was ranging from agriculture data utilized in applications determining wine quality or bee behavior, to systems designed to help with forest protection and <a href="https://www.copernicus-masters.com/hall-of-fame/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">much more</a>.</p><blockquote><p>Fight wildfires, forecast wine quality, track bees, plan trips on a bike,&nbsp;… or get a detailed satellite image of the whole world on a USB stick and use it in your products or website without limits.</p></blockquote><p>And last, but not least, Petr Pridal representing <a href="https://www.klokantech.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Klokan Technologies</a> and <a href="https://octogeo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OctoGEO</a>, was asked to step on the podium to be awarded in the T-Systems Open Telekom Cloud Challenge category for his work on OpenMapTiles Satellite.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_3_437374ea3c.jpg" alt="2018-01-31-copernicus-masters-3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_3_437374ea3c.jpg 234w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_3_437374ea3c.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2018_01_31_copernicus_masters_3_437374ea3c.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"><i>Petr Pridal on the stage holding the Copernicus Masters award ©AZO</i></p><h2>OpenMapTiles Satellite — a detailed image of our planet in your pocket</h2><p>Almost 800 km above the surface of Earth, a pair of Sentinel-2 satellites are collecting a vast amount of data every second. Main tasks they have is to photograph our planet. And the best pictures from summer time on both hemispheres were collected, cropped, color calibrated, cleared from the clouds, stitched together, and published in a form of a package everybody can use in the application, on the web, or even offline.</p><p>To give the satellite map the right geographical context, the place names and roads from the OpenStreetMap project are displayed in one of the 55 languages.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGTzgetrn24?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maptiler.com"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGTzgetrn24" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p><i>Cleared from clouds, stitched together, color-toned and packet for direct usage in your products and websites</i></p><p>The OpenMapTiles Satellite map package with data for the whole world has approximately 200GB, which is a size of a bigger USB stick you can put in your pocket or easily store on any standard computer or server.</p><blockquote><p>OpenMapTiles project makes it easy to host your own worldwide street and satellite map on a local computer, or on a private and public cloud.</p></blockquote><p>Companies and institutions who need maps in their products can easily launch independent global map services powered by our software and geodata packages and integrate the maps with their websites and mobile apps.</p><p>OpenMapTiles maps are already used by Siemens, IBM, Bosch, Amazon, Swiss Federal Railways, and others.</p><p>If you are interested, visit <a href="https://openmaptiles.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OpenMapTiles.com</a> for download options or embed it on your website using <a href="/cloud/">MapTiler Cloud</a>.</p>

The MapTiler Team won the Copernicus Masters award granted by the European Space Agency.

<p>After months of work, we are thrilled to announce a new game-changing open-source project!</p><p><a href="/data/">OpenMapTiles</a> provides the fastest way how to setup custom styled world maps with open-source software. In a few minutes, you can have your own OpenStreetMap tile server - ready for use in your websites or products.&nbsp;</p><h2>Just download the pre-generated vector tiles and get started</h2><p>The project turns the publicly available OpenStreetMap data into ready-to-use packages containing&nbsp;vector tiles for the whole planet, individual countries and major cities.</p><p>Downloaded map tiles can be displayed on websites with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/viewers/">JavaScript viewers</a>, used in native <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/mobile/">mobile applications </a>on Android and iOS (even offline), or turned into traditional <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/docs/style/mapbox-studio-classic/">raster tiles</a> or high-resolution images for printing.</p><p>There are online guides to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/docs/">get started</a>.<img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_2_c4a89ffdfd.jpg" alt="2017-01-17-openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from_2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_2_c4a89ffdfd.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_2_c4a89ffdfd.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_2_c4a89ffdfd.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"></p><h2>Open Map Styles &amp; Open Tile Schema</h2><p>We have prepared a set of beautiful <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/styles/">Open Map Styles</a>&nbsp;for our vector tiles. The styles are free and open-source, and you can adapt the design and code for your project or commercial product however you like. Either use one of our map styles directly as your base map or as a starting point for your own map design. You can also use an open-source <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://editor.openmaptiles.org/">visual map style editor.</a><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_3_71d1e11676.png" alt="2017-01-17-openmaptiles-vector-tiles-from_3.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_3_71d1e11676.png 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_3_71d1e11676.png 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2017_01_17_openmaptiles_vector_tiles_from_3_71d1e11676.png 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.org/styles/">Open Map Styles compatible with OpenMapTiles Vector Tiles</a></p><p>Our new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/schema/">Vector Tile Schema</a> is encoding the cartography decisions made on top of OpenStreetMap, Natural Earth and other OpenData sources and is 100% open and free to use, extend or build upon. We hope people will adapt, copy and reimplement our schema and data model in their projects while providing attribution.</p><h2>Open-source tools and no vendor lock-in</h2><p>The whole project is open-source, documented and comes with a license which is friendly even for business use (BSD + CC-BY). The project reuses existing many open-source components, map designs and open standards from the OSM &amp; FOSS community and Mapbox Inc. The work on the new open vector tile schema was done in cooperation with Paul Norman and Wikimedia Foundation and was initially modelled after the cartography of the Positron base map from Carto (former CartoDB), with their permission.</p><p>With OpenMapTiles there is no lock-in to a single hosting platform or provider, and interested parties can adopt our workflow and do the tile generating as well as hosting completely independently and in-house. We <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/production-package/">offer a set of services </a>and preprocessed data - including <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/contours/">worldwide contour lines</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/hillshades/">hill shading datasets</a> - to speed up the adoption of the project and applications in production use.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openmaptiles.org/">OpenMapTiles project</a> is a successor of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://osm2vectortiles.org/">OSM2VectorTiles</a>, a project which won the OpenStreetMap Innovation Award of 2016 at SOtM in Brussels and which started in Switzerland as a student bachelor thesis at HSR Rapperswil in cooperation with Klokan Technologies GmbH.</p><h2>Support and community</h2><p>The team behind OpenMapTiles is available for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openmaptiles.com/support/">commercial support and consulting</a> and can assist with deployment and applications of the maps in products and services.</p><p>Contributions to the source code from the community are very welcome!&nbsp;</p>

OpenMapTiles: new open-source project for generating map tiles.

<p>Do you need to get from your clients or friends gigabytes of data? We do. People send us large maps and geodata, often in tens or even hundreds of gigabytes. Now they can do that directly from a web browser, by drag&amp;drop!&nbsp;</p><p>To make this possible, we’ve built a pretty cool web application named Drive Uploader which works with Google Drive™cloud storage.</p><p>Check it out at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://driveuploader.com/">https://driveuploader.com</a>&nbsp;</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://vimeo.com/876427864?share=copy"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/876427864?background=1" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>The uploader you create looks very familiar and you can customize the design, if you need to.We’ve built the Drive Uploader to easily receive large files (documents, pictures, video clips, aerial photos, etc.) from customers, suppliers, colleagues, family or friends.</p><p>The sender does not need to create any account, they just visit a website and use their web browser.</p><p>The main advantages of the service are:</p><ul><li>No limit on size of the files</li><li>No need to have a Google account for the senders</li><li>Extremely easy to use and integrate with websites</li><li>Security of the transfer (Drive Uploader uses HTTPS and private storage)</li><li>Files are saved directly in your Google Drive™ in the folder you choose</li></ul><p><strong>DriveUploader is available for free! </strong>Each upload link you create on Drive Uploader is completely free of charge for the first 3 days and you can extend the period with just one click.</p><p>Embedding in websites, branding with your logo and integration to your products is possible via API and webhooks. These advanced features are available in a paid plan, together with a&nbsp;removal of ads.</p><p>Every Gmail account comes with free 15 GB Drive storage and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375123">affordable upgrade plans</a>. The business and education <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gsuite.google.com/">G Suite / Google Apps</a> account&nbsp;come&nbsp;with unlimited cloud storage. It is time to use this storage!</p><p>So, once more - the link to try is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://driveuploader.com/">https://driveuploader.com</a></p>

A new application allowing drag&drop of data into your Google Drive folder.

<p>The U.S. Government organization NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has chosen&nbsp;the <a href="/">MapTiler</a> software from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.klokantech.com/">Klokan Technologies GmbH</a> to turn the aerial photos taken after the Hurricane Matthew into a fast and reliable mapping service offered to the press and general public during the disaster recovery actions.&nbsp;</p><p>The speed of generating of the map tiles, as well as the reliability and scalability of the produced mapping service are able to handle hundreds of thousands of visitors. This is the main reason why our software is used for such cases.</p><p>Processing and hosting of the aerial photos happen on the Microsoft Azure cloud on Linux virtual machines running our latest MapTiler Pro on the command line. The tiles are served from Azure platform with an open-source TileServer software. It permits fast distribution of the maps to various mashups and websites, as well as opening of the map layers in the standard GIS software such as QGIS or ESRI ArcGIS. The same map tiles are directly reused thanks to the OGC WMTS standard. See the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/storm_archive/coastal/tileserver.php">Coastal Imagery Services</a>.</p><p>Other customers are using our MapTiler Pro (<a href="/">http://www.maptiler.com/</a>) for similar tasks on their standard desktop computers, virtual machines, in private clouds or on Amazon or Google cloud platforms.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><br><img class="image_resized" style="width:40.99%;" src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2016_10_12_maptiler_helps_people_to_recover_from_2_33fb419896.jpg" alt="2016-10-12-maptiler-helps-people-to-recover-from_2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2016_10_12_maptiler_helps_people_to_recover_from_2_33fb419896.jpg 208w," sizes="100vw" width="208px"></p><p><br>The maps produced by MapTiler during the previous flights are also used by pilots on the board of the airplanes together with open vector maps - as an extra option to standard navigation for taking new photos. More details are available in <a href="/blog/2016/06/noaa-pilots-use-open-source-tileserver.html">this blog post</a>.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:center;"><img class="image_resized" style="width:41.56%;" src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2016_10_12_maptiler_helps_people_to_recover_from_3_4b12f67b4a.jpg" alt="2016-10-12-maptiler-helps-people-to-recover-from_3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2016_10_12_maptiler_helps_people_to_recover_from_3_4b12f67b4a.jpg 208w," sizes="100vw" width="208px"><br>&nbsp;</p>

The NOAA use the MapTiler Desktop software to turn the aerial photos taken after the Hurricane Matthew into a fast and reliable mapping service.

<p>Today we launch the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://osmnames.org/">OSMNames</a> open-source project which provides a basic place search / geocoding functionality.</p><p>It is a lightweight search system powered by full-text engine with world-wide coverage. At the moment it is limited to place names like streets, towns, cities, administrative units, countries, etc.. It can be extended in future with other place types like lake or mountain names and even with POIs. The enhancement with postal addresses (house numbers and zip codes) is also possible. Try it at:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://osmnames.org/">http://osmnames.org/</a> Install the software easily together with the provided global data on your own server with the docker container <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hub.docker.com/r/klokantech/osmnames-sphinxsearch/">osmnames-sphinxsearch</a>. The process is described in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://osmnames.org/docs/">documentation</a>.</p><p>The OSMNames project consists of two parts:&nbsp;</p><h2>OSMNames data available for download</h2><p>The core of the OSMNames project is the pre-processed data. It comes in easy to handle text format, the TSV (tab separated value). This allows filtering with UNIX text processing tools (grep, sed, awk, less, cut, etc.) and direct indexing via a&nbsp;full-text&nbsp;search engine.</p><p>You can download the data at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://osmnames.org/download/">http://osmnames.org/download/</a></p><p>It contains over 21 million&nbsp;gazetteer records with lat/lon&nbsp;location, <strong>bounding box</strong>, names in several languages,&nbsp;<strong>identifiers</strong>&nbsp;for OSM and Wikidata, etc. All the records are sorted by precalculated numerical&nbsp;<strong>importance</strong> (derived from Wikipedia and existing Nominatim ranking). Our website recommends how&nbsp;to filter the data by country, geographical location or type to create smaller extracts.</p><h2>Search engine software</h2><p>The project comes with an open-source server software providing a place search API suitable for a basic geocoder with autocomplete functionality. The server is written in Python and is powered by the high-performance C++ open-source full-text&nbsp;engine called Sphinx Search.</p><p>The OSMNames project is a result of the&nbsp;cooperation of Klokan Technologies GmbH&nbsp;and HSR Rapperswil.</p><p>Klokan Technologies GmbH&nbsp;is using the service in products such as <a href="/">MapTiler</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.georeferencer.com/">Georeferencer</a>. We are excited to release it now and hope more users can help us to make it even better! Hope to see OSMNames adopted by more individuals and companies soon.er is written in Python and is powered by the high-performance C++ open-source full-text&nbsp;engine called Sphinx Search.&nbsp;</p>

New open-source place search/geocoding software is now available on GitHub.

<p>GDAL is a&nbsp;very popular open-source library for decoding/encoding of geospatial data formats and raster processing. It is used by QGIS, Grass, MapServer, but also by Google Earth or ESRI ArcGIS and many other GIS software tools. It powers our MapTiler software too.</p><p>A new implementation of efficient reading of PDF and GeoPDF file formats is available in GDAL library since version 2.1. Klokan Technologies GmbH team&nbsp;is behind the implementation of this format driver, which has been accepted and merged by Even Rouault and released publicly in May 2016.</p><p>The driver is powered by the open-source PDFium library, which has been released by Google Inc. for easier&nbsp;previewing of the .pdf files&nbsp;used in the open-source Chrome/Chromium browser. The free PDFium library is BSD licensed light version of the PDF Foxit framework. We have prepared compiling scripts for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, which were adopted, included and documented as part of the GDAL.&nbsp;</p><p>The advantages of the new PDF driver:</p><ul><li>Significantly higher performance (compared to the previous PoDoFo and Poppler engines)</li><li>Support for larger PDF files with smaller memory footprint - even large AutoCAD plans or huge GeoPDFs can be processed efficiently now.</li><li>A non-restrictive BSD license! The copy-left GPL prevented the existence of applications supporting both PDF and MrSID/ECW formats for example.</li></ul><p>The driver is in production use in our <a href="/">MapTiler software</a> for over a year now.</p><p>We are pleased to share the source code with the community and offer it for integration in all open-source projects and third-party products. Next time, when you launch your favorite open-source GIS tool after the GDAL library has been updated, you may benefit from the faster PDF reading thanks to our work!&nbsp;</p>

Klokan Technologies is behind a new implementation of PDFium in GDAL. It allows efficient reading of PDF and GeoPDF file formats.

<p>We have made a Google Maps API v3 component, which anybody can use in custom projects to add a control showing current geolocation with just one line of code:&nbsp;</p><pre><code class="language-javascript">var geoloccontrol = new klokantech.GeolocationControl(map, mapMaxZoom);</code></pre><p>after including in the HTML header this JavaScript:</p><pre><code class="language-javascript">&lt;script src="https://cdn.klokantech.com/maptilerlayer/v1/index.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</code></pre><p>See: <a href="/maptilerlayer/">http://www.maptiler.com/maptilerlayer/</a></p><p>for an example code and documentation.&nbsp;</p><p>It adds the standard control to the map - and once tapped - it shows the blue circle around your location with size derived from precision of the location data available. If you don’t drag the map it will keep you positioned once you move.</p><p>This control has been developed for viewer automatically generated by <a href="/">http://www.maptiler.com/</a> software - which creates tiles for map overlays and custom layers made from images and raster geodata.</p>

We have made a Google Maps API v3 component, which anybody can use in custom projects to add a control showing current geolocation with just one line of code.

<p><a href="/">MapTiler</a> helps with the fast delivery of aerial images taken with multispectral crop monitoring sensors, usually carried by a drone or an aircraft.</p><p>After quick processing with our software, the outcomes are available online to farmers and end-users - with the fast map tile hosting on Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage.</p><p>Such maps can be accessed online from any mobile device, showing your own GPS position on the location.</p><p>MapTiler Start or Plus on a desktop computer can be used for publishing similar geodata and creating a customer portal with selected maps.</p><p>Automation of the process on the server side, including upload of map tiles to a cloud hosting, can be done with a command line using MapTiler Pro - integrated into a workflow or company backend.</p><p>Many thanks to agricam.co.il&nbsp;for valuable inputs on the process and for the sample imagery. <img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2016_04_08_precision_agriculture_with_maptiler_1_1eee196032.png" alt="2016-04-08-precision-agriculture-with-maptiler_1.png" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2016_04_08_precision_agriculture_with_maptiler_1_1eee196032.png 123w," sizes="100vw" width="123px">&nbsp;</p>

 MapTiler helps with the fast delivery of aerial images taken with multispectral crop monitoring sensors, usually carried by a drone or an aircraft.

<p>Klokan Technologies GmbH team, in cooperation with CampToCamp and BoundlessGeo, designed and implemented a binding between the OpenLayers and Cesium projects. If you want to add the third dimension to your existing map application or map portal powered by OpenLayers V3, now it can be done with just two lines of code:&nbsp;</p><pre><code class="language-javascript">var ol3d = olcs.OLCesium(map); // map is the ol.Map instance
ol3d.setEnabled(true);</code></pre><p>This will load and synchronize view position, user interaction, compatible raster layers as well as vector features with styling (GeoJSON, KML, WFS, …). Changes done on OL3 side are directly reflected on the 3D view - so existing controls for user interaction or for switching the visibility of individual layers run out of the box. For advanced features, the core provides additional functions, and there is a direct access to the Cesium scene as well. The terrain is supported too, including the one from a custom terrain data (DEM).</p><p>Try the switching between 2D map and 3D globe (and view the source code of the example):</p><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_2_7fbfc5480b.jpg" alt="2014-11-14-ol3-cesium-third-dimension-for_2.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_2_7fbfc5480b.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_2_7fbfc5480b.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_2_7fbfc5480b.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://klokantech.github.io/ol3-cesium/examples/exports.html">http://klokantech.github.io/ol3-cesium/examples/exports.html</a></p><p>Or try the demonstration of the side-by-side view:</p><p><img src="https://media.maptiler.com/img/2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_3_2943d256c5.jpg" alt="2014-11-14-ol3-cesium-third-dimension-for_3.jpg" srcset="https://media.maptiler.com/img/thumbnail_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_3_2943d256c5.jpg 245w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/small_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_3_2943d256c5.jpg 500w,https://media.maptiler.com/img/medium_2014_11_14_ol3_cesium_third_dimension_for_3_2943d256c5.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://klokantech.github.io/ol3-cesium/examples/rastersync.html">http://klokantech.github.io/ol3-cesium/examples/rastersync.html</a></p><p>The complete source code of this project and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openlayers.org/ol-cesium/examples/">more examples</a> available at: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/openlayers/ol3-cesium">https://github.com/openlayers/ol3-cesium</a></p><p>The OL3Cesium project is built thanks to know-how and experience we gained while working on the open-source <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.webglearth.com/">WebGL Earth</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/blog/2012/06/openlayers-v3-sprint-event.html">OpenLayers V3</a>. Several challenging and interesting problems (such as equations for live synchronization of 2D view and 3D camera, calculating distance vs resolution/zoom level, performance optimizations, etc) were solved during the implementation of the project and are described in the tickets and pull requests on GitHub. We are pleased to work together with CampToCamp and BoundlessGeo to deliver this new and practical tool to the OpenLayers community.</p><p>Klokan Technologies offers contracted development, consulting and additional improvement of the project. We can assist with preparing of a high-performance raster WMTS tile layers with <a href="/">MapTiler</a> or rendering of custom terrain data tiles. We are especially interested in implementing support for raster map services in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://epsg.io/">alternative map projections</a>&nbsp;via GPU transformation. Contact us at info@klokantech.com for a quote!cesium/examples/rastersync.html</p><p>The complete source code of this project and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://openlayers.org/ol-cesium/examples/">more examples</a> available at:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/openlayers/ol3-cesium">https://github.com/openlayers/ol3-cesium</a></p><p>The OL3Cesium project is built thanks to know-how and experience we gained while working on the open-source <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.webglearth.com/">WebGL Earth</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/blog/2012/06/openlayers-v3-sprint-event.html">OpenLayers V3</a>. Several challenging and interesting problems (such as equations for live synchronization of 2D view and 3D camera, calculating distance vs resolution/zoom level, performance optimizations, etc) were solved during the implementation of the project and are described in the tickets and pull requests on GitHub. We are pleased to work together with CampToCamp and BoundlessGeo to deliver this new and practical tool to the OpenLayers community.</p><p>Klokan Technologies offers contracted development, consulting and additional improvement of the project. We can assist with preparing of a high-performance raster WMTS tile layers with <a href="/">MapTiler</a> or rendering of custom terrain data tiles. We are especially interested in implementing support for raster map services in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://epsg.io/">alternative map projections</a>&nbsp;via GPU transformation. Contact us at info@klokantech.com for a quote!&nbsp;</p>

Klokan Technologies GmbH team, in cooperation with CampToCamp and BoundlessGeo, designed and implemented a binding between the OpenLayers and Cesium projects allowing to display maps in 3D. 

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.webglearth.com/">http://www.webglearth.com/</a> To embed a 3D globe in a website with an open-source project is now really easy. If you have a simple map application made with the popular <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://leafletjs.com/">Leaflet</a> library, you can with almost no effort turn it into 3D interactive globe with the new WebGL Earth 2 project: just replace “L.” with “WE.” ;-)&nbsp;</p><p>See the examples of use of the API: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://examples.webglearth.org/">http://examples.webglearth.org/</a></p><p>The globe is made only with JavaScript, using WebGL HTML5 technology. No browser plugin is required. It means it runs automatically on all modern browsers on all computers with recent graphic cards. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE 11+ and even the latest Android mobile devices and soon also all Apple devices with iOS 8+.</p><p>This is a complete reimplementation of our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.webglearth.org/">original WebGL Earth</a> project.</p><p>Our own JavaScript rendering core has been replaced with the great&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://cesiumjs.org/">open-source Cesium project</a> to maximally gain from the open-source principles of sharing of the development efforts. We are looking forward to contributing to the Cesium project in the future, instead of developing our own separate core.</p><p>Our target is still the same: an easy to use open-source project with public API, allowing easy embedding of a modern 3D globe in websites, with out-of-the box user friendly interaction and support for mobile devices whenever possible. In version 2.0 we have decided to emulate the popular Leaflet JS JavaScript API enriched with 3D functions for altitude, tilting and heading of the view, and flying animations on globe. The core functions are implemented and we hope to improve the compatibility of the APIs with the help of community in the future (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/webglearth/webglearth2">GitHub</a>&nbsp;pull requests are very welcome ;-).&nbsp;</p><p>The project also preserves the original WebGL Earth JavaScript API 1.0 whenever possible.</p><p>OpenStreetMap, Bing, MapBox and other tile layers can be easily used with the globe.</p><p>Custom geodata (GeoTIFF, ECW, MrSID, …) can be easily preprocessed with MapTiler (<a href="/">http://www.maptiler.com</a>) to create attractive globes, which can be hosted on any webserver without additional software, on a LAMP hosting with TileServer-php or even on Amazon S3 and other cloud storage services. See: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://tileserver.maptiler.com/#cassini-terrestrial/webglearth">http://tileserver.maptiler.com/#cassini-terrestrial/webglearth</a></p>

To embed a 3D globe in a website with an open-source project is now really easy with WegGL Earth 2

<p>The new MapTiler Desktop 0.5.3 comes with several exciting new features:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Rendering of Retina / HiDPI map tiles from any raster geodata</li><li>Improved output into minimised PNG (better defaults for colour quantisation)</li><li>Support for maps crossing the international dateline (+ or - 180 degrees longitude)</li><li>Background colour of base maps selectable in the user interface under Advanced options</li><li>Google Earth API web viewer generated for KML SuperOverlay</li><li>Checking for updates is automated and installation of new versions simplified [Start]</li><li>Graphical User Interface for Linux operating system available for MapTiler Pro customers next to the command line for full automation</li><li>Improved Mac OS X 10.9 support (open file dialogs, upgrade to QT 4.8.6rc)</li><li>Better handling of thousands of input files in the graphical user interface [Pro]</li><li>Several bug fixes, improved stability on older Windows</li></ul><p>In case you are an owner of a Retina / HighDPI mobile device such as iPad or iPhone or recent tablet with Android or one of the Apple MacBook Pro Retina or Google Pixel, then have a look at examples of the beautiful retina high DPI.</p><p>It is extremely easy to prepare such sharp maps from any raster geodata (GeoTIFF, etc) or even <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxdCe9CNYg">scanned paper</a> maps or standard JPEG or PNG - and then upload and host them on Amazon S3, your own server or for free on&nbsp;Dropbox or on Google Drive hosting.</p><p>Would you like to try the MapTiler Pro demo with your own data on your own computer? It is available on request via <a href="/engine/">www.maptiler.com/</a>.&nbsp;</p>

We announce MapTiler Desktop 0.5.3 with several exciting new features.

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MapTiler

名称

Název

Name

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Google Maps API alternative 

Maps in videos

Maps for games

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Petr Pridal gained his Ph.D. in the field of cartography and geodesy and a master’s degree in computer science. He is a consultant, researcher, programmer, and entrepreneur. Within the last years he participated in several international research projects, and developed popular software.

Petr Pridal

MapLibre GL Native: open-source mobile SDK for Android and iOS

MapLibre: Mapbox GL open-source fork

Swisstopo vector tiles development

Say hello to the new QGIS plugin

The Future of OpenMapTiles project

Introducing MapTiler Mobile app

UK Government map data on MapTiler Cloud

3D maps for Red Bull X-Alps 2019, 2021, and 2023

USA high-res satellite in MapTiler Cloud

MapTiler awarded by European Space Agency and Airbus

TimeMachine Atlas : history of Europe on the map with a timeline

Highlights from the OpenStreetMap conference

Developers seek an alternative to Maps API after Google increased the price

MapTiler: the new mapping platform

MapTiler Cloud: map hosting for your apps

Google Maps API alternative

Swiss Society of Cartography and the Prix Carto award

Maps and GDPR: privacy for your visitors

MapTiler Team awarded by the European Space Agency

OpenMapTiles: Vector Tiles from OpenStreetMap

Allow anyone to upload files to your Google Drive with DriveUploader.com

MapTiler helps people to recover from the Hurricane Matthew

OSMNames: Place names data & geocoder

PDFium GeoPDF driver in GDAL 2.1

My Location Control for Google Maps API v3

Precision Agriculture with MapTiler

OL3-Cesium: Third dimension for OpenLayers

WebGL Earth 2: the Leaflet compatible JavaScript 3D globe powered by Cesium

Custom HiDPI retina map tiles for Leaflet, OpenLayers, or Google Maps API