Published on 30 May 2022

General Terms of Use and Operating Conditions of the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI

Free acquisition and use

The acquisition and use of data or services is free of charge, subject to the provisions on fair use.

1. Definitions

  • Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI: The federal data infrastructure operated by swisstopo.
  • FSDI dataset: Umbrella term for all data provided by the FSDI that can be obtained by the public.
  • Data use: Obtaining and using file-based and service-based data and information.
  • Data user: Private individual or company, administrative body or educational institution that obtains data from the FSDI.
  • File-based data: Data provided or obtained via a file download from the FSDI.
  • Service-based data: Data provided or obtained from the FSDI via a web service.
  • Geoservices: Networkable applications that simplify the use of electronic services in the field of geodata and make geodata accessible in a structured form.
  • Raw data: FSDI data that has not or not yet been processed.
  • Processed data: FSDI data that has been transformed, adapted or refined by third parties.
  • Request: Single call on the FSDI for access to a geoservice.
  • Analysis: Statistics and analysis based on raw and/or processed FSDI data.
  • Publication: Provision of FSDI data in any form, e.g. as an application, as a service or file, based on raw data or processed data.
  • swisstopo: The Federal Office of Topography as system operator of the FSDI, within the framework of the Geoinformation Ordinance GeoIV or on behalf of the Coordination Agency for Federal Geographic Information GCG.
  • Fair Use: Fair use is use of the geoservices of the FSDI which is compatible with the common good. It ensures that all users make moderate-level use of the geoservices. If users send large numbers of requests, other users of the geoservices may be adversely affected. To prevent this, swisstopo can restrict or deny access to geoservices to users who do not comply with the Fair Use Directive (cf. 2.3).
  • Best effort: The service is provided according to the best possible effort. However, there is no entitlement to claim performance or warranty.
  • Terms of use of a dataset: Information on the conditions of use of a dataset can be found via the metadata portal geocat.ch under «Legal restrictions». Further information may be obtained directly from the «Contact for the resource».

2. Data use

2.1 Scope of use

Geodata in machine-readable form is freely available on the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI. The geoservices are made available within the framework of the FSDI via geo.admin.ch. The data obtained may be processed, analysed and published in accordance with their terms of use, along with the inclusion of further data.

Obtaining and using the data and services is free-of-charge, subject to the provisions on fair use.

The Geoservices of the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI are updated by geo.admin.ch at regular intervals. Consequently, users must adapt their interfaces accordingly in order to use the new versions of the FSDI geoservices. Updates and changes are announced via the channels as stated in section 2.2 and on the geo.admin.ch website. If the FSDI makes updates that are not backwards compatible, these will be announced one month in advance.

2.2 Registration

Use of the geoservices of the FSDI does not require registration and is free-of-charge.

To receive technical updates, we recommend actively using the forum or mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/geoadmin-api and the RSS Feed https://groups.google.com/group/geoadmin-api/feed/rss_v2_0_msgs.xml.

2.3 Request Limit

In the event of excessive use of geoservices, access may be restricted or refused. In such cases, swisstopo may conclude a contract with the data user (Art. 44 para. 2 GeoIV).

A maximum number of requests per time unit is specified in the table below as a usage limit of the geoservices of the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure. The usage limit must be observed in the sense of a «fair use».

SERVICE

URL

Limite "Fair Use" (annual basis)

Limite "Fair Use" (minute basis)

API Rest Services (general)

*.geo.admin.ch

21 Mio requests / year

40 requests / minute

Web Map Tile Service WMTS-BGDI

wmts.geo.admin.ch

631 Mio requests / year

1'200 requests / minute

Web Map Service WMS-BGDI

wms.geo.admin.ch

10.5 Mio requests / year for a download of 1.7 TB

20 requests / minute for an image size of 360,000 pixels

Geodetic REST Web services

geodesy.geo.admin.ch/reframe

21 Mio requests / year

40 requests / minute

If it is foreseeable that your applications will exceed the limits, please contact us via info@geo.admin.ch before you start using the system.

Note on web scraping: Automatic parsing of geoservices via bots with high query intensities is to be avoided. The download service should be used to obtain the datasets outside the context of the web services (use in offline systems, databases, etc.).

The integration of geoservices in web applications with an average of 20,000 users per day or desktop applications corresponds to fair use.

3 Obligations on data use

3.1 Citation of sources

In publications and analyses based on the FSDI, any reference to the source must be made in accordance with the terms of use of the corresponding dataset, as is done in the lower right corner of the map viewer.
© Data: swisstopo

3.2 Updating of raw data

Data may need to be updated regularly according to the terms of use of the corresponding dataset, in line with the underlying update cycle of the respective data sets.

3.3 Authorship

The publication of the processed data and the analyses must be carried out in accordance with the terms of use of the corresponding data set under the name of the data user.

4 Terms of use

4.1 General terms of use

When using FSDI geoservices, the disclaimer of the Federal administration and the respective terms of use must be complied with in every case. You should therefore read the disclaimer carefully to ensure that you comply with the terms of use and the disclaimer.

4.2 iFrame (map.geo.admin.ch)

The mapviewer map.geo.admin.ch can be embedded as a small dynamic map (iFrame) in any website. The layout (CSS) and the functions should not be changed.

In addition, when adding one’s own or third-party data via interfaces (e.g. KML/ WMS), the terms and conditions of the third-party data owner apply and have to be respected.

Liability claims against the federal authorities - to the extent permitted by law – are excluded. This function is offered according to 4.1 General Terms of Use.

4.3 Drawing (map.geo.admin.ch)

There is no guarantee of the availability of stored drawings, no backup provided and no liability on the part of the operator swisstopo for stored data. Data is stored for one year only.

The drawing can be deleted at any time by original creator.

Third parties/the public can access drawing (view and copy, but not change).

The user undertakes not to misuse the provided drawing function and to refrain from illegal activities. Privacy and copyright regulations must be respected; misuse is punishable and can be prosecuted. In particular, protection of privacy, personal data and copyrights must not be violated. The Federal office of topography, swisstopo, reserves the right to delete such data at any time, without prior warning.

Liability claims against the federal authorities - to the extent permitted by law – are excluded. This function is offered according to 1.4 General Terms of Use.

Report a problem (map.geo.admin.ch)

By submitting your message, you agree that the information you provide may be stored, processed and possibly published in an anonymous form by an official office of the Confederation.

The user undertakes not to misuse the provided function and to refrain from illegal activities. Privacy and copyright regulations must be respected; misuse is punishable and can be prosecuted. In particular, protection of privacy, personal data and copyrights must not be violated. The Federal office of topography, swisstopo, reserves the right to delete such data at any time, without prior warning.

Liability claims against the federal authorities - to the extent permitted by law – are excluded. This function is offered according to 1.4 General Terms of Use.

4.6. Aeronautical maps (GeoIV ID 4) FOCA

For safety reasons, any operational use of the digital aeronautical charts (GeoIV ID 4) is prohibited. For operational use, the official aeronautical publications shall be used.

5 General operating conditions

5.1 Service period

The service period is the period during which the availability of the contractually agreed provisions is guaranteed. It serves as the basis for measuring availability.

The following service periods are agreed for the operation of geoservices:

Service period: Monday to Friday, 7.30 am –12 pm and 1 pm –5 pm

Federal public holidays are treated the same as Sundays.

5.2 Availability

Availability corresponds to the percentage of the service period (defined above) during which the agreed service is provided.

For geoservices, the following availability has been achieved:

Availability: 98%

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7.30 am –12 pm and 1 pm –5 pm

The period concerned is one year.

5.3 Operating hours

Operation is assured 24/7 according to the best effort principle.

5.4 Status of geoservices

The current status of the geoservices can be accessed at status.geo.admin.ch.

6 Change to the terms of use and general operating conditions of the FSDI

swisstopo reserves the right to change the general operating conditions for geoservices at any time. Clients will be informed of any changes as appropriate.

In the event of contradictions between the different language versions, the German version shall be deemed binding.

swisstopo COSIG / 01.01.2025