Vector Tiles Service: available services and data

Vector tiles are packets of geodata that are packaged in predefined, roughly square-shaped "tiles" and transmitted over the web.
They can be used to provide stylized web maps and combine the advantages of pre-rendered raster map tiles with vector map data.
Content
Description
As with WMTS, the data is requested by the client as a set of "tiles" corresponding to square land areas with a predefined size and position.
Vector tiles contain vector representations of data across a range of scales. Unlike raster tiles:
- they can adapt to the resolution of your display device
- they are much smaller and faster to load
- they are optimized for mobile devices.
In addition, vector tiles allow you to create your own cartographic style without hosting or maintaining the underlying data.
The tile architecture also allows the use of standard network mechanisms for scalability such as distributed cache systems.
Map viewer: test.map.geo.admin.ch
Examples overlay with thematic maps
- Accidents with personal injury (FEDRO)
- Thermal networks (SFOE)
- Accessibility by PT (FOT)
- Nighttime road traffic noise (FOEN)
- Invasive alien plants - map of the potential area Prunus laurocerasus (FOEN)
- Tick bite model (FOPH)
All other +850 data sets in test.map.geo.admin.ch are available for overlaying
Interactivity: switch application language
Modify the portrayal
You can change the representation of an existing Vector Tile dataset yourself according to your wishes and needs and make it available on a platform you use on the Internet. Please note that only members of the federal administration have worldwide coverage with OpenMapTiles data for self-hosted map applications.
Switzerland and Lichtenstein are freely available, as well as the corresponding style file.
- Open the “official” style file (file JSON) with a web based vector style editor, e.g. maputnik Editor or maptiler Editor
- Adapt the style according to your needs
- Export your custom style in a JSON file and host it on a Web server: the file should be accessible via an URL.
Using your custom style:
- In test.map.geo.admin.ch: you need to modify the URL of the viewer as follows: add the parameter "&bgLayer_styleUrl=" followed by the URL of your custom style, e.g. https://test.map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=de&bgLayer_styleUrl=https://cms.geo.admin.ch/www.geo.admin.ch/cms_api/gl-styles/lbm_v1.0.0_simplified_grey.json
- Or in your own application
Available geodata
Dataset | Description | Style | Tile | Offline |
---|---|---|---|---|
Light Base Map Coverage: Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
The map combines different data sets of the federal government (ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte.vt). It corresponds to the swisstopo product: Light Base Map / Schema |
Layername for Tile,Style,Offline: ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte.vt |
||
Style request | Tile request | mbtile | ||
Imagery Base Map Coverage: Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
The Imagery Base Map is a combination of up-to-date aerial photographs and cartographic elements. It corresponds to the swisstopo product Imagery Base Map / Schema Terms of use: the map and the geoservice that provides it may be used in accordance with swisstopo's Terms of Use for Free Geodata and Geoservices (OGD) and the General Terms of Use and Operating Conditions of the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure FSDI. |
Layername for Tile & Offline: ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte.vt LayerName for Style: ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte-imagery.vt |
||
Style request | Tile request | mbtile | ||
All vector tiles products Coverage: global |
The use of the vectortiles.geo.admin.ch service with the light base map map / Imagery Base Map (consisting of org.openstreetmap-openmaptiles.vt, org.openmaptiles-contours.vt, org.openmaptiles-relief.vt ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte.vt / ch.swisstopo.leichte-basiskarte-imagery.vt) is only permitted for administrative units of the Federal Administration in accordance with Annex 1 of the Government and Administration Organization Ordinance. The data for the area outside of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein will be obtained through the third-party provider openmaptiles.org by the Federal Administration for the period 1.1.2021-31.12..2022. |
Federal government administrative units may contact info@geo.admin.ch. External users may contact the external provider maptiler.ch. |
Access
Portals & references
- Standard: Mapbox Vector tiles specification
- Standard: Mapbox GL style specification
- Editor styles
- - Maputnik free and open source visual editor for Mapbox GL style specification
- - cloud.maptiler.com
- General information about styles
- - Edit the map design: mapbox style specification
- - Publish your custom map style: maplibre GL JS oder mapbox GL JS
Definitions
- «Vector Tiles» in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_tiles
Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COGIS (Coordination, Geo-Information and Services)
Seftigenstrasse 264
P.O. Box
3084 Wabern
- Tel.
- 0041 58 469 03 15
- Fax
- 0041 58 469 04 59
geo.admin.ch
c/o
Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COGIS (Coordination, Geo-Information and Services)
Seftigenstrasse 264
P.O. Box
3084 Wabern