Open infrastructure for an open 3D world.
OpenTiles is an open-source initiative for building tools, datasets, and infrastructure for streaming and rendering geospatial data.
Our goal is simple: make it possible to build rich, global 2D and 3D mapping applications using open data, open standards, and open-source software, without depending on proprietary geospatial platforms.
Modern 3D mapping platforms provide incredible global datasets, but much of that data is available only through proprietary APIs and hosted services. OpenTiles explores a different approach: take openly available elevation, imagery, building, and geographic datasets and turn them into formats that can be efficiently consumed by applications, game engines, simulations, GIS tools, and custom renderers.
The organization focuses on projects around:
- Global terrain and elevation tiles
- OGC 3D Tiles and glTF
- Open building and geographic datasets
- Tile generation, conversion, caching, and streaming
- Lightweight geospatial servers
- Rendering tools and engine integrations
- Cloud-optimized distribution of large geospatial datasets
Whenever possible, generated datasets should be reproducible from their original open sources, rather than becoming another closed service.
OpenTiles is not intended to create another proprietary map platform.
It is an attempt to build the pieces of an open geospatial stack that anyone can host, extend, study, and use.
Open source. Open data. Open standards. No vendor lock-in.
