OGC API - Tiles

OGC API - Tiles specifies a standard for Web APIs that provide tiles of geospatial information.

Different forms of geospatial information are supported, such as tiles of vector features ("vector tiles"), coverages, maps (or imagery) and potentially eventually additional types of tiles of geospatial information.

Vector data represents geospatial objects such as points, lines, and polygons. Tiles of vector feature data (i.e. Vector Tiles) represent partitions of vector data covering a large area (e.g. lines representing rivers in a country).

In this context, a map is essentially an image representing at least one type of geospatial information. Tiles of maps (i.e. Map Tiles) represent subsets of maps covering a large area (e.g. a satellite image).

Core

The Core conformance class of OGC API - Tiles simply requires that tiles can be retrieved according to a tile matrix set, using some template URL made up of:

a tile matrix,
a tile row, and
a tile column.

That URL template and information about the tileset can either be provided through the Tileset conformance class, or by some outside mechanism.

Tileset & Tilesets List

The Tilesets List and Tileset conformance classes defines transportable end-points:

GET .../tiles Retrieves the list of tilesets available (tilesets array property whose elements contain links to the tileset with self relation type)
GET .../tiles/{tileMatrixSetId} Retrieves the metadata for a specific tileset (tiled according to a particular tile matrix set).
GET .../tiles/{tileMatrixSetId}/{tileMatrix}/{tileRow}/{tileCol} Retrieves a tile from a specific tileset (tiled according to a particular tile matrix set) in the requested tile matrix set, on the requested tile matrix (e.g. zoom level) with the requested row and column.

Dataset & GeoData Tilesets

The Dataset Tilesets conformance class defines how a list of tilesets can be associated to an OGC API dataset / landing page, while the GeoData Tilesets conformance class defines how a list of tilesets can be associated to an OGC API collection.

By combining Tiles building blocks with other OGC API standards, different types of tilesets can be provided from a single API:

Vector tiles:

(link relation: http://www.opengis.net/def/rel/ogc/1.0/tilesets-vector)

{datasetAPI}/tiles Dataset tilesets (multi-layer vector tiles)
{datasetAPI}/collections/{collectionId}/tiles Collection tilesets (vector tiles)

Map tiles (OGC API - Maps):

(link relation: http://www.opengis.net/def/rel/ogc/1.0/tilesets-map)

{datasetAPI}/map/tiles Dataset map tilesets
{datasetAPI}/collections/{collectionId}/map/tiles Collection map tilesets

Coverage tiles (OGC API - Coverages):

(link relation: http://www.opengis.net/def/rel/ogc/1.0/tilesets-coverage)

{datasetAPI}/collections/{collectionId}/coverage/tiles Collection coverage tilesets

Styled vector tiles, e.g. filtered by scale (OGC API - Styles):

(link relation: http://www.opengis.net/def/rel/ogc/1.0/tilesets-vector)

{datasetAPI}/styles/{styleId}/tiles Styled dataset tilesets (multi-layer vector tiles)
{datasetAPI}/collections/{collectionId}/styles/{styleId}/tiles Styled collection tilesets (vector tiles)

Styled map tiles (OGC API - Maps and OGC API - Styles):

(link relation: http://www.opengis.net/def/rel/ogc/1.0/tilesets-map)

{datasetAPI}/styles/{styleId}/map/tiles Styled dataset map tilesets
{datasetAPI}/collections/{collectionId}/styles/{styleId}/map/tiles Styled Collection map tilesets