The Tile API provides access to Nearmap's high-resolution Vertical and Panorama imagery as standard map tiles. Tiles follow Google Maps Tile Coordinates (also known as Slippy Tilenames) and are served as 256×256 pixel images in a Web Mercator projection (EPSG:3857).
This is the primary API for integrating Nearmap imagery into mapping applications. Use it to add a Nearmap basemap to your app, control which survey is displayed, and apply date or tag-based filters.
Need a different projection? The Tile API only supports Web Mercator. For other projections, use Nearmap's WMS API.
Endpoints
The Tile API exposes two endpoints, differing in how the survey is selected.
Retrieve tiles for a location
GET https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/{contentType}/{z}/{x}/{y}.{format}Returns the most recent available tile for a given tile coordinate, subject to any since / until date filters you apply. This is the right endpoint for most use cases for displaying the latest imagery for a location, with optional date filters.
Retrieve tiles for a specific survey
GET https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/surveys/{surveyId}/{contentType}/{z}/{x}/{y}.{format}Returns imagery for a single, explicitly specified survey. Use this when you need to pin your application to a known capture date (for example, showing pre- and post-event imagery side by side). The surveyId is obtained from the Coverage API.
Zoom limit: Tiles are served up to the maximum zoom level of the survey. To allow deeper zoom in your application, investigate client-side upscaling supported by most major mapping frameworks. This approach reduces bandwidth and API usage.
Path parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
contentType | The imagery type to retrieve. Vert for vertical imagery; North, South, East, West for panorama orientations. |
z | Zoom level (integer). Higher values return more detailed tiles. |
x | Tile column (integer), following Google Maps Tile Coordinates. |
y | Tile row (integer), following Google Maps Tile Coordinates. |
format | Image format: jpg or png. Use png when transparency is needed. If set to img, jpeg is returned as a default. |
surveyId | (Survey endpoint only) The unique identifier for a survey, obtained from the Coverage API. |
Query parameters
Date filtering
Use since and until to constrain which surveys are eligible for rendering. Omitting both parameters returns the most recent available survey.
| Parameter | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
since | YYYY-MM-DD or relative (e.g. 12M) | Return imagery captured on or after this date. Relative values like 12M mean "at least 12 months ago". |
until | YYYY-MM-DD | Return imagery captured on or before this date. |
Tag filtering
Tags are metadata attributes attached to a subset of surveys, typically those captured after significant events. Filter using include and exclude.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
include | Only include surveys matching this tag type or type:name pair. |
exclude | Exclude surveys matching this tag type or type:name pair. |
Supported tag types include disaster, with names such as hurricane, tornado, and misc.
Example - include all disaster captures except fire:
/tiles/v3/Vert/10/940/613.img?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}&include=disaster&exclude=disaster:fireContent types
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
Vert | Vertical (nadir) imagery. The standard top-down view used for most mapping applications. |
North / South / East / West | Panorama imagery. An orthorectified mosaic of 45° oblique imagery from each cardinal direction, intended for visualization only. |
Panorama imagery notes:
- Panorama tiles cover the same geographic area as a vertical tile at the same coordinates.
- Because of the foreshortening effect, panorama tiles display correctly at 256×192px (not 256×256px). Client applications should handle this resize.
- Panorama metadata (pose, calibration) is not available — use the Coverage API for all available survey metadata.
- Panorama integration requires experience with coordinate system geometry and mapping frameworks such as OpenLayers or Leaflet. See Panorama Imagery and Coordinate Systems.
Authentication
All tile requests must include an API key as a query parameter. API keys are account-specific and manage your access to Nearmap imagery.
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/Vert/21/1855981/1265938.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}See Authentication for how to obtain and manage API keys.
Rate limits
The Tile API enforces rate limits on the number of requests per time interval. Exceeding the limit returns an HTTP 429 response.
Examples
Latest vertical tile (Australia)
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/Vert/21/1855981/1265938.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}Latest vertical tile (US)
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/Vert/19/119799/215845.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}Tile with date window
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/Vert/21/1855981/1265938.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}&since=12M&until=2018-08-01Specific survey tile (Australia)
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/surveys/100-4c51ffe8-ab52-11e8-9b7a-b3f8ca0bcb81/Vert/16/57999/39561.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}Specific survey tile (US)
https://api.nearmap.com/tiles/v3/surveys/88f1c072-0bdd-11ea-b266-130e886a3ec4/Vert/19/119799/215845.jpg?apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}Related
- Authentication - set up API key
- Coverage API - retrieve survey metadata and
surveyIdvalues - Panorama Imagery and Coordinate Systems - detailed guide to panorama tile layout
- Filter Surveys - full reference for
since,until,include, andexcludeparameters - WMS API - alternative for non-Web Mercator projections