How to Add GSI Maps and Aerial Photos in QGIS

Introduction

XYZ Tiles are map data you can fetch over the internet. Tile servers such as GSI Maps from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) and OpenStreetMap serve many kinds of tile maps. QGIS lets you add these tile maps easily and use them as basemaps.

This article explains how to connect an XYZ Tiles service to QGIS and display it.

What are XYZ Tiles?

XYZ Tiles are a protocol for fetching map tiles from the internet and displaying them. Map data published on the web is split into small tile images for each zoom level (the map's display magnification), so maps draw quickly.

In the XYZ Tiles format, each map tile is specified by three coordinates (X, Y, and Z):

• X: horizontal tile number
• Y: vertical tile number
• Z: zoom level

A tile URL has the format below. This structure lets you fetch the map image for any zoom level and position.

https://tile.xxxx.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

Many map tiles, such as GSI Maps and OpenStreetMap, support the XYZ Tiles format, and adding them to QGIS lets you use them as basemaps. Because QGIS fetches the tile maps over the internet, note that they do not display without an internet connection.

How to add XYZ Tiles

This section shows how to add data in the XYZ Tiles format to QGIS. The example adds GSI Maps, published by GSI.

First, check that the Browser panel is visible. If it is not, turn it on in the menu bar by checking View → Panels → Browser.

Next, in the Browser panel, right-click XYZ Tiles and click New Connection.

When the XYZ Connection dialog opens, enter a name of your choice in Name and the XYZ Tiles URL in URL. This example uses the values below. Click the OK button at the bottom.

Name: GSI Maps (Standard)
URL: https://cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp/xyz/std/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

Check the Browser panel. The connection appears in the XYZ Tiles list under the name you entered.

How to display XYZ Tiles

Now display the GSI Maps connection you added in QGIS. Just drag and drop the tile you want onto the map canvas (or double-click it), and GSI Maps appears on the map canvas.

As explained above, XYZ Tiles fetch the map image for the current zoom level and position, so the map's appearance changes when you change the scale.

If XYZ Tiles do not appear on the map canvas

Sometimes an XYZ Tiles layer you add to the Layers panel does not appear on the map canvas.

Several causes are possible. These are the most common:

1. Copy-and-paste error in the URL
If the URL has a trailing space or is otherwise incorrect, the connection fails and no map tiles appear. Check the URL and make sure it has no extra spaces or characters.

In this image, the URL ends with an unwanted space.

2. Zoom level mismatch
XYZ Tiles fetch and display different tiles for each zoom level. If the zoom level is not suitable, no matching tile exists and the map may not appear. The supported zoom levels are often listed on the provider's site, so adjust the map's zoom level to match.

3. Network connection problems
XYZ Tiles fetch tile data over the internet, so an unstable network connection can prevent tiles from loading correctly. Security on the network you use may also block the connection. Check your network connection and make sure you can connect to the internet.

Other tile maps

GSI

The GSI Maps used here have their URLs published on GSI's “GSI Tiles List” page. To use GSI Maps, you must credit the source according to the following rules:

GSI Maps | GSI Content Terms of Use

Besides GSI Maps, GSI publishes various other data, such as aerial photos and elevation maps. Here are some of these tile maps.

• Pale Map

A GSI map created with a pale color scheme.

URL: https://cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp/xyz/pale/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

• GSI Photos

A tile map made by combining the latest photos from GSI's collection of aerial photos, so that coverage of the whole country is seamless.

URL: https://cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp/xyz/seamlessphoto/{z}/{x}/{y}.jpg

• Aerial Photos by Era (circa 1936 to 1942)

Aerial photos from around 1936 to 1942. Aerial photos from other eras are also available.

URL: https://cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp/xyz/ort_riku10/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

• Color-Coded Elevation Map

A tile map that shows changes in elevation visually, using shading and graded colors.

URL: https://cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp/xyz/relief/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

• Recent Disasters

To collect and grasp damage accurately and quickly during a disaster, GSI takes aerial photos immediately after it occurs. The photos are made into orthoimages by a simple method and published as tile maps.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an open map database that anyone can use and edit freely. OpenStreetMap is also delivered in the XYZ Tiles format, so you can easily display it in QGIS. In QGIS 3.34, OpenStreetMap is already listed under XYZ Tiles in the Browser panel by default, so you can add it without registering connection details.

Tiles - OpenStreetMap Wiki (Japanese)

When you use OpenStreetMap, you must credit the source according to the following rules:

URL: https://tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

Conclusion

This article used GSI Maps as an example to show how to add and display XYZ Tiles in QGIS.

XYZ Tiles are a handy feature for fetching a variety of map tiles over the internet with ease. Adding a basemap that suits your project in QGIS should make your data visualization more effective.