vector_map_tiles #

A plugin for flutter_map that enables vector tiles with slippy maps and hardware-accelerated GPU rendering in Flutter.

Loads vector tiles from a source such as Mapbox or Stadia Maps, and renders them as a layer on a flutter_map.

See it in action on YouTube:

Flutter GPU Preview #

This version of vector_map_tiles has a new rendering backend which makes use of flutter_gpu to achieve better performance. Please note that this branch is in preview state — we encourage you to try it out and share your feedback. If you encounter any bugs, performance issues, or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue with this template so we can continue refining and stabilizing.

Version 10.0.0-beta #

Version 10.0.0 depends on flutter_gpu and the Flutter development channel, which are pre-release software and can change at any time. See details on the official Flutter GPU page.

For production apps, use version 8.0.0 or version 9.0.0-beta.8 of this library.

Known Issues #

Issues for incomplete/unimplemented features, defects, questions and feedback: issues label:10.0.0

See the gallery for more examples.

Installing #

Install vector_map_tiles from pub.flutter-io.cn. Then, if using vector_map_tiles version 10 or higher follow the steps below.

Note: After updating this dependency, run flutter clean && flutter pub get in the main folder of the Flutter app (e.g. ./example) to ensure that shaders are recompiled with the latest changes.

Steps #

This version of vector_map_tiles depends onflutter_gpu, which is currently available on the main flutter channel. To setup, run:

flutter channel main && flutter upgrade

Enable Flutter GPU via the manifest setting. This can be done either via command line argument --enable-flutter-gpu or by adding the FLTEnableFlutterGPU key set to true on iOS / MacOS or io.flutter.embedding.android.EnableFlutterGPU metadata key to true on Android. This is already done in the example project for iOS and MacOS.

Ensure that Impeller is enabled. Read on how to enable impeller here.

If you encounter errors while building the app, install cmake.

Usage #

Read the map style:

  Future<Style> _readStyle() => StyleReader(
          uri:
              'https://tiles.stadiamaps.com/styles/osm_bright.json?api_key={key}',
          apiKey: stadiaMapsApiKey,
          logger: const Logger.console())
      .read();

Create the map:

 FlutterMap(
    mapController: _controller,
    options: MapOptions(
        center: style.center ?? LatLng(49.246292, -123.116226),
        zoom: style.zoom ?? 10,
        maxZoom: 22,
        interactiveFlags: InteractiveFlag.drag |
            InteractiveFlag.flingAnimation |
            InteractiveFlag.pinchMove |
            InteractiveFlag.pinchZoom |
            InteractiveFlag.doubleTapZoom),
    children: [
      // normally you would see TileLayer which provides raster tiles
      // instead this vector tile layer replaces the standard tile layer
      VectorTileLayer(
          theme: style.theme,
          sprites: style.sprites,
          // tileOffset: TileOffset.mapbox, enable with mapbox
          tileProviders: style.providers),
    ],
  )

See the example for details.

Customizing a Theme #

A theme can be built-in to your application:

VectorTileLayer(theme: ThemeReader().read(_myTheme()), ...)

Specifying Alternate Tiles #

Tiles can be loaded from alternate sources:

VectorTileLayer(tileProviders: TileProviders(
                    {'openmaptiles': _tileProvider() },
                    ...)
                )

VectorTileProvider _tileProvider() => NetworkVectorTileProvider(
            urlTemplate: 'https://tiles.example.com/openmaptiles/{z}/{x}/{y}.pbf?api_key=$myApiKey',
            // this is the maximum zoom of the provider, not the
            // maximum of the map. vector tiles are rendered
            // to larger sizes to support higher zoom levels
            maximumZoom: 14),

Tile Providers for other tile sources #

More Examples #

A more complete example showing use of this library is available in the examples repository flutter-vector-map-tiles-examples. The examples include use with multiple themes, tile providers, contours, hillshade and network-loaded styles.

Themes and Tile Providers #

Themes and tile providers must be matched to have a working configuration, since themes reference layers and properties in the vector tile.

While we don't test with all configurations, the following themes have been tested with this library:

Tiles from Maptiler or Stadia Maps

• OSM Liberty
• OSM Bright
• Klokantech Basic
• Dark Matter

Tiles from mapbox

• Mapbox Outdoors
• Mapbox Streets
• Mapbox Light
• Mapbox Dark

Other combinations of theme/provider may work too.

Some tile providers offer tiles with more detail that are intended to be drawn at a higher zoom level. For example, Mapbox provdies tiles tiles that render at 512px instead of the default 256px (Mapbox docs). Set VectorTileLayerOptions.tileOffset with these providers.

Elevation Contours from DEM (Beta) #

Elevation contour lines are available by adding a raster-dem tile source. See the example:

• creating a DEM tile source
• add contour lines to the theme
• add elevation labels to the theme

Attribution #

Examples provided in vector_map_tiles make use of Mapbox and Stadia Maps, both of which require attribution. Be sure to read the terms of service of your tile data provider to ensure that you understand their attribution requirements.

Upgrading #

For guidance on upgrading from a previous version of this library, see the Upgrading Guide.

Development #

Continuous Integration #

CI with GitHub Actions:

Sponsorship #

Development of this library is supported by Epic Ride Weather, the app that helps cyclists beat the rain and cheat the wind.

License #

Copyright 2021 David Green

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.