WMS

What is a WMS

A Web Map Service, in short WMS, is a standard in where data is published on the Internet and can be viewed in a browser. This standard is defined by the OGC, the Open Geospatial Consortium. The data is accessible through an URL and works in any browser. A WMS layer generally exists of bitmap images of a map. The data is therefore (most of the time) an image of a map and does not contain the features and attributes. This image can be used for example as a reference layer. One of the advantages of a WMS is that the data is accessible on the internet, so you can always access it (if there is internet) and you don’t have to carry files with you anymore. Also sharing data is more easily, since you just have to provide the WMS URL, instead of the data file.

WMS in the Tygron Platform

The data from the WMS can be imported into the Tygron Platform as an Overlay.

How to add a WMS

View Overlays as WMS in other software

Show WMS URL

Of every project in the Tygron Platform, the Overlays can be viewed by making use of the WMS URL. The data, along with the same legend and colors can then be viewed in for example a GIS. Also, the WMS supports GetFeatureInfo requests to get data of a particular coordinate of the map. To view data in other software, first the WMS URL needs to be obtained. This can be done by going to the Tools menu and hover over Web interface.

Editor → Tools (Ribbon tab) → API Overview (Ribbon bar) → Show WMS url (Dropdown)

You will be redirected to a webpage in a browser. Copy the URL of the webpage. This URL is the WMS URL and can be used in a GIS.

Notes

Notice that the URL contains a token. This token is unique for the (editor) session. Read more about tokens on this page.
Everytime you open a project in the editor or start a new session, a new token is generated. Therefore when you close the project the WMS URL which contains this token will no longer be valid (since the session does not exist anymore) and a new WMS URL needs to be obtained when editing or starting a new session of the same project. When the project is on Keep alive, the WMS URL will stay the same. To set the project on Keep alive, go to the File tab in the Editor and check the box Keep editor session alive. Save the project. The project is then active and can be found in the Join menu.

Read the following pages for more information on how to add your project's WMS in different GIS: