Map Tiles Downloader

A super easy to use GUI for downloading map tiles

So what does it do?

This tiny python based script allows you to download map tiles from Google, Bing, Open Street Maps, ESRI, NASA, and other providers. This script comes with an easy to use web based map UI for selecting the area and previewing tiles.

Just run the script via command line

python server.py

Then open up your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080. The output map tiles will be in the output\{timestamp}\ directory by default.

Requirements

Needs Python 3.0+, Pillow library, and a modern web browser. Other Python versions could work but aren't yet tested. If you can't install manually, try docker for easy setup.

Via Docker

Docker is a pretty simple way to install and contain applications. Install Docker on your system, and paste this on your command line:

docker run -v $PWD/output:/app/output/ -p 8080:8080 -it aliashraf/map-tiles-downloader

Now open the browser and head over to http://localhost:8080. The downloaded maps will be stored in the output directory.

Purpose

I design map related things as a hobby, and often I have to work with offline maps that require tiles to be stored on my local system. Downloading tiles is a bit of a headache, and the current solutions have user experience issues. So I built this tiny script in a couple of hours to speed up my work.

Features

• Super easy to use map UI to select region and options
• Multi-threading to download tiles in parallel
• Cross platform, use any OS as long as it has Python and a browser
• Dockerfile available for easy setup
• Supports 2x/Hi-Res/Retina/512x512 tiles my merging multiple tiles
• Supports downloading to file as well as mbtile format
• Select multiple zoom levels in one go
• Ability to ignore tiles already downloaded
• Specify any custom file name format
• Supports ANY tile provider as long as the url has x, y, z, or quad in it
• Built using MapBox ❤️

Important Disclaimer

Downloading map tiles is subject to the terms and conditions of the tile provider. Some providers such as Google Maps have restrictions in place to avoid abuse, therefore before downloading any tiles make sure you understand their TOCs. I recommend not using Google, Bing, and ESRI tiles in any commercial application without their consent.

Stay In Touch

For latest releases and announcements, check out my site: aliashraf.net

License

This software is released under the MIT License. Please read LICENSE for information on the software availability and distribution.

Copyright (c) 2020 Ali Ashraf