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Tracking: PMTiles parity with GeoLibre #557
Description
RustGIS reads PMTiles v3 archives (raster and vector, desktop file or web address by range requests, in the browser too) and draws them with the built-in or a per-layer style. GeoLibre does more with them. This issue tracks closing the gap, one pull request per item. Part of #77.
Reading and navigation
- Brotli and Zstandard archives: today only uncompressed and gzip archives open; many published archives use the other two (feat(pmtiles): Brotli and Zstandard archives; frame and zoom to archives #560)
- Frame the map on a new archive from its header bounds, as GeoLibre does (feat(pmtiles): Brotli and Zstandard archives; frame and zoom to archives #560)
- Zoom To Layer for tile layers in Contents (archive bounds, falling back to the layer's extent) (feat(pmtiles): Brotli and Zstandard archives; frame and zoom to archives #560)
Querying
- Identify and popups on vector tile features (PMTiles and other MVT layers): the features under the pointer with their attributes, as GeoLibre's popup and identify-all do (feat(identify): pop-ups for vector tile features (PMTiles, MBTiles, MVT) #565)
Source layers and styling
- Source layers in Contents: the archive's
vector_layerslisted under the tile layer, each with its own visibility - Style each source layer in the Format pane: fill, stroke, width, point size and opacity, kept with the project (
map.setTilesable to changelayers/styleLayers) - Filters and legend swatches for vector tile source layers
Basemaps
- A PMTiles archive as a basemap with flavours (light, dark, white, grayscale, black) for Protomaps-schema archives, from a URL or a local file. The flavours are our own styles, drawn for RustGIS (no third-party styles, see AGENTS.md)
Creating archives
- Vector to PMTiles: a geoprocessing tool writing a layer as vector tiles (MVT) in a PMTiles archive, zoom range chosen (feat(tiles): export vector layers to PMTiles #1006)
- Raster to PMTiles: a raster layer as PNG/WebP tiles in a PMTiles archive (band, colour map, resampling, zoom range)
- PMTiles Extract / offline basemap: an area and zoom range cut out of a remote archive (e.g. a planet build) over range requests into a local
.pmtiles, then added as a basemap or overlay
Python
-
Map.add_pmtiles(url, name=…, source_layers=…, style=…)in therustgispackage, plus docs (feat(python): add PMTiles archive helper #870)
Not planned
- AVIF tiles: needs a C decoder (dav1d) and would break the pure-Rust and wasm rules
- PMTiles v2 archives: GeoLibre does not read them either
Activity
feat(pmtiles): Brotli and Zstandard archives; frame and zoom to archi…
feat(identify): pop-ups for vector tile features (PMTiles, MBTiles, M…
choupeanut commentedon Oct 25, 2026
I'm taking the Python item only: add Map.add_pmtiles(url, name=…, source_layers=…, style=…) through the existing map.addTiles command, shared with Session. I'll preserve the existing tile styling and widget synchronization behavior, add offline Python regression tests and docs, and introduce no dependencies or command/project format changes. The remaining parity items stay open.
deniial00 commentedon Oct 28, 2026
I'd like to take Source layers in Contents next. Here's the plan. It adds one optional project field and one optional
map.setTilesparameter, so per CONTRIBUTING ("Coordinate first") I'll wait for a go-ahead before writing much code.What the user sees
A vector PMTiles or MBTiles tile layer in the Layers pane gets the expand chevron (it shows today only for layers with legends). Expanded, it lists the archive's
vector_layersunder the tile row, each with a visibility checkbox. A layer that has legends as well shows both. Unticking a source layer hides its fills, lines, points and labels, and identify and pop-ups skip it. The choice is kept with the project and can be undone.Commands and model
TileLayer.hidden_layers: Vec<String>(hiddenLayersin the project, left out when empty): the source layers switched off. Older projects open unchanged.map.setTilesgains"hiddenLayers"?: [name], which replaces the hidden set (names are trimmed, deduplicated and capped). The Layers pane checkboxes dispatch it, so the CLI, Python, the Assistant and MCP get it too.map.tileslistssourceLayers(the archive's names, once its metadata is in) andhiddenLayersfor each vector archive.How it draws
rustgis_tiles::source::Specgetshidden_layers. It is part ofSpec::key(), andresolvedrops the style layers whosesource-layeris hidden. Every consumer of the resolved style follows from that one change: CPU drawing, the picture cache, GPU meshes (keyed by the resolved style) anddraw::pickfor identify. This holds for the built-in look, the named-layer look and customstyleLayersalike.Tests and docs
tiles: resolving with a hidden set drops just those style layers, and the key differs.engine: a PMTiles archive built in code with two source layers.map.tileslists both; hiding one leaves its features out of identify; the setting survives a project round trip and undoes. BadhiddenLayersvalues are refused, andhostile_params_never_panicstays green.ui-egui: a harness test that ticks a source-layer checkbox, plus aui_shotbefore/after screenshot for the PR.docs/user-guide/maps.md(tile layers in the Layers pane).Out of scope here: per-source-layer styling, filters and legend swatches (the next two items), and TileJSON/OGC vector tile layers.
feat(tiles): source layers of a vector archive in the Layers pane, ea…
choupeanut commentedon Oct 29, 2026
I will take the Raster to PMTiles item. I will reuse the existing raster renderer and PMTiles writer to export styled Web Mercator PNG tiles at a chosen zoom range, with bounded work, no new dependencies and regression coverage for archive contents and invalid inputs. This is separate from the source-layer visibility work already in progress.