Introduction
This web page provides information on how to access Landcare Research's Web Map Services.
These services have been established and are operated by the Infomatics team at Landcare Research New Zealand Limited. We intend to make additional web map services available in the future. The first set of services provide access to a topographic base map of New Zealand and layers from the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI). The NZLRI is a national database of physical land resource information. You can find out more about the NZLRI on the LRIS portal.
Currently two types of Web Map Services are provided: OpenGIS® Web Map Service Interface Standard (WMS) Version 1.1.1 and WMS Tile Caching (WMS-C).
The OpenGIS® Web Map Service Interface Standard (WMS) provides a simple HTTP interface for requesting geo-registered map images from one or more distributed geospatial databases. A WMS request defines the geographic layer(s) and area of interest to be processed. The response to the request is one or more geo-registered map images (returned as JPEG, PNG, etc) that can be displayed in a browser application. We have implemented WMS using MapServer.
Using the WMS-C protocol it is possible to request pre-cached map tiles stored on a server or the network. This increases speed and reduces server load. WMS-C is a constrained profile of OGC WMS. We have implemented WMS-C using TileCache. Use WMS-C if performance, specifically the time it takes to draw the map, is a key requirement.
In the near future we hope to be able to provide maps using OpenGIS Web Map Tile Services (WMTS).
The Legal Stuff (back to top)
Terms of Use of the Content
Landcare Research has compiled the maps available through these services from information derived from a variety of sources. The information may not be complete, correct or up to date. Landcare does not accept responsibility for any actions taken in reliance on it or consequences arising from the use of it.
The web services use data for the basemap layers sourced from the Land Information New Zealand.s NZTopo Database and Landcare Research's own in-house datasets. Do not use the maps for navigation purposes or any application which potentially lives might depend on.
The science information provided by this service is licensed under
Creative Commons CC-BY New Zealand license.
If you use the web services and publish the spatial information to the public without adapting it, the following attribution to Landcare Research should be used in your work/product/application:
Source: Landcare Research and licensed by Landcare Research for re-use under Creative Commons CC-BY New Zealand license.
Amongst other things, the licence provides that:
- Except as required by law or as otherwise agreed in writing between us, the maps are licensed by Landcare Research on an "as is" and "as available" basis and without any warranty of any kind, either express or implied.
- Subject to any liability which may not be excluded or limited by law Landcare Research shall not be liable on any legal basis (including without limitation negligence) and expressly excludes all liability for loss or damage howsoever and whenever caused to you.
"Any maps you request from our web services MUST display the relevant copyright and license statement. For the science data layers the following should be used:
© Landcare Research 2012 CC-BY NZ License
Basemap layers should include the following:
© Landcare Research 2012. Contains data sourced from LINZ. Crown Copyright Reserved.
A copyright layer is available from the WMS's which you can overlay on the map you request (see using the copyright layer with Openlayers for more information).
Terms of Use of the Site and the Web Services
By using this site and the web services provided you agree, and are deemed, to be bound by the following Terms. If you choose not to be bound by the following Terms, then Landcare Research does not grant you the right to use this site and it's services.
- Landcare Research may vary these Terms at any time. Amendments will be effective immediately upon posting of the amended Terms of Use on this website and by continuing to use the site and its services after the Terms have been varied you agree, and are deemed, to be bound by the variation.
- You are responsible for ensuring you are familiar with the latest Terms of Use, which were last updated on 18th April 2012.
- You agree that you will not attempt to alter the web services nor employ any robot, spider, or other device or process or means whatever to use this site and the services for any unauthorised purposes. You agree not to:
- make excessive traffic demands of the site and web services;
- deliver viruses or forward any other system which is of a destructive nature or capable of so being whether alone or in combination;
- otherwise engage in any other behaviour that may be reasonably expected to inhibit other users from using and enjoying the web services; or
- damage or destroy the reputation of Landcare Research.
- You acknowledge that Landcare Research may terminate, suspend or restrict your access to the web services at any time at its absolute discretion.
- You also acknowledge that Landcare Research may suspend the operation of the services for repair or maintenance work or in order to update the contents or functionality of the website and the web services.
- You accept that access to or use of the site and web services will not necessarily be uninterrupted or error free.
- Landcare Research reserves the right to modify or terminate the web services for any reason without notice at any time.
- Were possible we will make an announcement on this web page of any proposed changes to the web services, interruptions to the services or termination of the services.
About the services (back to top)
OGC WMS
Landcare Research's NZ Topographic Basemaps
This WMS is for Landcare Research's Topographic Basemaps, operated as part of the SCENZ-Grid project. The data contained includes the terrain, hydrography, transport infrastructure, settlements, coastline and coastal features of New Zealand. This service runs from a MapServer on top of a PostgreSQL / PostGIS database. Projections currently supported are NZGD49 , WGS84 and NZTM.
URL: http://maps.scinfo.org.nz/basemaps/wms?version=1.1.1&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities
Double click on a layer to view a preview map (however, the map may be slow to load...)
Example GetMap request:
Landcare Research's Land Resource Inventory
This is a WMS for Landcare Research's Land Resource Inventory, operated as part of the SCENZ-grid project. The data is sourced from Landcare Research's New Zealand Resource Inventory (NZLRI), a single spatial (polygon) layer with national coverage. The data contained in this project comprises several physical resource themes: Land Use capability, Lithology, Soil, etc. This service runs from a MapServer on top of a PostgreSQL / PostGIS database. Projections currently supported are NZGD49, WGS84 and NZTM.
URL: http://maps.scinfo.org.nz/lri/wms?version=1.1.1&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities
Double click on a layer to view a preview map (however, the map may be slow to load...)
To view legends/keys for our science layers click here. Alternatively, dynamic legends can be accessed via the GetLegendGraphic request, see below for an example.
Example GetMap request:
Example GetLegendGraphic request:
OSGEO WMS-C
**Our WMS-C services are currently limited. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope to fix things as soon as possible.**
Projections supported are WGS84 and NZTM.
Landcare Research's NZ Topographic Basemaps - cached
URL: http://maps.scinfo.org.nz/basemaps/wms-c?version=1.1.1&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities
Layers available: (see WMS capabilities for Basemap above)
Example GetMap request:
Landcare Research's Land Resource Inventory - cached
URL: http://maps.scinfo.org.nz/lri/wms-c?version=1.1.1&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities
Layers available: (see WMS capabilities for LRI above)
Example GetMap request:
To find out how to use our services in Openlayers or desktop GIS like Quantum GIS and uDig, ... click here.
Known Problems (back to top)
In attempting to provide useful and usable operational web map services we have encountered a number of issues.
- Performance: There are significant performance issues at present. We are working on ways to improve the response times to requests for maps. In the meantime, WMS GetMap requests operate best when maps of small areas or at large scale are requested.
- When viewing WMS-C cached tiles in desktop GIS applications, the best results are achieved using one of the recommended scales (see using WMS-C with Openlayers for more information).
- GetFeatureInfo requests are not currently supported by the WMS services (requests are sent to a cascading map service (MapServer) which cannot forward these requests on to our internal map servers).
- GetLegendGraphic requests are supported for the science WMS, to view these legends and their corresponding requests click here. However, GetLegendGraphic is not currently supported for the WMS-C services, we are working on ways to achieve this.
- The Capabilities document, provided in response to the GetCapabilities request to the WMS-C, is limited in the amount of metadata provided about the layers. This is a limitation of the TileCache software.
Further Information (back to top)
If you have any enquiries about the information or services provided, please contact us: lris_support@landcareresearch.co.nz
We also provide a OGC CSW (Catalog Services for the Web) which can be used to discovery information on spatial data sets held by Landcare Research. More information on the CSW service can be found here.
The web services provided here are one element of scinfo.org.nz, a new repository of authoritative New Zealand science datasets and information. It is has been created in response to a growing expectation that government and publicly funded science data should be readily available in authoritative human and machine readable forms.
scinfo.org.nz is hosted by the Informatics Team at Landcare Research. We are a team of 30 data researchers, software developers and system engineers with deep experience in managing specialist science data resources and using them for our research and to support natural resource policy and management. We have particular specialist knowledge of geospatial datasets, satellite image analysis, taxonomic data, laboratory data and web services.
Last updated: 18 April 2012