[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":216},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-\u002Fblog\u002Fstamen-design-and-stadia-maps\u002F":3,"related-blog-\u002Fblog\u002Fstamen-design-and-stadia-maps\u002F":179},{"id":4,"title":5,"abstract":6,"author":6,"body":7,"description":163,"excerpt":6,"extension":164,"head":6,"image":6,"keywords":165,"meta":171,"modified":6,"navigation":172,"path":173,"proficiencyLevel":6,"published":174,"rawbody":175,"schemaOrg":6,"schemaType":6,"seo":176,"stem":177,"__hash__":178},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fstamen-design-and-stadia-maps.md","Stamen Design × Stadia Maps",null,{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":150},"minimark",[10,14,32,39,56,61,75,80,89,93,96,100,109,113,116,120,127,134,137],[11,12,5],"h1",{"id":13},"stamen-design-stadia-maps",[15,16,17,18,26,27,31],"p",{},"Today, Stadia Maps and ",[19,20,25],"a",{"href":21,"rel":22,"target":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fstamen.com",[23],"external","_blank","Stamen Design"," are pleased to announce a long-term partnership. Together, we\nwill build mapping services that pair Stamen’s world-class cartography and Stadia Maps’ location platform to make great\nmaps accessible to ",[28,29,30],"em",{},"everyone",".",[15,33,34,35,38],{},"Historically, this level of cartographic excellence has been reserved for those with deep pockets—but no longer!\nBuilding on the foundational work of open data and open source, our strengths combine to crate a new class of map\nservice: maps that are world-class in design and data ",[28,36,37],{},"and"," affordable, private, and fully backed by the reliable\ninfrastructure and responsive support.",[40,41,42,43,42,50],"figure",{},"\n    ",[44,45],"img",{"alt":46,"style":47,"src":48,"title":49},"Stamen Tiles","height: 250px; width: 100%; object-fit: cover;","\u002Fimages\u002Fcontent\u002Fstamen_x_stadia.jpg","Stamen Map Tiles",[51,52,55],"figcaption",{"className":53},[54],"is-size-6","The original map tiles. Map tiles by Stamen Design, under CC BY 4.0. Data by OpenStreetMap contributors.",[57,58,60],"h2",{"id":59},"stamen-map-tiles-on-stadia-maps","Stamen Map Tiles on Stadia Maps",[15,62,63,64,69,70,31],{},"During this first phase of our partnership, we're launching maps based on the widely-used Stamen map tiles.\nThese include the Stamen Watercolor, Stamen Terrain, and Stamen Toner styles that have been\non ",[19,65,68],{"href":66,"rel":67,"target":24},"http:\u002F\u002Fmaps.stamen.com",[23],"maps.stamen.com"," for years as a free, unsupported tile service. Since launch, these map\ntiles have found their way into dozens of open source libraries, thousands of projects, and even\nthe ",[19,71,74],{"href":72,"rel":73,"target":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.si.edu\u002Fnewsdesk\u002Freleases\u002Fwatercolor-maptiles-website-enters-permanent-collection-cooper-hewitt",[23],"Smithsonian’s permanent collection",[76,77,79],"h3",{"id":78},"refreshed-styles-modern-tooling-and-a-proven-platform","Refreshed Styles, Modern Tooling, and a Proven Platform",[15,81,82,83,88],{},"As part of this launch, we reworked and refreshed the styles. Stamen rebuilt them from scratch on the\nmodern ",[19,84,87],{"href":85,"rel":86,"target":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fmaplibre.org",[23],"MapLibre"," mapping stack. Stadia Maps is serving them using their up-to-date, detailed map\ndata. As with all of Stadia Maps’ services, these map tiles will come with all the same real human support and\ncontractual guarantees, including optional SLAs.",[76,90,92],{"id":91},"flexible-extensible","Flexible & Extensible",[15,94,95],{},"By rebuilding the styles using modern tooling, we can offer map tiles for vector- or raster-based libraries, with the\nfull flexibility and customization allowed by vector styling. Users will be able to adjust colors, remove and reorder\nlayers, change the default language, and mix-in their own data with ease.",[76,97,99],{"id":98},"get-started-with-stamen-tiles-on-stadia-maps","Get Started with Stamen Tiles on Stadia Maps",[15,101,102,103,108],{},"If you're an existing user of Stamen map tiles, you can learn all you need to know in\nour ",[19,104,107],{"href":105,"rel":106,"target":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fguides\u002Fmigrating-from-stamen-map-tiles\u002F",[23],"Stamen map tiles migration guide",". If you're a\nnew user, you'll just need to create an account and start using the style URLs found in the same guide. Instructions for\nvector map styles will be released soon.",[57,110,112],{"id":111},"the-future","The Future",[15,114,115],{},"This is phase one, and we're just getting started. Together, we intend to launch more products and services based on our\ncomplimentary expertise—all on a mission to make world-class cartography accessible to everyone.",[57,117,119],{"id":118},"more-about-stamen-design-stadia-maps","More about Stamen Design & Stadia Maps",[15,121,122,123,126],{},"Since the beginning, quality cartography as been part of Stadia Maps’ DNA. We set out to build a map that was\naffordable, private, and, most of all, ",[28,124,125],{},"looked good",". In the past seven years, we’ve succeeded\nat that and more. You can find our maps, alongside our search, routing, and many other services, at the heart of\nhundreds’ of products and used by thousands of developers around the world.",[15,128,129,130,31],{},"You can reach Stadia Maps via email at ",[19,131,133],{"href":132},"mailto:support@stadiamaps.com","support@stadiamaps.com",[15,135,136],{},"For the past 20 years, Stamen has helped companies (including Meta, Amazon, and National Geographic), NGOs (including\nthe Dalai Lama and museums around the world), and individuals build beautiful and usable maps. Stamen is an early\nproponent of using OSM map data to create good maps, and when you look at almost every significant OSM-based mapping\nproject in the last decade, they—or their alumni—have played instrumental parts.",[15,138,139,140,144,145,31],{},"You can reach Stamen directly via email at ",[19,141,143],{"href":142},"mailto:info@stamen.com","info@stamen.com"," or via\ntheir ",[19,146,149],{"href":147,"rel":148,"target":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fstamen.com\u002Fcontact\u002F",[23],"contact form",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":153},"",4,[154,161,162],{"id":59,"depth":155,"text":60,"children":156},2,[157,159,160],{"id":78,"depth":158,"text":79},3,{"id":91,"depth":158,"text":92},{"id":98,"depth":158,"text":99},{"id":111,"depth":155,"text":112},{"id":118,"depth":155,"text":119},"Stadia Maps and Stamen Design are pleased to announce a long-term partnership to build mapping services to make great maps accessible to everyone.","md",[25,166,167,168,169,170],"Partnership","Map Styles","Cartography","Watercolor Maps","Toner Maps",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fstamen-design-and-stadia-maps","2023-07-27","---\ndescription: >-\n  Stadia Maps and Stamen Design are pleased to announce a long-term partnership to build mapping services to make great maps accessible to everyone.\npublished: \"2023-07-27\"\nkeywords:\n  - Stamen Design\n  - Partnership\n  - Map Styles\n  - Cartography\n  - Watercolor Maps\n  - Toner Maps\n---\n\n# Stamen Design × Stadia Maps\n\nToday, Stadia Maps and [Stamen Design](https:\u002F\u002Fstamen.com) are pleased to announce a long-term partnership. Together, we\nwill build mapping services that pair Stamen’s world-class cartography and Stadia Maps’ location platform to make great\nmaps accessible to *everyone*.\n\nHistorically, this level of cartographic excellence has been reserved for those with deep pockets—but no longer!\nBuilding on the foundational work of open data and open source, our strengths combine to crate a new class of map\nservice: maps that are world-class in design and data *and* affordable, private, and fully backed by the reliable\ninfrastructure and responsive support.\n\n\u003Cfigure>\n    \u003Cimg alt=\"Stamen Tiles\" style=\"height: 250px; width: 100%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcontent\u002Fstamen_x_stadia.jpg\" title=\"Stamen Map Tiles\"\u002F>\n    \u003Cfigcaption class=\"is-size-6\">The original map tiles. Map tiles by Stamen Design, under CC BY 4.0. Data by OpenStreetMap contributors.\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n## Stamen Map Tiles on Stadia Maps\n\nDuring this first phase of our partnership, we're launching maps based on the widely-used Stamen map tiles.\nThese include the Stamen Watercolor, Stamen Terrain, and Stamen Toner styles that have been\non [maps.stamen.com](http:\u002F\u002Fmaps.stamen.com) for years as a free, unsupported tile service. Since launch, these map\ntiles have found their way into dozens of open source libraries, thousands of projects, and even\nthe [Smithsonian’s permanent collection](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.si.edu\u002Fnewsdesk\u002Freleases\u002Fwatercolor-maptiles-website-enters-permanent-collection-cooper-hewitt).\n\n### Refreshed Styles, Modern Tooling, and a Proven Platform\n\nAs part of this launch, we reworked and refreshed the styles. Stamen rebuilt them from scratch on the\nmodern [MapLibre](https:\u002F\u002Fmaplibre.org) mapping stack. Stadia Maps is serving them using their up-to-date, detailed map\ndata. As with all of Stadia Maps’ services, these map tiles will come with all the same real human support and\ncontractual guarantees, including optional SLAs.\n\n### Flexible & Extensible\n\nBy rebuilding the styles using modern tooling, we can offer map tiles for vector- or raster-based libraries, with the\nfull flexibility and customization allowed by vector styling. Users will be able to adjust colors, remove and reorder\nlayers, change the default language, and mix-in their own data with ease.\n\n### Get Started with Stamen Tiles on Stadia Maps\n\nIf you're an existing user of Stamen map tiles, you can learn all you need to know in\nour [Stamen map tiles migration guide](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fguides\u002Fmigrating-from-stamen-map-tiles\u002F). If you're a\nnew user, you'll just need to create an account and start using the style URLs found in the same guide. Instructions for\nvector map styles will be released soon.\n\n## The Future\n\nThis is phase one, and we're just getting started. Together, we intend to launch more products and services based on our\ncomplimentary expertise—all on a mission to make world-class cartography accessible to everyone.\n\n## More about Stamen Design & Stadia Maps\n\nSince the beginning, quality cartography as been part of Stadia Maps’ DNA. We set out to build a map that was\naffordable, private, and, most of all, *looked good*. In the past seven years, we’ve succeeded\nat that and more. You can find our maps, alongside our search, routing, and many other services, at the heart of\nhundreds’ of products and used by thousands of developers around the world.\n\nYou can reach Stadia Maps via email at [support@stadiamaps.com](mailto:support@stadiamaps.com).\n\nFor the past 20 years, Stamen has helped companies (including Meta, Amazon, and National Geographic), NGOs (including\nthe Dalai Lama and museums around the world), and individuals build beautiful and usable maps. Stamen is an early\nproponent of using OSM map data to create good maps, and when you look at almost every significant OSM-based mapping\nproject in the last decade, they—or their alumni—have played instrumental parts.\n\nYou can reach Stamen directly via email at [info@stamen.com](mailto:info@stamen.com) or via\ntheir [contact form](https:\u002F\u002Fstamen.com\u002Fcontact\u002F).\n",{"title":5,"description":163},"blog\u002Fstamen-design-and-stadia-maps","9mUJe2OICajz-JFfMzUte02qGPQ2GbXY6ssFcu3-Iu8",[180,190,204],{"title":181,"description":182,"path":183,"published":184,"keywords":185,"rawbody":189},"Map Style Improvements and House Number Layer","Improved Alidade Smooth and Outdoors map styles, and added house numbers.","\u002Fblog\u002Fmap-style-improvements-highway-shields-and-house-numbers","2022-12-16",[167,186,187,188,168],"Alidade","House Numbers","Highway Shields","---\ndescription: Improved Alidade Smooth and Outdoors map styles, and added house numbers.\npublished: 2022-12-16\nkeywords:\n  - Map Styles\n  - Alidade\n  - House Numbers\n  - Highway Shields\n  - Cartography\n---\n\n# Map Style Improvements and House Number Layer\n\nToday, we’re announcing a significant set of improvements to our map data and styles. For our Alidade family of\nstyles, it's the most significant since we launched five years ago!\n\n## Low Zoom Improvements\n\n::content-twenty-twenty\n---\nafterSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-new-z0.png\"\nbeforeSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-old-z0.png\"\n---\n::\n\nBy reducing label crowding at z0, improving the display of oceans in several styles, and fixing cut labels, we have\ndramatically improved the quality of our lower zoom levels. These improvements and fixes are most noticeable for users\nof our raster [map tiles](\u002Fproducts\u002Fmaps\u002Finteractive-basemaps\u002F) and [static maps](\u002Fproducts\u002Fmaps\u002Fstatic-maps\u002F).\n\n## Improved Legibility\n\n::content-twenty-twenty\n---\nafterSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-new-countries.png\"\nbeforeSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-old-countries.png\"\n---\n::\n\nWe have differentiated a number of features better in this style update to improve legibility. The most obvious change\nis with country names, which are now much easier to pick out due to more distinctive typography. We’ve similarly\nimproved the legibility of water, state, and neighborhood labels in our Alidade Smooth and Outdoors styles.\n\n## Highway Shields\n\n::content-twenty-twenty\n---\nafterSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-new-highways.png\"\nbeforeSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-old-highways.png\"\n---\n::\n\nMinimalism has always been a guiding design principle for our Alidade Smooth family of styles. As a result, every\naddition should enhance legibility while keeping your data front and center. Highway shields pass this test with flying\ncolors and will provide valuable context for any data set. We currently offer several styles of shields within the US\nbased on the highway type (e.g., different shields for interstates and state route). Shields for US state routes and\nnational highway networks outside the US are planned for future updates.\n\n## House Numbers\n\n::content-twenty-twenty\n---\nafterSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-new-nycz14.png\"\nbeforeSrc: \"\u002Fassets\u002F2022-old-nycz14.png\"\n---\n::\n\nYou asked; we listened! Our vector tiles at z14 now include a house number layer, and you can see it in action on our\nOSM Bright style. If you would like to add house numbers to another style, check out our\nrevamped [tutorial](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fcustom-styles\u002F).",{"title":191,"description":192,"path":193,"published":194,"keywords":195,"rawbody":203},"Why Basic OpenStreetMap Routing Needs Real-Time Traffic","OpenStreetMap is a world-class road network, but without real-time traffic it's a static dataset. Here's why algorithmic ETAs fall apart in production logistics and how Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-osm-routing-needs-real-time-traffic","2026-05-12",[196,197,198,199,200,201,202],"Routing","Navigation","OpenStreetMap","Traffic Data","Matrix Routing","Logistics","TomTom","---\ndescription: >-\n  OpenStreetMap is a world-class road network, but without real-time traffic\n  it's a static dataset. Here's why algorithmic ETAs fall apart in production\n  logistics and how Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.\nexcerpt: >-\n  OpenStreetMap is great geography, but without real-time traffic it falls\n  short on ETAs. Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.\npublished: \"2026-05-12\"\nkeywords:\n  - Routing\n  - Navigation\n  - OpenStreetMap\n  - Traffic Data\n  - Matrix Routing\n  - Logistics\n  - TomTom\nauthor:\n  name: \"Ian Wagner\"\n  jobTitle: \"Founder & President \u002F COO\"\n  sameAs:\n    - \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fian-w-wagner\u002F\"\n---\n\n# Why Basic OpenStreetMap Routing Needs Real-Time Traffic\n\n> OpenStreetMap (OSM) provides a world-class geographic foundation, but it remains a static dataset. Without real-time traffic integration, routing engines must rely on algorithmic proxies—like road class and legal speed limits—which often lead to unreliable ETAs and logistics bottlenecks.\n\n## The Problem\n\n[OpenStreetMap (OSM)](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.openstreetmap.org\u002Fabout) is one of the world's leading road maps, but a persistent gap remains between fixed geographic data and a [live navigation experience](\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002F). Without dedicated traffic data, Estimated Times of Arrival (ETAs) are essentially educated guesses. While OSM is excellent at mapping the world's road network, a static dataset cannot capture the actual driving conditions at this exact moment. In enterprise-grade logistics, the lack of live data is often the first significant technical hurdle.\n\n## The Limits of Algorithmic Guesswork\n\nIn the absence of real-time data, a routing engine must estimate travel speeds based on tags and a few common proxies:\n\n- **Road Class:** Assuming a motorway is always faster than a residential street.\n- **Tagged Speed Limits:** Using the legal maximum as the baseline (when the tag even exists).\n- **Network Density:** Adjusting for urban vs. rural environments.\n- **Time of Day:** Using low-granularity buckets like \"daytime\" and \"nighttime.\"\n\nReal-world data show wild variances compared to these static estimates. Road class is a blunt instrument for predicting speed. Missing speed limit tags in open datasets force routing engines to rely on broad averages, resulting in unreliable ETAs and logistics delays. Rule-based algorithms are also notoriously bad at predicting choke points because open datasets don't account for traffic light timings, congestion near specific exits, or the \"invisible\" friction of a busy intersection.\n\n## The Stadia Maps Difference\n\nTo move from guesswork to precision, we integrated [TomTom's global traffic data](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tomtom.com\u002Fproducts\u002Ftraffic-apis\u002F) directly into the [Stadia Maps routing engine](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002F). High-resolution historical profiles and live feeds allow for accurate, real-time routing. We provide this through three key technical pillars:\n\n1. **Global Coverage:** Access to consistent data across more countries than almost any other vendor.\n2. **Rapid Updates:** A traffic latency of approximately two minutes allows our API to suggest alternate routes almost as soon as a wreck occurs.\n3. **Historical Profiles:** Deep granularity forms the backbone of predictive routing. High-resolution historical data enables accurate, time-dependent routing in advance, allowing you to plan a route for Tuesday at 8:00 AM based on what might happen on Tuesdays at 8:00 AM.\n\n## Fleet Intelligence at Scale\n\nFor dispatch, optimization, and fleet operations, [matrix routing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Ftime-distance-matrix\u002F) (calculating the time and distance between many origins and destinations) is the engine's most critical function.\n\nThe Stadia Maps infrastructure supports matrix requests that are significantly larger than most competitors allow on standard plans. By integrating traffic data directly into these large-scale requests, we eliminate the need for developers to split requests into smaller chunks, reducing unnecessary complexity and latency.\n\nDevelopers maintain full agency over their implementation. We provide the fastest route based on live conditions, but the frequency of re-routing remains entirely in your control. Choice of revalidation frequency puts you in charge of the trade-off between real-time accuracy and [scaling costs](\u002Fpricing\u002F), ensuring your bills remain as predictable as your ETAs.\n\n---\n\n[Create a free account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F) to start building with real-time traffic and high-performance routing today. Our [documentation](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002F) provides everything you need to integrate TomTom-powered precision into your existing OSM workflow.\n",{"title":205,"description":206,"path":207,"published":208,"keywords":209,"rawbody":215},"2026 Satellite Imagery Update: 37 Million km² at 30cm Resolution","The 2026 Alidade Satellite update expands 30cm-resolution coverage to 37 million km², adds seamless country-wide mosaics for Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, the UAE, and Eastern South Africa, and refreshes our global 1.5m baseline from the latest SPOT data.","\u002Fblog\u002F2026-satellite-imagery-update","2026-04-27",[210,211,212,213,214],"Satellite Imagery","Aerial Photography","Map Update","High Resolution","Alidade Satellite","---\ndescription: >-\n  The 2026 Alidade Satellite update expands 30cm-resolution coverage to 37 million km²,\n  adds seamless country-wide mosaics for Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, the UAE, and Eastern\n  South Africa, and refreshes our global 1.5m baseline from the latest SPOT data.\npublished: 2026-04-27\nkeywords:\n  - Satellite Imagery\n  - Aerial Photography\n  - Map Update\n  - High Resolution\n  - Alidade Satellite\n---\n\n# 2026 Satellite Imagery Update: 37 Million km² at 30cm Resolution\n\nIf you've built anything on top of satellite imagery, you know the pain of inconsistent resolution. You zoom into one region and get crisp rooftops. Pan over to the next and it's a blurry patchwork from three years ago. That inconsistency isn't just cosmetic: it erodes trust in whatever you're building on top of it.\n\nWe regularly refresh our [Alidade Satellite](https:\u002F\u002Fstadiamaps.com\u002Fproducts\u002Fmaps\u002Fmap-styles\u002Fsatellite-imagery\u002F) imagery as new high-resolution data becomes available from Airbus. This update is one of our most significant, expanding both the depth and freshness of our coverage.\n\n::cross-platform-map{id=\"map\" style=\"height: 400px;\"}\n---\ncenter: [139.6934, 35.6857]\nscroll-zoom: true\nzoom: 16.5\ntheme: alidade_satellite\nuse-theme-switcher: false\nuse-search: true\n---\n::\n\n## 30cm Coverage, Scaled\n\nWe now offer 37 million km² of 30cm-resolution satellite imagery, enough detail to distinguish individual vehicles, building footprints, and infrastructure at high zoom levels. For applications like urban planning tools, insurance assessments, or logistics platforms, this is the difference between useful and decorative.\n\nThis release also adds seamless 30cm country-wide mosaics for Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, the UAE, and Eastern South Africa. \"Seamless\" matters here: no visible tile boundaries, no abrupt shifts in color or season. Just consistent, high-resolution coverage across the entire country.\n\n## A Fresher Global Baseline\n\nBeyond the 30cm expansion, we've completed a full refresh of our 1.5m-resolution dataset covering the Earth's landmasses, derived from the latest SPOT Global layer. Even at lower zoom levels, you're working with current data rather than imagery that's aging out.\n\nFreshness matters as much as resolution. Across our entire dataset, the area-weighted average age is roughly 1.6 years. Nearly two-thirds of our coverage is less than a year old, and only 7% is older than three years. That share continues to shrink with each refresh.\n\nCombined with our [2025 satellite imagery refresh](https:\u002F\u002Fstadiamaps.com\u002Fblog\u002F2025-satellite-imagery-refresh\u002F), every pixel in our dataset is still 1.5m or better, with 37 million km² at 30cm and another 7 million km² at 50cm.\n\n## What This Means for Your Stack\n\nIf you're using Alidade Satellite, these updates are already live. No API changes, no migration. The same tile endpoints now serve fresher, sharper data. Integration works the same way it always has via MapLibre, Leaflet, OpenLayers, or any other mapping library that supports raster tiles.\n\nWe don't track or profile your end users. The imagery is delivered directly, with no behavioral tracking layer between your application and the tiles.\n\n## Try It\n\nThe updated satellite imagery is available now for all Stadia Maps customers. If you're new, [create a free account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F) and see the difference at zoom level 18.\n",1778676027024]