Web Map Services (WMS)

Web Map Services allow you to display air photos and other maps on your computer without having to download all the data. The air photos and data are stored and maintained by the organization providing the service. The service only has to send a picture made from the small part of the dataset that you are looking at, as you need it. This efficiency means that the WMS display is generally very fast.

Using a WMS means:

  • You get just what you need to see without having to download and store datasets that are often very, very large.
  • You see the most up-to-date version of the data

How to Use a WMS

More about using WMS...

Minnesota Geospatial Image Service

Displays a collection of air photos, hillshade, and topographic maps as seamless layers

Composite Image Service

Automatically displays an air photo or satellite image depending on the viewing scale and extent

Original Public Land Survey Plats

More than 3,600 maps, along with subsequent General Land Office (GLO) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plats, documenting the evolution of Minnesota’s land survey framework.