Overview World Data

This Vector Dataset is our Premier Product for those Requiring a General Purpose World Map Data Set to use in a GIS System, or for Map Makers who wish to Create World Wall Maps or the Equivalent for Publication. It is widely used in the Cartographic Community. It forms the basis for the Popular Global Mapping Range of World Wall Maps,and Skyview and is also used by the AA for their World Maps. The 3 Newest Layers Constitute Vector Contours, World Time Zones and Tectonic Plate Boundaries. It has All You Need to Produce Detailed Maps, or Use the GIS Data Straight Into Your Own GIS System.

Vector Data Layers Include Towns, Roads, Railways, Rivers, Lakes, Administration Areas and Lines, Contours, Time Zones, Symbols and Physical Names. 

The Vector Data is Available in MapInfo Mif/Mid or ArcView Shapefile Formats, and comes with a MapInfo Workspace or ArcView Project File.

Also Available are the World Raster Contour and Hillshading Layers, and we can Provide Seamless Map Images in either Political or Physical Styles.

Intended Uses

The Overview World data is intended for use at small scales, in other words between 1:15m and 1:100m on paper. Due to the lower resolution on the screen, 1:5m is probably a reasonable maximum in a GIS or on the internet. In the GIS system it makes an ideal data set to use when zoomed out to country, continent or world level, in other words when larger-scale data would be illegible and too cluttered. It is also good, for example, for thematic mapping at continent or world level. The raster image versions are easy to use for web applications as Tiff or Gif formats can be used by any developer without any need for specialist software. For the cartographer the vector data are the perfect starting point for almost any world mapping project. Our experts have already made suitable selections for various map sizes, and made sure that all the necessary attributes are in place for you to be able to generate suitable labels and apply appropriate map styles. A special Avenza MAPublisher version is available that has been adapted to get around the limits on object complexity and the number of objects in a layer that exist in Adobe Illustrator™. If you prefer we can do the cartography for you and provide the data as ready made Illustrator EPS files, as per the examples on this sheet.

Data Content and Structure

The vector layers comprise features such as Roads, Railways, Political Lines and Polygons, Town Stamps, and so forth. Each feature has been selected by our cartographers to be suitable for use on World wall maps and similar products at scales between 1:15m and 1:60m, or in other words from a map that is over 2 metres wide down to one about 60cm wide. The features are attributed with columns such as Code, Scale and Name. These are described more fully overleaf, and vary from layer to layer. All vector layers are normally supplied in Latitude / Longitude WGS84 decimal degrees.

The raster layers are Tiff images in various styles, as well as two special background images (ECW format - see the pictures above) showing height layer colouring and grayscale hill-shading. Unless otherwise requested (at extra cost) all raster images are supplied in the Miller Cylindrical WGS84 projection.

Data Sources, Quality and Currency

The vector data set was originally assembled by XYZ in 2000 from the US Military Digital Chart of the World, now VMAP0. This is a 1:1m scale data set based on the International Aeronautical paper chart series. While it is low-cost, the data have a great many pitfalls. Firstly, with nearly 2GB of content, the layers are too detailed and contain far too many features for use in small-scale mapping. Thus our Cartographers removed a great many features. Features retained, though, have not been generalised and keep a high resolution (except in the special MAPublisher Version). Secondly, it was very out of date (many of the paper charts date back to the early 1970s), so we have revised and updated it extensively and continuously. Thirdly, the data was poorly structured, inconsistent across sheet edges, and minimally attributed. Thus we have completely revised and extended the attribute column structure and the feature coding and imposed our own XYZ standards. Fourthly, many places were shown but not named, so we have ensured there is a proper level of names meeting PCGN standards. It is our policy to use local language name forms apart from ‘International Features’, such as the Himalaya or Atlantic Ocean. Finally, we have added extra layers, including metric contours for both land and oceans and hill-shaded / layer colour images derived from the ETOPO5 DTM, and world time zones. We have also added attributes such as IATA airport codes and city populations.

Revisions & Updates

We Maintain the Data Set on a Regular Basis, to take Account of any Current Changes, for example, International Border Changes, Country or City Name Changes etc. Existing Users May Purchase an Update at any Time for a Fee of One Third of the then List Price.

Licence Terms and Conditions

For normal internal and business uses the data set is sold on a single-fee perpetual use license. The licence is in bands according to the number of concurrent users. See the Price List for details.

For public internet use the price is the Single User price per annum, inclusive of a renewal update of the data. For publishing use then in addition to the purchase of a Single User license for the data, the publisher must purchase a publication rights licence. This is in bands for Small, Medium and Large Publishers. For a Small Publisher the single fee purchase of world-wide publishing rights is the same charge as the Single User GIS licence. There are no royalties on a per copy basis.

If we provide the mapping in the form of either a finished cartographic Illustrator EPS file or a finished raster image for you to use for sale or publication, then there will be a Master Artwork supply fee, and either a royalty or fixed payment (as you prefer) that we negotiate based on your intended use and quantity.