GeoPackage Tiles (OGC raster tiles in SQLite)
Open BetaGeoPackage Tiles is the official OGC extension to the GeoPackage specification for storing raster tiles inside a single SQLite file. The service tables gpkg_tile_matrix_set and gpkg_tile_matrix define the zoom pyramid, and the tiles live as PNG blobs in a user table. One .gpkg opens in QGIS, ArcGIS and mobile GIS apps without a server or internet — a popular format for field work. On osm2cdr.ru the export renders the chosen area through QGIS into 256x256 raster tiles in Web Mercator (EPSG:3857), slices them by zoom level (z10-16 by default) and writes them into an OGC-compliant GeoPackage.
Key Features
About GPKG Tiles Format
GeoPackage Tiles is the official extension of the OGC GeoPackage standard: raster map tiles sit as PNG blobs inside an ordinary SQLite file, while service tables describe the zoom pyramid and the georeferencing. One file, no companion folders, no tile server.
This export is taken for work without the internet: a tablet in the field, a site visit, an expedition where the signal drops out. You put the file into the device's storage, the application opens it as an ordinary basemap — and the map of the area stays at hand regardless of the network.
The file holds the selected area rendered into 256x256 pixel tiles in the Web Mercator projection (EPSG:3857) following the GoogleMapsCompatible scheme, together with the gpkg_contents, gpkg_tile_matrix_set and gpkg_tile_matrix service tables. By default the zoom range runs from ten to sixteen — from a city overview down to individual buildings; the bounds of the range are set at export time.
The tiles are raster: this is a picture, not features — OSM tags are not preserved in them and clicking a building returns nothing. The tile count grows fourfold with every zoom level, so there is a limit of 50,000 tiles per file: with too large an area and deep zoom the export will stop, and the range has to be narrowed.
What Program Opens GPKG Tiles Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with GeoPackage Tiles (OGC raster tiles in SQLite) (.gpkg) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- An OGC GeoPackage Tiles SQLite file: 256x256 PNG tiles as a z10-14 Web Mercator pyramid with gpkg_tile_matrix service tables and a tile-count guard.
Who Uses GPKG Tiles Maps
How to Export GPKG Tiles
How to Open After Export
- QGIS (free) — Layer → Add Layer → Add Raster Layer, pick the .gpkg: the pyramid connects as an ordinary basemap.
- QField on a phone or tablet — copy the file to the device and attach it as the project's base map; it works offline.
- ArcGIS Pro — Add Data, choose the GeoPackage: the raster tile set connects directly.
- GDAL — gdalinfo map.gpkg shows the pyramid levels and the extent, and gdal_translate converts the tiles into GeoTIFF if you need a single raster.
- Checking the contents — this is SQLite: the query select zoom_level, count(*) from tiles group by zoom_level shows how many tiles there are at each level.
Popular maps in GPKG Tiles
Get GeoPackage Tiles (OGC raster tiles in SQLite) map exports
Download professional GPKG Tiles maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.