---
title: "What is map data | Guides"
description: "Explanation of different map data types and their uses."
---

> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at [/llms.txt](https://docs.maptiler.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any URL.

# What is map data

**Map data** is the building material for a map. If this sounds unclear, see the beginner intro [What a map consists of](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/how-maps-work/#what-a-map-consists-of).

## Types of map data

Map data comes in **datasets** of various types. There are these key types:

### Tilesets

A tileset is a container with **map tiles**, which is map data cut into roughly square tiles and [organized into a pyramid](https://docs.maptiler.com/google-maps-coordinates-tile-bounds-projection/) for fast and easy access. Map tiles inside a tileset can be in different formats:

-   **Raster tilesets** contain map tiles in regular image formats (PNG, JPG, WEBP…). Raster tiles are the traditional format used to store satellite and aerial imagery.
    
-   **Vector tilesets** contain [vector features](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/how-maps-work/vector-feature/). These represent objects on a map as geometric shapes – points, lines, and polygons. Vector tiles are more modern, lightweight, and can be styled on the fly. See [Raster vs vector map tiles](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/how-maps-work/raster-vector-tiles/) to learn more.
    

### Vector data files

Vector data files contain [vector features](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/how-maps-work/vector-feature/), just like **vector tilesets**. The difference is that a vector data file is _not tiled_. It’s a single file, usually in GeoJSON format. A vector data file needs to get tiled when it’s too big to be accessed as one object.

### Other types

The mentioned dataset types (raster tilesets, vector tilesets, vector data files) are the most common, but there are other types as well, for example **raster-DEM tilesets** that contain elevation encoded as standard RGB colors, or **3D quantized polygon mesh** representing 3D terrain.

Usually, these special formats are already embedded in ready-made maps and you won’t need to work with them directly.

## How to use map data

To make your final map, you’ll typically need:

1.  A ready-made [MapTiler map](https://www.maptiler.com/maps/) as a base. All our maps contain up-to-date global map data of the right types, and you don’t need to do anything special [to use them](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/using-map/).
    
2.  Your own **custom data** that you want to add to the map. See 👉 [how to add your own map data](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/map-data/add-your-data/) to learn all about how to prepare and integrate it.
    
3.  To build a specialized map, you may need to combine your selected MapTiler basemap with **additional MapTiler data**. See 👉 [Map data by MapTiler](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/how-maps-work/maptiler-datasets/) to get more details about the individual tilesets we offer.
    

Both MapTiler data and your custom data can be also self-hosted. Check out [MapTiler Server](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/on-prem/server/) if you’re looking to host your map data on-prem.