The data in the HERE Vector Tile API is organized in layers according to the definitions specified by the Tilezen open-source project started by Mapzen. The HERE Vector Tile API has some changes and simplifications on top of that layer definition, but all these changes are backwards compatible and comply with the specification. Specifically, all mandatory properties and all must-have values are still included. Some optional properties have been removed from the HERE Vector Tile API to better align the layer structure with the HERE Vector Tile API own data and processing logic.
The sections below include all the information necessary to understand the layer structure. The HERE Vector Tile API uses the same structure as the original layer definition to make it easier to find the changes, and follows the same SEMANTIC VERSIONING statement as originally formulated by Tilezen.
Need help displaying vector tiles in a map? Here are several examples using the HERE Vector Tile API to style in your favorite graphics library including HERE Maps API for JavaScript, Mapbox, and Tangram.
The property source is generally omitted in all tiles. Assume that the value is here.com unless stated otherwise.
However, for some regions of the world within the corelayer parameter (for example, Japan), this property is present, and the property value indicates the data source provider. In case of Japan, the value is ipc.
Definition of Terms
common - These layers, properties, and kinds are generally available across all features in a response.
Establishes basic selection of features and their arrangement into specific named layers.
Core properties needed for display and labeling of features:
Special bits that make vector tile content interoperable, including kind, kind_detail, landuse_kind, min_zoom, and sort_rank.
Fundamental properties like name (including localized names) that are included in almost every feature.
common-optional - These are meant to be part of a common set but may not be present because they aren't relevant or because we don't have the data (primarily feature properties, but could also be layers).
Used to refine feature selection.
Lightly transformed interoperable properties based on original data values.
Fundamental properties like population.
optional - These are properties of a specific, less important kind, or generally present across kinds, but only in exceptional cases.
Often used to "decorate" features already selected for display.
Feature Names
Most features in a vector tile include a basic name property in the common list of properties, such as:
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
This definition supports several additional name-related properties (optional):
name:short - For example, CA for California.
name:left - The name to be shown on the left side of the border.
name:right - The name to be shown on the right side of the border.
There are some layers in which the name property is considered optional. For example, for features in the boundaries layer, instead of name, the properties name:left and name:right are used for oriented labeling on the appropriate side of the boundary line. This allows the labeled polygon's text to appear inside that polygon consistently. The example below illustrates the usage of the left and right properties. In this case, the country labels in the boundaries layer would include something like:
kind : country
name:left : Қазақстан
name:right : Россия
This means that for that particular location, if you are using local languages to render your map, you should label the left side of the border with "Қазақстан" and the right side with "Россия".
Name Localization
HERE includes all language variants of the name:* values to enable full internationalization when available.
Language variants are identified by an ISO 639-1 two-letter language code and, optionally, ISO 15924 four-letter script code for example, en for English and zh-Hant for Traditional Chinese. As a result, the country of Greece would use something like:
kind : country
name : Ελλάδα
name:en : Greece
Localized Name Properties (common-optional)
name:* - The name to call the feature in a localized language indicated by its language code. For example, name:en : Germany.
name:en - The name to call the feature in English. If no data is available basing on the language code, might be compiled from English/Latin transliteration of existing language representations.
name:left:* - The localized name to be shown on the left side of the border.
name:right:* - The localized name to be shown on the right side of the border.
Geometry Types
Individual vector tile layers can include mixed geometry types. This is common in the landuse, water, and buildings layers.
A tile geometry can be one of three types:
point - point, multipoint
line - linestring, multilinestring
polygon - polygon, multipolygon
Data Updates
The vector tile content is updated regularly, sometimes multiple times per day.
Changelog
The current version of the HERE vector tile layer definition is v1.0.28.
Tiles are still in active development, but we try to minimize backwards incompatible breaking changes. Data model promises are listed in the SEMANTIC VERSIONING statement.
The ordering of features, which determines which features are rendered "on top of" other features, can be an important issue when rendering maps. To assist map rendering, there is a sort_rank property on some features that suggests in what order the features should appear. Lower numbers indicate that features should appear "towards the back" and higher numbers indicate "towards the front". These numbers are consistent across layers.
The layers that include sort_rank on their features are:
All of these layers are part of the tile in the response when you use the API to make a request within the baselayer parameter. For more information on the available endpoints and parameters, see the Swagger spec.
Landuse
Landuse polygons represent parks, forests, universities, airports, sports facilities and residential, commercial, industrial and other areas.
The following figure illustrates an example of such a polygon when rendered.
Figure 1. Central Park in New York
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: landuse
Geometry types: point, polygon, line
Landuse Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a landuse feature.
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
id - This is an ID used internally within HERE.
kind - Landuse polygons can be one of the options listed below.
sort_rank - This property is a suggestion for which order to draw features. The value is an integer where smaller numbers suggest that features should be "behind" features with larger numbers.
area - This property is in square meters (spherical Mercator, no real-world). It is valid for polygon features only.
min_zoom - This property contains a suggested minimum zoom at which the landuse polygon should become visible.
Landuse Properties (common-optional)
toll - An optional boolean property that indicates if a fee must be paid by general traffic to travel the feature. This property can only have the following values: true. Available only for polygonal road kindsexpressway, urban_expressway, and other_road.
kind_detail - For possible values, see the kind_detail list below.
Landuse kind and sort_rank Values
Here are the possible landuse kind values ordered by sort_rank:
urban_area - 16 (for neighbourhood boundaries)
reservation - 17
national_park - 18 (for state parks, national parks, and national forests)
Additionally, there are a kind and sort_rank values with limited coverage in Australia and New Zealand at zoom 15 and higher for display of lines that represent land parcels:
parcel - 230
Landuse kind and sort_rank Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind and sort_rank values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind values ordered by sort_rank within the core layer parameter for Japan:
underground_city - 0 (for underground passages)
city_mesh - 1 (for city mesh polygons that are under city areas)
place_of_worship - 47 (for different religious areas)
railway_station - 47 (for simplified polygonal representation of railway station areas at lower zooms 13-15)
commuter_station - 48 (for simplified polygonal representation of commuter station areas at lower zooms 13-15)
sand - 89 (for sandy soils, including beaches and golf course sand traps)
school - 93
grass - 125 (for green tracts such as lawns)
paved_area - 189 (for generic paved areas)
dam polygon - 223
breakwater - 224
block - 385 (for city block polygons)
city_divider - 385 (for traffic dividers at the toll booth)
pedestrian - 386 (for sidewalks in main streets; a temporary sort rank to place on top of the water)
outdoor_facility - 397 (for outdoor facilities)
grassland - 401 (for afforested areas, green areas that are not part of forest, and golf course fairways to differentiate from the rest of green areas)
steps - 403 (for stairs)
divider - 405 (for traffic dividers)
tunnel_entrance - 421 (for tunnel entrances and exits)
Landuse kind and sort_rank Values for Certain Areas in core (decorative lines)
Additionally, there are a few kind and sort_rank values with limited coverage in Japan at zoom 14 and higher for display of lines that can be styled with decorative purposes:
decorative_dashed_line - 403 (for dashed lines such as tunnel edge lines)
decorative_solid_line - 407 (for solid lines)
toll_gate - 408 (for toll gates)
flood_gate - 409 (for flood gates)
erosion_control_dam - 410 (for erosion control dams)
Landuse kind and sort_rank Values for Certain Areas in core (polygonal roads)
Additionally, there are a few kind values with limited coverage in Japan at zoom 14 and higher for detailed polygonal representation of roads - see is_present_in_landuse in the road properties:
other_road - 378 (for other roads such as tertiary, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
major_road - 380 (for major roads such as secondary, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
national_road - 381 (for national roads such as primary, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
urban_expressway - 381 (for urban expressway roads such as motorway, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
expressway - 384 (for expressway roads such as motorway, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
road_in_restricted_area - 400 (for roads in restricted areas such as parks, pedestrian areas, or golf courses, NOT represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
road_under_construction - 401 (for roads under construction, also represented as centerlines in the roads layer)
Landuse kind_detail Values
Below are these kind_detail values:
environmental - for low_emission_zone kind
congestion - for low_emission_zone kind
Landuse kind_detail Values for Certain Areas in core
Below are these kind_detail values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
primary - for national_road kind
secondary_city - for major_road kind
tertiary - for major_road kind
tertiary_city - for major_road kind
service - for other_road kind
Low Zoom Consolidation
At zooms lower than 12, the HERE Vector Tile API consolidates some landuse kinds to reduce the amount of superfluous detail and give adjacent landuse areas a better chance to merge together. Note that the id property is not available for consolidated landuses.
The current mappings are:
commercial -> urban_area
industrial -> urban_area
parking -> urban_area
Places
The following figure illustrates an example of a place rendered from the data.
Figure 2. Sample Places in Sweden
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: places
Geometry types: point
Places have kind values of country, with other values added dynamically, depending on factors such as area or population, starting at zoom 3 for region and starting at zoom 8 for locality. Specific locality and region types are added to the kind_detail tag.
Place Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a place.
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
id - This is an ID used internally within HERE.
kind - Places can be one of the options listed below.
min_zoom - This property contains a suggested minimum zoom at which the place should become visible.
Place Properties (common-optional)
The following properties are used to define additional information about a place.
country_capital - This property is true for country capitals and applies only to kind locality.
region_capital - This property is true for state capitals and applies only to kind locality.
county_capital - This property is true for county capitals and applies only to kind locality.
kind_detail - Places can be one of the options listed below.
population - This property contains a population integer value and applies only to kind locality.
iso_code - This property contains the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 two-letter country code and applies only to kind country.
supercity - This property is true for important cities, that are recommended to be always displayed on all zoom levels. This property is not present when it is false.
Place kind Values
country
region
locality
borough
neighbourhood
Place kind Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
aza - administrative units such as block numbers
microhood - administrative units such as block or parcel numbers
oaza - administrative units such as subdistricts
Place kind_detail Values
For features of kind locality:
city (population 100,000 and more)
town (population 10,001 up to 100,000)
village (population 201 up to 10,000)
hamlet (population 200 and less)
For features of kind region:
state
province
For features of kind microhood, which are only applicable for certain areas of the world within the corelayer parameter:
block - a block number, which requires a house number to determine the address
parcel - a parcel number, which does not require a house number to determine the address
Points of Interest
The following figure illustrates an example of points of interest (POIs) rendered from the data.
Figure 3. Sample POIs in Madrid
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: pois
Geometry types: point
POI Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a POI.
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
id - An internal HERE ID or places id that can be used in other HERE Services to find additional information about the POI.
kind - POI types can be one of the options listed below.
min_zoom - This property contains a suggested minimum zoom at which the POI should become visible.
pds_category - A string property that matches the Category ID from the PDS category system. For possible pds_category values, see below.
elevation - Mountain peak height in meters, applicable only for kind peak.
POI Properties (common-optional)
kind_detail - POI subtypes that narrow down the kind value. For possible values, see below.
country - This property contains the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 two-letter country code.
quality_score - hint of quality of the feature, integer value with 5 as a high quality value and 3 for lower quality records. Records with values 1 and 2 are not included.
has_national_importance - true for poi records with the highest importance, for example, international airports. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case.
has_traffic_lights - true if it's an intersection with traffic lights. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case. Available only for the traffic_signals kind.
root_id - an integer ID which can be used to group together a station and corresponding station entrances or exits. All features in one group will have the same root_id. Available only for the station and station_entrance kinds.
display_type - hint for rendering clients on how to preferably contextualize the POI. Property is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter. Possible values are: icon, icon_with_label, label, reduced_icon_with_label. POIs that have this property should be treated with higher priority than those lacking it.
POI Properties (Only on kind:station)
is_* - true only if this station has any transits of the given type. These are: is_train and those within the core layer parameter that correspond to transit kind_detail values, specifically is_speed_rail for high_speed, is_state_rail for intercity, is_private_rail for regional, is_subway for subway, is_suburban for suburban, is_tram for tram, is_monorail for monorail, is_funicular for funicular, and is_aerial for aerial. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case.
is_multimodal - true only if this is a multimodal station, that is with more than one is_* property. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case. For multimodal stations, the PDS category with the highest priority is used. For example, if a multimodal station has is_subway property with priority 83 and is_monorail property with priority 99, then pds_category would be 400-4100-0037. For multimodal station priorities, see below.
POI Properties (Only on kind:motorway_junction)
is_entry - true indicates a poi is an entry point to a ramp. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case.
is_exit - true indicates a poi is an exit point from a ramp. There is no false value, as the property is not present in that case.
POI kind Values
administrative
adult_gaming_centre
advertising_agency
aerodrome with kind_detail property
airport
alcohol
ambulance_service
apartment_rental
aquarium
arts_centre
artwork
atm
attraction
autoclub
bakery
bank
beach_resort
beach
beauty
bed_and_breakfast
bicycle_parking
bicycle_rental_station
bicycle
biergarten
blood_bank
boat_rental
books
border_crossing
bowling_centre
brewery
building
bureau_de_change
bus_station
bus_stop
butcher
cafe
camp_site
car_parts
car_rental
car_repair
car_wash
car
caravan_site
casino
caterer
cemetery
childcare
chiropractor
clinic
clothes
clubhouse
coffee
college
community_centre
computer
confectionery
construction
consulting
consumer_service
convenience
copyshop
courthouse
craft with kind_detail property
crematorium
customer_centre
dairy_kitchen
dance
danger_area
deli
dentist
department_store
design
dive_centre
doityourself
educational_institution
electrician
electronics
embassy
emergency_phone
emission_testing
engineering_service
estate_agent
event_venue
farm
fashion
fast_food
ferry_terminal
financial
fitness
florist
food_production
forest
fuel
funeral_directors
furniture
gallery
gambling
garden_centre
garden
gardener
gift
golf_course
government
grocery
guest_house
hairdresser
hamlet
health_centre
healthcare_laboratory
healthcare
historical
hospital
hospital with kind_detail property
hostel
hotel
hunting
industrial
information
insurance
internet_cafe
intersection
island
it
jewelry
karaoke
landmark
laundry
lawyer
library
lottery
mall
marina
marketplace
matchmaking
meeting_point
military
mineshaft
mobile_phone
money_transfer
mooring
motel
motorcycle
motorway_junction
mover_service
museum
music
named_place
nature_reserve
neighborhood
nightclub
notary
nursing_home
office
offroad_vehicle_area
optician
outdoor_recreation
outdoor
park
parking_garage
parking with kind_detail property
peak
pet
petting_zoo
pharmacy
photo
physician
pitch with kind_detail property
place_of_worship with kind_detail property
plumber
police
post_office
private_investigator
psychotherapist
ranger_station
recreation_ground
recreation_track with kind_detail property
recruting
recycling
registration_office
rental
repair
reservoir
residential_home
resort
rest_area
restaurant
retail
road_assistance
rock
saddle
school
second_hand
settlement
shoemaker
shoes
shop with kind_detail property
ski_lift
social_facility
sports_centre
sports_centre with kind_detail property
sports
station_entrance
storage
store with kind_detail property
summer_camp
swimming_area
tailor
tax_advisor
taxi
telecommunication
telephone
theme_park
therapist
tobacco
toilets
towing_service
townhall
toys
trade with kind_detail property
traffic_signals
trailhead
translator
transportation_service
travel_agency
tyres
undersea
university
utility
variety_store
veterinary
video_rental
viewpoint
walking_junction
waste_disposal
water_park
waterfall
waterway
wedding_service
wildlife_park
wine
winery
winter_sports
zoo
POI kind Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
cargo_transportation
charging_station
courier
delivery_entrance
government with kind_detail property
harbour
intersection with kind_detail property
loading_zone
station_entrance - an entrance or exit to a transit station with root_id property
station with is_train property and one of is_speed_rail, is_state_rail, or is_private_rail properties for train stations; with is_suburban property for commuter rail stations; with is_tram property for light rails; with is_monorail property for monorails; with is_funicular property for inclined rails; with is_aerial property for aerial tramways; with is_subway property for subways; with is_multimodal property for multimodal stations; and with root_id property to relate with corresponding station entrances or exits.
toll_booth
weight_station
POI pds_category Values
Note
pds_category does not exactly correspond to kind, as, for example, a train station, commuter rail station, commuter train and subway all have the station kind, an amusement park has the theme_park kind, and a tourist attraction has the attraction kind.
100-1000-0000 - restaurant (restaurant kind)
100-1000-0001 - casual dining (restaurant kind)
100-1000-0002 - fine dining (fast_food kind)
100-1000-0003 - take out and delivery only (fast_food kind)
900-9100-0000 - city, town or village (settlement kind)
900-9100-0214 - hamlet (hamlet kind)
900-9100-0215 - named place (named_place kind)
900-9100-0216 - neighborhood (neighborhood kind)
900-9200-0000 - outdoor area or complex (outdoor kind)
900-9200-0218 - industrial zone (industrial kind)
900-9200-0219 - marina (marina kind)
900-9200-0220 - recreational vehicle (RV) parks (caravan_site kind)
900-9200-0299 - collective community (community_centre kind)
900-9200-0301 - island (island kind)
900-9200-0386 - meeting point (meeting_point kind)
900-9300-0000 - building (building kind)
900-9300-0221 - residential area or building (residential_home kind)
900-9400-0000 - administrative region or streets (administrative kind)
900-9400-0399 - administrative region (administrative kind)
900-9400-0400 - postal area (administrative kind)
900-9400-0401 - street or square (administrative kind)
POI kind_detail Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind_detail values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind_detail values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
For features of kind aerodrome:
gliding
For features of kind craft:
cleaning
distillery
For features of kind government:
prefectural_office
ward_office
town_village_office
For features of kind hospital:
emergency_room
For features of kind hotel:
hot_spring
For features of kind intersection:
junction
interchange
intersection
smart_interchange- an interchange that only allows vehicles with the electronic toll collection (ETC) smart tag installed to embark
toll_interchange
For features of kind parking:
cellphone_lot
park_ride
For features of kind pitch:
badminton
basketball
hockey
racquetball
rugby
soccer
squash
tennis
For features of kind recreation_track:
bmx
cycling
race_track
running
For features of kind shop:
adult
craft
ecigarette
lumber
major_appliance
media
pawnshop
security_service
speciality_clothing
speciality_food
sporting_goods
sports
For features of kind store:
floor
home_furnishing
paint
power_equipment
speciality
window
wholesale_store
For features of kind sports_centre:
ski
For features of kind place_of_worship:
buddhist
shinto
For features of kind trade:
aircraft
restaurant_supplies
POI pds_category Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of pds_category values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these pds_category values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
300-3200-0031 - temple (place_of_worship kind with buddhist kind_detail)
300-3200-0035 - shrine (place_of_worship kind with shinto kind_detail)
400-4100-0035 - train station (station kind with root_id, is_multimodal, is_train, and one of is_speed_rail, is_state_rail, or is_private_rail properties)
400-4100-0037 - subway (station kind with is_subway, root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4100-0038 - commuter rail station (station kind with is_suburban and root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4100-0040 - public transit access (station_entrance kind with root_id property)
400-4100-0326 - tollbooth (toll_booth kind)
400-4100-0337 - light rail (station kind with is_tram, root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4100-0339 - monorail (station kind with is_monorail, root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4100-0340 - aerial tramway (station kind with is_aerial, root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4100-0342 - inclined rail (station kind with is_funicular, root_id, and is_multimodal properties)
400-4200-0048 - weigh station (weigh_station kind)
400-4200-0049 - cargo center (cargo_transportation kind)
700-7600-0322 - electric vehicle (EV) charging station (charging_station kind)
700-7600-0325 - electric vehicle (EV) battery swap station (charging_station kind)
700-7850-0126 - truck repair (car_repair kind)
700-7900-0000 - truck and semi-truck dealer or services (car kind)
700-7900-0130 - truck dealership (car kind)
700-7900-0131 - truck parking (parking kind)
700-7900-0132 - truck stop or plaza (parking kind)
700-7900-0323 - truck wash (car_wash kind)
800-8100-0171 - government office (government kind with one of prefectural_office, ward_office, town_village_office kind_detail)
900-9400-0402 - road intersection (intersection kind with one of intersection, interchange, smart_interchange, toll_interchange, junction kind_detail), road intersection with traffic lights (traffic_signals kind with has_traffic_lights property), or named intersection with traffic lights (traffic_signals kind with has_traffic_lights and name properties)
POI Multimodal Station Priorities for Certain Areas in core
The following list of pds_category priorities is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these pds_category priorities within the core layer parameter for Japan: | PDS Category | PDS Category Name | Priority | |:------------:|:-----------------:|----------| |400-4100-0035|Train Station|20| |400-4100-0037|Underground Train Subway|83| |400-4100-0038|Commuter Rail Station|86| |400-4100-0337|Light Rail|97| |400-4100-0339|Monorail|99| |400-4100-0340|Aerial Tramway|101| |400-4100-0342|Inclined Rail|103|
Roads (Transportation)
The following figure illustrates an example of a road rendered from the data.
Figure 4. Sample Roads in London
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: roads
Geometry types: line, point
This layer contains information about all kinds of transportation including, but not limited to, highways, major roads, minor roads, paths, railways and ferries. Sort them with sort_rank to correctly represent layered overpasses, bridges, and tunnels.
The landuse_kind value is calculated by intercutting roads with the landuse layer to determine if a road segment is over a park, hospital, university or other landuse feature. Use this property to modify the visual appearance of roads over these features. For instance, light gray minor roads look great in general, but aren't legible over most landuse colors unless they are darkened.
To improve performance, some road segments are merged at low and mid zooms. To facilitate this, certain properties are dropped at those zooms. Examples include is_bridge and is_tunnel, name, network, oneway, and ref. The exact zoom varies by feature class.
Road Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a road.
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
kind - Roads can be one of the options listed below.
kind_detail - See the kind_detail values list below.
landuse_kind - For more information, see the description above.
sort_rank - This property contains a suggestion in which order to render features. The value is an integer where smaller numbers suggest that features should be "behind" features with larger numbers. At zoom 14 and higher, the sort rank is adjusted to realistically model bridge and tunnel. For example, sort_rank = 377 for is_bridge at zoom 13 becomes sort_rank = 427 at zoom 14.
min_zoom - This property indicates a suggested minimum zoom at which this road should become visible.
ref - A commonly used reference for this road - for example, "I 90" for Interstate 90. To use with shields, see the network and shield_text properties.
network - This property is useful for shields and road selections - for example, US:I for the United States Interstate network. It contains only road network types. For more information, see a full list of possible road network values.
shield_text - This property contains the text to display on a shield. For example, I 90 would have a network of US:I and a shield_text of 90. The ref value, I 90, is less useful for shield display without further processing. For some roads, this property can include non-numeric characters - for example, the M1 motorway in the UK has a shield_text value of M1 rather than just 1.
all_shield_texts - All the shield texts of which this road is a part. This is given as semicolon-separated shield_text values. See shield_text above.
all_networks - All the networks of which this road is a part. This is given as semicolon-separated network values. See network above.
all_route_types - All the route types of which this road is a part. This is given as semicolon-separated numeric codes used for shield styling depending on the country.
all_refs - All the references used for this road. This is given as semicolon-separated ref values. See ref above.
hgv_restriction - This property indicates limitations to heavy goods vehicle truck access. See the hgv_restriction values list below. Always available only on points.
Road Properties (common-optional)
The following properties are used to define additional information about a road.
is_bridge - true if the road is part of a bridge. This property is not present if the road is not part of a bridge.
is_link - true if the road is part of a highway link or ramp. This property is not present if the road is not part of a highway link or ramp.
is_tunnel - true if the road is part of a tunnel. This property is not present if the road is not part of a tunnel.
is_present_in_landuse - true if the road has a detailed polygonal representation by the landuse kindsexpressway, urban_expressway, national_road, major_road, and other_road, or formed as an area not covered by the landuse kind block for minor roads. This property is present only within the core layer parameter with limited coverage for Japan at zoom 14. It allows filtering of road centerlines while showing detailed road geometries from the landuse data. For more information, see Polygonal Roads.
is_present_in_city - true if the rail is part of the city rail network. This property is present only within the core layer parameter with limited coverage for Japan at zoom 14 and higher. Rails with this property are used only for labeling while showing line geometries from the city rail network. Available only for the rail kind.
hgv - This property indicates general truck heavy goods vehicle truck access. Available only on lines. Values include: no.
Note
If the hgv property has the value no, then the road has no hgv_restriction and hgv_restriction_shield_text properties. In other cases, the road can have the hgv_restriction and hgv_restriction_shield_text properties.
hgv_restriction - This optional property indicates limitations to heavy goods vehicle truck access. Available on both points and lines. See the hgv_restriction values list below. See also hgv_restriction_shield_text.
hgv_restriction_shield_text - This optional property is always paired with hgv_restriction and indicates the value of limitation to heavy goods vehicle truck access. Because the units are different per restriction, an abbreviation is provided next to the value, for example, 5.1m or 16'9" (US or GB), 4t or 4.4T (US). Such values are specified with one decimal precision, but the value of 5.0m is given as 5m. See the hgv_restriction_shield_text values list below.
hgv_time_restrictions - This optional property specifies when heavy goods vehicle truck access is restricted. See the hgv_time_restrictions values list below.
fclass - This property indicates a functional class numeric value for roads with kind_detail = motorway and kind_detail = motorway_link. For more information, see Road Transportation fclass Values.
under_construction - true. This property indicates that the road is under construction and may not be usable by some or all types of traffic. The property is not present if the road is not under construction.
surface - unpaved if the road is unpaved. This property is not present if the road is paved.
oneway - An optional property that indicates if traffic is one-way and travels in the same direction as the linestring. This property can only have the following values: yes.
toll - An optional boolean property that indicates if a fee must be paid by general traffic to travel the feature. This property can only have the following values: true.
Road Transportation kind Values
aerialway - line
ferry - line
hgv_restriction - point, indicates limitations to heavy goods vehicle truck access
highway - line
major_road - line
minor_road - line
path - line
rail - line
piste - line
Road Transportation kind_detail Values
ferry - for ferry kind
motorway - for highway kind
trunk - for highway kind
primary - for major_road kind
secondary - for major_road kind
tertiary - for major_road kind
residential - for minor_road kind
service - for minor_road kind
unclassified - for minor_road kind
pedestrian - for path kind
footway - for path kind
rail - for rail kind
chair_lift - for aerialway kind
downhill - for piste kind
Road Transportation service Values for kind_detail = service
parking_aisle - for minor_road kind service kind_detail
Road Transportation kind_detail Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind_detail values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind_detail values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
light_rail - for rail kind
subway - for rail kind
speed_rail - for high-speed railroads with rail kind
private_rail - for privately owned railroads with rail kind
state_rail - for state-owned railroads with rail kind
monorail - for monorails with rail kind
cable_car - for aerialway kind
gondola - for aerialway kind
Road Transportation hgv_restriction Values
For the hgv_restriction property indicates general restrictions to heavy goods vehicle truck access, the values include:
weight - weight restriction
height - height restriction
length - length restriction
width - width restriction
wpa - weight per axle restriction
axles - number of axles restriction with or without maximum weight per axle
kpra - kingpin to rear axle length restriction
hazmat - restriction for vehicles that carry hazardous materials
trailers - trailers restriction
other - other restriction
multiple - if more than one restriction (represented by points along the line, where every point indicates specific restriction that applies to this road)
height, length, or width value, for example, 5.1m or 16'9" (US or GB)
For wpa restriction:
weight value, for example, 1.8t or 2T (US)
text value, where N is weight value:
Single axle N
Tandem axle N
For axles restriction:
weight value, for example, 1.8t or 2T (US).
text value, where N is weight value. Not added in case of zero value:
Two or more axles N
Three or more axles N
Four or more axles N
Five or more axles N
Six or more axles N
For hazmat restriction:
Hazardous material type unknown
Unspecified hazardous material type
Explosives
Gas
Flammable
Flammable solid combustible
Organic
Poison
Radioactive
Corrosive
Other
Any hazardous material
Poisonous inhalation hazard
Goods harmful for water
Explosive and flammable
Tunnel category b
Tunnel category b1000c
Tunnel category b d
Tunnel category b e
Tunnel category c
Tunnel category c5000d
Tunnel category c d
Tunnel category c e
Tunnel category d
Tunnel category d e
Tunnel category e
For trailers restriction:
One or more
Two or more
Three or more
Semi or tractor with trailers
For other and multiple restrictions, hgv_restriction_shield_text is omitted.
Road Transportation hgv_time_restrictions Values
Property specifies date and time period during which the condition applies. Value is a string in the Time Domain format. Time Domain is part of the GDF(Geographic Data Files) specification which is an ISO standard. Current standard is GDF 5.1 which is ISO 20524-1:2020.
A basic Time Domain is the combination of a Starting Date and a Time Duration with the following notation: [(Starting Date) {Time duration}]. For example, [(M5d1){d1}] means: • Starting Date: any year, month 5 (May), day 1st, at 0:00 a.m. • Duration: 1 complete day (i.e., 24 hours or 1440 minutes).
Starting Dates and time intervals are defined by means of a set of graphical symbols allowing the description of years, months, weeks, days, and so on down to the smallest time unit, which is the second. The symbols have to be organized in a sequential order starting with the longest time unit. Attached to a starting date, the interval constitutes a basic Time Domain. Without a starting date, it just indicates a duration. If the very first time type code in duration section is preceded by a minus sign, it means that the duration is counted in the reverse order. The following list describes starting date and time interval unit types:
ynn - Year. Defines either a particular nnnn year in a starting date; or a duration of nn years. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19){y1}] means from 14 November 1991, 5:30:19 a.m. to 14 November 1992, 5:30:19 a.m. If there is no identical calendar date in the year in question, which occurs only for 29 February, “plus 1 year” leads to 28 February of the following year. Notice that {y1} = {M12}
Mnn - Month. Defines either a particular month (1 to 12) within a particular year, or any year when no y information is given in starting date; or a duration of nn months. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {M3}] means from 14 November 1991, 5:31:19 a.m. to 14 February 1992, 5:30:19 a.m.
wnn - Week. Defines either a week (1 to 53) within a previously defined year, or any year when no y information is given in a starting date; or a duration of nn weeks, i.e., nn*7 days. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {w2}] means from 14 November 1991 at 5:30:19 a.m. to 28 November 1991, 5:30:19 a.m. Notice that {w1} = {d7}
dnn - Day. Defines either a particular day (1 to 28, 29, 30, 31) within a particular month if previously defined with the M format in a starting date; or a duration of nn days, i.e., nn*24 hours. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {d2}] means from 14 November 1991 at 5:30:19 a.m. to 16 November 1991, 5:30:19 a.m. Notice that {d1} = {h24}
tn - Day. Only in starting date defines a particular weekday (1:Sunday, 2:Monday, 3:Tuesday, 4:Wednesday, 5:Thursday, 6:Friday, 7:Saturday) in a previously (if any) defined week. For example, (M5t2) means each Monday in the fifth month (May) of any year, at 0:00:00 a.m.
fxn - Day. Only in starting date defines a particular weekday in a previously (if any) defined month, with the following rules: n is used as in the “t” format with the same domain of values, 1:Sunday up to 7:Saturday. For “x” one of the following values has to be substituted: 1:first, 2:second, 3:third, 4:fourth, 5:fifth. For example: (...f12) means the first Monday at 0:00:00 a.m.
lxn - Day. Only in starting date defines a particular weekday in a previously (if any) defined month, with the following rules: n is used as for the “t” format with the same domain of values, 1:Sunday up to 7:Saturday. x has to be chosen from the following set: 1:first, 2:second, 3:third, 4:fourth, 5:fifth. Values are given in reverse order starting from the end of the month and have the meaning: 1=last, 2=last but one,3=last but two, etc. For example, (...l12) means the last Monday at 0:00:00 a.m.
hnn - Hour. Defines either a particular hour (0 to 23) within a particular day (if previously defined) in a starting date; or a duration of nn hours, i.e., nn*60 minutes. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {h10}] means from 14 November 1991, 5:30:19 a.m. to 14 November 1991 at 3:30:19 p.m. Notice that {h1} = {m60}
mnn - Minute. Defines either a particular minute (0 to 59) within a particular hour (if previously defined) in a starting date; or a duration of nn minutes, i.e., nn*60 seconds. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {m11}] means from 14 November 1991 at 5:30:19 a.m. to 14 November 1991 at 5:41:19 a.m. Notice that {m1} = {s60}
snn - Second. Defines either a particular second (0 to 59) within a particular minute (if previously defined) in a starting date; or a duration of nn seconds. For example, [(y1991M11d14h5m30s19) {s21}] means from 14 November 1991 at 5:30:19 a.m. to 14 November 1991 at 5:30:40 a.m. Notice that {m1} = {s60}
znn - Fuzzy symbols for special time terms. Currently only 2 variants are used: [(z1){z51}] means dawn til dusk (nighttime) and [(z2){z52}] means dusk til dawn (daytime). May be extended in future.
string_value - Externally specified string value. For example [*EASTER(h8){h14}] means from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm during Easter
Starting Dates which are composed of several time units (e.g., 14 November 1991) are defined by placing the symbols sequentially in a hierarchical order.
Time periods (duration) which are composed of several time interval units are represented by listing the individual symbols sequentially in hierarchical order. The total time duration of a particular combination of symbols is the sum of all single time intervals. For example, {y2M1w2} means a period of 2 years, 1 month, and 2 weeks. Since Time Domains can be considered as a set of the smallest time unit described here, the second, Time Domains may also be combined with set operations, such as:
Union of sets notation: +
Intersection of sets notation: *
Subtraction of sets notation: -
All the Time Domain strings are stored in prefix form: it uses the polish/prefix operator notation and omit brackets made redundant by this. For example:
[[(d1){w1}]-[(d3){d1}]] has prefix form -(d1){w1}(d3){d1}[[(d1){w1}]*[(d3){-w1}]] has prefix form *(d1){w1}(d3){-w1}
Road Transportation fclass Values
Roads in the HERE Vector Tile API are traditionally categorized into so-called functional classes, which do not match one-to-one Tilezen's roads categorization. The mapping from one to the other are as follows.
Functional Class
Tilezen Road properties
N
kind is highway and kind_detail is motorway and fclass is N
1
kind is highway and kind_detail is trunk
1
kind is highway, kind_detail is motorway_link, is_link is true and any fclass
2
kind is major_road and kind_detail is primary
3
kind is major_road and kind_detail is secondary
4
kind is major_road and kind_detail is tertiary
5
kind is minor_road and kind_detail is (residential or service)
5
kind is path and kind_detail is (footway or pedestrian)
Road Transportation fclass Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of fclass values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these fclass values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
Functional Class
Tilezen Road properties
1
kind is highway, and kind_detail is motorway
2
kind is highway and kind_detail is motorway
3
kind is highway and kind_detail is motorway
3
kind is major_road and kind_detail is primary
4
kind is major_road and kind_detail is secondary
5
kind is major_road and kind_detail is secondary
6
kind is major_road and kind_detail is tertiary
7
kind is major_road and kind_detail is tertiary
8
kind is minor_road and kind_detail is resedential
8
kind is path and kind_detail is pedestrian
9
kind is minor and kind_detail is (resedential or service)
10
kind is minor_road and kind_detail is (resedential or service)
10
kind is path and kind_detail is (footway or pedestrian)
11
kind is minor_road and kind_detail is (resedential or service)
11
kind is path and kind_detail is (footway or pedestrian)
Road Labels (Optional)
This is an optional layer, and its content is defined as follows.
Layer name: road_labels
Geometry types: line
This layer contains deduplicated labeling properties (name, ref, network, shield_text) and simplified label placement geometry for all kinds of transportation, including but not limited to highways, major roads, minor roads, paths and ferries, which are present in the roads layer.
In the roads layer, each road segment contains labeling properties, which could be the same (and there are a lot of them) for consecutive road segments. To remove such duplicates and avoid post processing on the client side, the road_labels layer stores already merged and simplified consecutive road segments with the same name properties. However, you still can decide which layer (roads or road_labels) best suits your special needs as a source of labeling properties.
Road Label Properties (common)
name - Generally the name the locals call the feature, in the local language script.
ref - A commonly used reference for roads - for example, "I 90" for Interstate 90. To use with shields, see the network and shield_text properties.
network - This property is useful for shields and road selections - for example, US:I for the United States Interstate network. It contains only road network types. For more information, see a full list of possible road network values.
shield_text - This property contains the text to display on a shield. For example, I 90 would have a network of US:I and a shield_text of 90. The ref value, I 90, is less useful for shield display without further processing. For some roads, this property can include non-numeric characters - for example, the M1 motorway in the UK has a shield_text value of M1, rather than just 1.
all_route_types - All the route types of which this road is a part. This is given as semicolon-separated numeric codes used for shield styling depending on the country.
Transit
The following figure illustrates an example of transit rendered from the data.
Figure 5. Sample Transit in Tokyo
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: transit
Geometry types: polygon, line
This layer contains information about transit polygons for station platforms and includes transit lines such as light_rail, subway, train, funicular, monorail, and aerial. Transit line features start appearing at zoom 7 and higher while platform polygons are added at zoom 14 and higher. Features having the same line geometry, kind, and kind_detail are consolidated, so all transit routes, their colors, and color names are stored in all_ref, all_colour, and all_text_colour properties, respectively.
Transit Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a transit feature.
id - This is an ID used internally within HERE.
kind - This can be one of the options listed below.
sort_rank - This property contains a suggestion in which order to render features. The value is an integer where smaller numbers suggest that features should be "behind" features with larger numbers.
kind_detail - This property maps a kind value to more specific information about the transit feature. Available only on lines. For possible values, see the kind_detail list below.
min_zoom - This property indicates a suggested minimum zoom at which the feature should become visible. Available only on lines.
all_ref - All routes that are valid on this line. This is given as semicolon-separated reference values - for example, all_ref="RE1;RE2". Available only on lines.
all_ref:* - All localized reference values - for example, all_ref:en="Keihin-Tohoku Line;Yamanote Line" for English and all_ref:ja="京浜東北線;山手線" for Japanese. Language variants are identified by an ISO 639-1 two-letter language code.
all_colour - All colors representing the routes that are valid on this line. This is given as semicolon-separated hex values - for example all_colour="#FFFFFF;#000000", that are matched with those of all_ref in the given order. See all_ref above. That is the #FFFFFF color is matched with the RE1 route, and the #000000 color is matched with the RE2 route. Available only on lines.
all_text_colour - All colors to draw the text of reference values of the routes that are valid on this line. This is given the same way as all_colour described above. Available only on lines.
all_operator - All operator ids of the routes that are valid on this line. This is given as semicolon-separated values - for example all_operator=n7zDE:4p;n7zDE:5N, that matched with those of all_ref in the given order. That is the n7zDE:4p operator id is matched with the RE1 route, and the n7zDE:5N operator id is matched with the RE2 route. Available only on lines.
Transit kind and sort_rank Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind and sort_rank values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the different layers available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind and the corresponding sort_rank values within the core layer parameter for Japan:
railway_station_platform - 385
subway_station_platform - 385
Transit kind_detail Values for Certain Areas in core
The following list of kind_detail values is only applicable for some regions of the world within the core layer parameter. For more information about the layer parameters available in the HERE Vector Tile API, see Layer Parameter.
Below are these kind_detail values ordered by sort_rank within the core layer parameter for Japan:
tram - 429 (for light_rail kind)
funicular - 430 (for funicular kind)
monorail - 431 (for monorail kind)
subway - 432 (for subway kind)
suburban - 433 (for light_rail kind)
regional - 435 (for regional railroads with train kind)
intercity - 436 (for intercity railroads with train kind)
high_speed - 437 (for high-speed railroads with train kind)
aerial - 442 (for aerial kind)
Water
The following figure illustrates an example of a water feature rendered from the data.
Figure 6. View of the Mexico Gulf
The layer content is defined as follows.
Layer name: water
Geometry types: point, line, polygon
Water polygon geometries represent oceans, riverbanks, and lakes.
This layer also includes water line geometries for river and stream centerlines and label position point geometries for labeling polygons deduplicated across tile boundaries.
Water Properties (common)
The following properties are used to define a water feature.
name - This property contains the name of the geometry type and includes localized name variants.
kind - This can be one of the options listed below.
sort_rank - This property contains a suggestion in which order to render features. The value is an integer where smaller numbers suggest that features should be "behind" features with larger numbers.
min_zoom - This property indicates a suggested minimum zoom at which the feature should become visible.
Water Properties (common-optional)
id - This is an ID used internally within HERE. Available only for line and point geometries.
intermittent - true. This property marks features that sometimes run dry or disappear seasonally. Available only for kind stream.
display_class - This property indicates the importance of the corresponding water feature. The value is an integer from 1 (more important) to 8 (less important). Filled for line and point geometries.
Water kind and sort_rank Values
The water kind values are as follows:
fjord point - 200
sea point - 200
strait point - 200
water polygon - 200
canal line - 201
river line or point - 201
stream line - 201
lake point - 204
bay point - 205
ocean point - 205
swimming_pool polygon - 415
All polygons correspond to water while points and lines are used for labeling.