Skip to content
Nimbo Nimbo

NIMBO Terrain (Hillshade)

The NIMBO Hillshade layer is a raster tile service providing a greyscale representation of the terrain’s surface. Unlike standard, on-the-fly generated hillshades, our layer is pre-processed using advanced cartographic techniques to ensure consistent lighting, maximized contrast, and artifact-free tile edges.

This pre-calculated layer provides a visually stunning representation of the world’s relief, optimized for both aesthetic appeal and topographic clarity. It is designed to be used as an overlay (with transparency/multiply blend modes) on top of satellite imagery or vector maps to highlight topography.

nimbo hillshade
Nimbo Hillshade

Technical Specifications

Section titled “Technical Specifications”
FeatureDetails
Service URLhttps://prod-data.nimbo.earth/tiles/hillshade/{z}/{x}/{y}?kermap_token=<YOUR_TOKEN>
FormatWebP (Grayscale)
Zoom Levels0 to 10
Coordinate SystemWeb Mercator (EPSG:3857)
CoverageGlobal Land (85°N to 85°S)
Tile Size512x512 px

Integration Guide

Section titled “Integration Guide”

The Hillshade layer is best utilized with a “Multiply” raster-opacity blending mode. This allows the shadows to darken the underlying map (satellite or vector) while keeping the highlights transparent, creating a natural 3D effect.

MapLibre GL JS / Mapbox GL JS

Section titled “MapLibre GL JS / Mapbox GL JS”

Here is how to add the source and layer to your map style:

map.on('load', () => {
  // 1. Add the Hillshade Source
  map.addSource('nimbo-hillshade-source', {
    'type': 'raster',
    'tiles': [
      'https://prod-data.nimbo.earth/tiles/hillshade/{z}/{x}/{y}.webp?kermap_token=<YOUR_TOKEN>'
    ],
    'tileSize': 256,
    'maxzoom': 10
  });


  // 2. Add the Layer with "multiply" blending
  map.addLayer({
    'id': 'nimbo-hillshade-layer',
    'type': 'raster',
    'source': 'nimbo-hillshade-source',
    'paint': {
      'raster-opacity': 0.6,       // Adjust intensity (0.0 - 1.0)
      'raster-fade-duration': 0
    }
    // Note: MapLibre does not support 'raster-blend-mode': 'multiply' natively
    // in the style spec yet, but standard opacity often suffices.
    // For advanced blending, CSS composition filters on the canvas container
    // or specific map renderers may be required.
  }, 'your-label-layer-id'); // Insert below labels
});

Desktop GIS

Section titled “Desktop GIS”

Want to use Nimbo Hillshade for your cartographic projects in QGIS or ArcGIS?

NIMBO basemap without hillshade
Nimbo Basemap without the Hillshade layer applied.
NIMBO basemap with hillshade
Nimbo Basemap with the Hillshade layer applied

Methodology & Processing

Section titled “Methodology & Processing”

Why use the Nimbo Global Hillshade instead of generating it yourself? We have applied a robust processing pipeline designed to solve common GIS visualization issues.

1. Adaptive Sun Control

Section titled “1. Adaptive Sun Control”

Standard hillshades often look too dark when zoomed out or too flat when zoomed in. We utilize a Zoom-Dependent Parameter tuning (Z-Curve).

  • Low Zooms (0-4): High vertical exaggeration and steeper sun angles to highlight major mountain ranges.
  • High Zooms (5-10): Reduced exaggeration and “S-Curve” contrast adjustments to preserve subtle terrain details without over-saturation.

2. Visual Enhancement

Section titled “2. Visual Enhancement”

Before generating the shade, the elevation data undergoes a slight Gaussian blur (to reduce noise) and Sharpening (to enhance ridges), followed by a non-linear S-Curve contrast pass. This results in a “cartographic grade” image that pops off the screen compared to linear renderings.

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”