DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15590878
title: AW3D30-Derived Elevation MBTiles (Vector Contours + Raster Hillshade), Global, Z6–12, 2025-06-02

description: Description

This dataset contains global elevation tiles derived from the ALOS World 3D – 30m (AW3D30) digital surface model (© JAXA EORC), processed into both vector contours and raster hillshade images. The data is distributed as MBTiles files (SQLite databases) suitable for use with slippy-map tile servers or viewers such as MapLibre GL, Mapbox GL, or MapTiler. The vector tiles preserve full, unsimplified contour geometry and are resolution-independent for rendering. They can be easily reprojected and styled in GIS tools such as QGIS for offline analysis or visualization.

Source DSM





Product: AW3D30 (ALOS World 3D – 30m)




Agency: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Earth Observation Research Center (EORC)




URL: https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/dataset/aw3d30/aw3d30_e.htm




Please consult JAXA’s Terms of Use and notify them (arth@ml.jaxa.jp) before any commercial usage of derived datasets.



Technical Specifications





Coverage: Global (90°S – 90°N, 0–360°E)




Zoom levels: 6 to 12




Tiling scheme: Web Mercator (EPSG:3857), slippy-map XYZ tiles (256×256 px)




Contour data:• Vector (PBF format), 10 m interval with major lines every 50 m• No simplification (ε = 0), full AW3D30 fidelity




Hillshade data:• Raster PNG, 256-level grayscale• Computed using Horn’s 8-neighbour algorithm




Output format: MBTiles (SQLite-based container)




Total size: 246 GB (vector contours) + 36 GB (hillshade) = 282 GB



Accuracy





Vertical RMSE: ≈5 m (moderate terrain), relative accuracy ≈3–10 m




Horizontal CE90: ≤5 m typical DEM offset, plus ≈30 m worst-case for contour interpolation




No Ramer–Douglas–Peucker simplification applied (raw geometry retained)



Attribution and Usage Notes





Derived from: ALOS World 3D – 30m (AW3D30), © JAXA EORC




Redistribution licensed under the Open Database License v1.0 (ODbL)




Elevation data © nordheed.com — licensed under ODbL 1.0Note: The term “Elevation Data” here refers to elevation-derived data (e.g. contours, hillshade) — final styling, rendering, or labeling (e.g., “Tiles © nordheed.com”, “Contours © nordheed.com”) is left to the end user.




Attribution must accompany any public use or redistribution of this dataset or derivative works. 


This dataset was generated using the open-source software vectorvector by @greensopinion — https://github.com/greensopinion/vectorvector

A torrent mirror is available at https://nordheed.com/datasets/nordheed.com_aw3d30_global_v1.0-20250602.torrent for convenient downloading.


SHA-256 Checksums

Filename: aw3d30_vcontours_world_z6-12_20250602.mbtilesSHA-256: fd55be4e8ef0c0f970d96b3c2051524556fb3a4536a8886b0abba2621547277d

Filename: aw3d30_rhillshade_world_z6-12_20250602.mbtilesSHA-256: 2cc165903c22c7f0623ba2efe4bc8c6194913bde6696483bbbdc8858cbf9b2d1

Filename: nordheed.com_aw3d30_world_z6-12_20250602_mbtiles.7zSHA-256: e6bbe91e4adebbc3469694840837ca6878222b950f3ad808cfc3147efb0eb395

Filename: nordheed.com_aw3d30_global_v1.0-20250602.torrentSHA-256: fa0cb143b052d8cb9b634a14fdde9cecfd11e2753ae3fd811eb1a1e31a14b390