Web Mapping Service - WMS

A WMS is a method to display maps on your Web pages and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A WMS server sends the images requested by the GIS (or Web page) via the Internet. The GIS (or Web page) will overlay all the images it requests, and produce the desired map.

Our WMS of geographical names will send images of the names found in Canada. It can also send the location of the centroid of the named geographical entities. One can see the attributes for the names currently in the CGNDB by clicking on these locations.

There are many free and commercial GIS softwares available on the Web that display maps using WMS technology. Simply paste the following URI into the GIS:

http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/wms/cubeserv.cgi?service=wms&request=getCapabilities

Some GIS ask to enter a URI containing the Version. Our WMS is compatible with the following WMS versions: 1.3.2, 1.3.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.0 and 1.0.0. You should try the largest version first, i.e., the following URI:

If you are not familiar with WMS and want to make tests, we encourage you to use the following development site:

http://cgns-dev.nrcan.gc.ca/wms/cubeserv.cgi?service=wms&request=getCapabilities

Clicking on any of the above links returns a document describing the Capabilities of the WMS. The document shows that our system displays names in the eight different styles described below.

Note: As one will experience with our WMS, there are a lot of names (350,000 of them) approved in Canada. Only the current official names are displayed on the WMS (and not the former names as through the WFS). It would take a complex style to ensure the names don't overlap since our WMS does not automatically avoid overlapping.

The styles available through the WMS are described below.

To superimpose several styles, open multiple copies of the WMS, and choose a different style for each copy.

  1. Filter by scale using RS_Value

    Displays very few names to diminish the possibility of names overlapping other names.

  2. Point Location Distribution

    Useful to see the full distribution of all the names of the CGNDB. It displays the Point Location of all names at all scales. The Point Location of a name is the centroid of a geographical feature (and for a flowing water feature, it is the centroid of the mouth of the feature). One may click on a point location (displayed as a square) and see the attributes of the names currently in the CGNDB.

  3. Query the CGNDB

    Useful to query the CGNDB database since it displays the names together with the Point Location as a square (as explained in 2). One may click on the square and see the attributes of the names currently in the CGNDB, however, one must zoom onto the map to see additional names as explained in 7.

  4. "Questionner la BDTC"

    Same as 3, but it displays French names when a feature owns an English name and a French name.

  5. Inuit Places in syllabics

    Useful to see where the Inuktitut geographical names that are currently approved in Canada are located. It displays on the map all the Inuit names in the CGNDB, whatever the scale.

  6. Inuit Places in syllabics based on scale

    Displays the Inuktitut geographical names following the rule in 7.

  7. Names color based on scale

    Displays additional names when we zoom onto a map. The names are colored in Black, Red, and Blue as we zoom in. The names usually seen on Atlas maps up to scale 1:7.5 millions are displayed in Black. The names displayed on maps with scale up to 1:2 millions are displayed in Red. And the Names displayed on 1:1 million, 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 maps are displayed in Blue.

  8. "Noms colorés selon l'échelle"

    Same as 7, but it displays French names when a feature owns both, an English and a French name.

Creating a customized style

A user can also create his own style by sending to the WMS a URI that contains a parameter SLD_BODY like the one below.
The example below uses a filter and bounding box (BBOX) to find the name of a geographical entity within a geographic area. It also enables users to set a colour and text size of their choice, as well as the color and size of the feature centroid.

http://gnss.nrcan.gc.ca/gnss-srtu/wms/cubeserv.cgi?REQUEST=GetMap&SERVIC... &LAYERS=GEONAMES:cgns&STYLES=myStyle &FORMAT=image/png&BGCOLOR=0xFFFFFF&TRANSPARENT=TRUE &CRS=CRS:84 &BBOX=-243.8,-124.6,131.1,145.4 &WIDTH=900&HEIGHT=648 &SLD_BODY=<StyledLayerDescriptor+version="1.0.0"> <NamedLayer><Name>GEONAMES:cgns</Name> <UserStyle><Name>myStyle</Name> <IsDefault>1</IsDefault> <FeatureTypeStyle><Rule><Filter> <SqlExpression>cgndb_key='LASIL'</SqlExpression> </Filter> <TextSymbolizer><Label> <SqlExpression>GEONAME</SqlExpression></Label> <Fill> <CssParameter%20name=%22fill%22>0x0000FF</CssParameter> </Fill> <Font> <CssParameter name="font-family">Arial</CssParameter> <CssParameter name="font-family">Sans-Serif</CssParameter> <CssParameter name="font-style">italic</CssParameter> <CssParameter name="font-size">20</CssParameter> </Font></TextSymbolizer> <PointSymbolizer> <Geometry><PropertyName>GEOMETRY</PropertyName> </Geometry> <Graphic><Mark><WellKnownName>circle</WellKnownName> <Fill> <CssParameter%20name=%22fill%22>0xFF0000</CssParameter> </Fill></Mark> <Size>30.0</Size> </Graphic></PointSymbolizer></Rule></FeatureTypeStyle> </UserStyle></NamedLayer></StyledLayerDescriptor>

  • The name of the customized style, defined in the STYLES= and <Name></Name> tags, must match, eg. STYLES=myStyle and <Name>myStyle</Name>.

  • Use <IsDefault>1</IsDefault> to ensure your style becomes the default style.

  • Filtering and styling are described in the reference manual "Styled Layer Descriptor" mentioned below.

WMS Reference Manuals

More examples are found on the website of the consortium " Open Geospatial Consortium " that publishes the international standard of the WMS. Follow "Standard" and then "Styled Layer Descriptor". Use the latest version. Reference manuals for WMS are found on the same website by following "Standard" and then "Web Mapping Service".

More information

More information on WMS is found on the Atlas of Canada website.