nds-mapviewer 2026.1.3

CLI to run the NDS MapViewer Docker container for visualizing map data (NDS.Live, GeoJSON, and more)

NDS MapViewer CLI

Visualize NDS.Live, NDS.Classic, and GeoJSON map data on a deck.gl-based map with live style editing, feature inspection, and layer management — all from a single mapviewer command. No container-runtime knowledge required.

Beta — This Python package is in early development. The CLI interface may change between releases. Feedback and bug reports are welcome via the NDS developer portal.

Full documentation: https://developer.nds.live/tools/mapviewer

Features

• Map visualization powered by deck.gl via erdblick
• Multiple data formats — NDS.Live, GeoJSON, NDS.Classic (member edition)
• Live style editing — modify map styles in real time with YAML-based rules
• Feature inspection — click any map feature to explore its attributes and relations
• Local and remote data — view SmartLayer folders, FileStore files, or remote services
• Guided setup — interactive wizard for creating data source configs
• Config management — save, switch, and delete configs from the RunScreen (c)

Getting Started

The recommended way to set up your NDS.Live environment (credentials, container registry, pip index) is via ndslive-setup:

pip install ndslive-setup
ndslive-setup

This interactive wizard configures everything you need in one step, including installing nds-mapviewer.

Either Docker or Podman works as the container runtime — Podman is a free alternative if you cannot use Docker Desktop's commercial license.

Usage

mapviewer                         # HomeScreen (or auto-loads ~/.nds/config.yaml)

mapviewer /path/to/data.ndslive   # View a local FileStore
mapviewer /path/to/folder         # View a local SmartLayer folder
mapviewer /path/to/geojson/       # View a GeoJSON folder
mapviewer --demo                  # Try it with NDS Islands sample data

mapviewer mywork                  # Load a saved config by name
mapviewer /path/a.ndslive /path/b # Multiple sources at once

All commands accept -e community|member and -i VERSION.

If ~/.nds/config.yaml exists, mapviewer (with no arguments) loads it automatically and goes straight to the RunScreen.

If you edit ~/.nds/config.yaml manually, use host paths there, not container paths. The CLI translates them into the correct container mounts when it starts the container runtime.

Editions

Edition	Formats	Access
community	NDS.Live, GeoJSON, open formats	Free — nds.live
member	+ NDS.Classic	NDS membership

Open-Source Building Blocks

• mapget — tile-based map data server with caching
• erdblick — deck.gl-based web frontend with live style editing and inspection tools

License

The MapViewer is a proprietary product of the NDS Association. License terms and conditions are governed by the account type used to access the Docker image — registering for a community or member account includes accepting the applicable licensing terms for the MapViewer and its components.