Providers and Uploads

Provider mode

Provider mode means MapToPlay fetches source data for the selected project area. DTM providers return elevation data, OSM provider mode returns vector map features, and imagery providers return raster imagery.

The project setup and project detail pages use saved metadata to know which provider was requested, which provider actually ran, whether global fallback was allowed, and which task produced the output asset.

Browse available providers

Open Data Providers from the sidebar to compare elevation and imagery sources. Switch between Elevation and Imagery at the top of the page. Search by provider name, region, or data owner; Sort and Filters narrow the catalog by resolution, credentials, attribution, and—for elevation sources—DTM or DSM.

No provider is selected when you first open the page. Choose a source card to show its footprint, resolution, access requirements, usage notes, and license on the map and details panel. Enter a place or coordinates in Find coverage for a location to rank sources for that point. The global fallback sources remain available when a regional source does not cover your location.

Provider credentials

Some DTM providers require credentials. When a provider needs them, the UI can use manually entered credentials or a saved credential from the active team. Credentials live on the team so future project creation and replacement processing can reuse them.

Only users with team management access can manage saved provider credentials. Project setup can still ask for provider settings when a selected provider requires values that are not already saved.

Upload mode

Upload mode means you provide the input file. In the Web UI, choosing a file starts the upload immediately and shows progress. Once saved, the same file can be selected for more than one project or replacement task. Processing creates the same kind of project asset that provider mode would create. After processing, the Editor mostly cares about the resulting asset, not whether it came from a provider or upload.

Upload support depends on the input type. Terrain and imagery accept GeoTIFF for georeferenced processing and PNG/JPG for prepared images. Vector input accepts OSM-style files such as .osm, .xml, and .pbf.

Manage your uploaded files

In the Web UI, open Resources → Uploads at /resources/uploads and select Upload new file above the file cards. In the dialog, choose DTM, OSM, or Imagery under File category, then select Upload new file to choose a file. The progress bar shows the transfer and Cancel upload can stop it before the file is fully sent; when it completes, the dialog closes and the file appears in the library for the active team. Team owners, admins, and creators can upload source files. The Project Wizard and project reprocess dialog show Upload new file and Saved files together. Open Saved files to choose a source you uploaded earlier, without uploading it again.

The Uploads tab shows the team storage total and each saved file’s category, size, date, and use state. Search, type, usage, and sort controls help find files. Team members can download a source file. Owners, admins, and creators can delete a source file only when no task references it; deleting removes the stored original and cannot be undone. Managed avatars, project icons, and profile banners appear as Visual files and are removed from their own profile or settings page. Uploaded and AI-generated project pictures also appear here with thumbnails; select one to open its project, where its cover and removal controls live. Existing project pictures appear when they are still attached to a project. Community post, forum, and feed attachments are not part of this library or the team storage total.

A file upload uses storage but no Task Units. Creating or reprocessing a project with that file is a separate task and still needs enough Task Units. In the new reprocess dialog, Queue replacement is disabled while units are insufficient and the saved file stays selected. If a task cannot be queued during project creation, the file remains in Uploads. Return when units replenish and select it again. Single-file and team storage limits still apply to the upload itself.

Limits and retries

Uploads are limited by the active team tier. If a file is too large, reduce it before uploading or use a provider workflow when appropriate. Background processing is also limited by queue and concurrency rules, so new work may wait when the team is already running tasks.

On Basic, one source processing task or export can run for up to 60 minutes. A Basic team can use up to 120 minutes of actual processing within a rolling 24 hour window. Reaching the individual limit stops that job; reaching the rolling limit pauses new processing until enough runtime leaves the window. Task Units are a separate shared allowance that controls how much work can start.

Failed DTM, OSM, and imagery tasks can be retried from the project detail page when retry controls are available. Replacement processing can also be queued later, which is how you add a new terrain, vector, or imagery asset without creating an entirely new project.

Replacement processing creates new assets

Replacement processing does not overwrite the previous source asset. It queues another task and stores the result as another project asset. The project can then select the new processed asset for that source family while retaining the old asset for traceability, download, or existing editor layers.

This distinction matters most after reprocessing. The project detail page may show the new asset as selected, while the Editor can still be using layers imported from the old asset. Open the Editor and import or reimport when you want the new selected source to become the editable layer baseline.

Choosing provider or upload

Use provider mode when you trust the available data source for the selected area and want a fast start. Use upload mode when you have better source data, need exact control, or are working from private or prepared files.

A blank project skips provider downloads during creation. You can still populate it later with uploaded terrain, vector, and imagery files from the project detail page.