Basically, a Web Map Service, or WMS, is a map that is shared with others on a server. This is the way that ESRI, Google Maps, Bing Maps, and other spatial data providers efficiently share maps with the public. Here are some quick facts about WMS:

• They allow for sharing of dynamic, or real-time map data
• They can provide map layers in predefined styles
• That data served up is generally in one of two formats; an image format (GIF, PNG, JPEG) or a graphic format (SVG, etc.).

If you would like to add a WMS to Equator, simply click on “Add WMS Ortho” in the layers menu. Then, copy and paste the URL of the WMS (examples provided below).

Here are some of our favourite WMS layers for Canada. Let us know if you want us to find / add any additional layers to the list below!