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Metering

What is counted​

Only API key requests are metered. A tile counts when the Tiles API answers 200 on a deliverable tile or a workspace mosaic tile:

GET /collections/{collection_id}/items/{item_id}/tiles/{tileMatrixSetId}/{z}/{x}/{y}
GET /collections/{collection_id}/tiles/{tileMatrixSetId}/{z}/{x}/{y}

That includes GIS (WMTS) traffic and any web map reading XYZ tiles with a key. A mosaic tile counts once, however many deliverables it blends.

What is not counted​

  • Anything the Albatross web app shows.
  • 204 (empty mosaic tile) and every error response.
  • WMTS capabilities, tilejson.json, info, statistics, point, listings and the public reference routes.
  • Tiles served from a client's cache. A 200 may be cached for up to an hour.

How a tile is counted​

A tile counts as its area in 256 px tiles, by its tilesize (256, the default, or 512). A buffer does not change the count.

RequestSide (px)Counts as
No tilesize2561
tilesize=5125124
Any tile a GIS loads through WMTS2561

tilesize is 256 or 512 and the maximum buffer is 8; any other request is refused with 422 and not counted.

The tilejson 512 default​

A tilejson.json describes 512 px tiles unless you add tilesize=256, so a web map built from it requests tiles that count as 4 each.

tip

If you want 512 px tiles, request them one zoom level lower (z - 1). Each covers the ground of four 256 px tiles at the same detail: the same usage with a quarter of the requests. See Tiles for web maps.

Usage months​

Usage is summed by UTC calendar month (in Brisbane, a new month starts at 10:00 am on the 1st), and every date on the usage pages is UTC. A tile is counted on the UTC day it is recorded, about 10 seconds after it is served, so one served in the last seconds of a month counts towards the next. Reload the page to see newer usage.

Monthly quota​

Your workspace may have a monthly quota agreed with Terrabit. It is soft: tiles are never slowed or blocked after it is passed.

Within about an hour of passing it, workspace Admins and Terrabit billing staff get one Map Tile Quota Exceeded alert for that month, in the app and by email. It cannot be turned off. If Terrabit changes the quota mid-month, passing the new quota can send another. No quota means no alert.

Map tile access​

Terrabit enables map tile access for your workspace, with optional start and end dates; contact your Terrabit account manager to enable or extend it. It applies to API keys only. While access is not active, keys get 403 and Connect to GIS is not offered in the Data Catalog, but you can still view, rename and revoke keys and see past usage. For when keys can be created or rolled, see API keys.

Changes take up to a minute​

For up to about a minute after you revoke a key, roll its secret, change its projects or the key expires or access ends, the old access keeps working and its tiles still count.

See your usage​

Workspace Admins only.

Tile Usage page​

Go to Settings > Tile Usage. It shows this month's usage against your quota (amber when over), a daily chart stacked by API key and a By API key table, for this month by default or any range up to 366 days. Revoked keys keep their history. The page, chart and billing all count by UTC record day, so they always agree.

One key's usage​

Each API key's page has a Usage this period section for that key. See API keys.

Prices and invoices​

Albatross records usage only. Prices, overage and invoices are handled by your Terrabit account manager. There is no usage download.