If you’re trying out the new QGis 3 and you’re a fan of OpenStreetMap, most certainly you’ll wondering where are in this new version the plugins you used in the 2.18 version.
I you search in internet, you’ll come across many articles telling you that version 3 requires a redevelopment of plugins, that you must be patient and wait …
Do not panic, everything is fine! You do not have to wait. In fact, with the version 3 you do not need, any longer, a plugin to keep on using OpenStreetMap.
They are available by default in the list of the EXPLORER panel
Let’s answer the two questions right away:
Why two?
The layer named OpenStreetMap is the official layer served by openstreetmap.org, the layer named osm is the layer served by maps.wikimedia.org. But you can add others (OpenCycleMap, OpenSeaMap, …).
And, if they are not present?
You must retrieve the addressed of the OpenStreetMap layers that you want to see in your EXPLORER pane. You have to go to https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tile_servers
You will see the list of available layers
The column tiles url depicts the address you have to copy and paste in QGis
Warning! you must remove the $ signs in the addresses before pasting them in QGis.
To add one of these addresses:
Right click on Tiles xyz in the EXPLORER pane and then New Connection
Give a name (the one that will appear in the EXPLORER panel) and enter the corresponding url (by removing the $ signs)
There it’s done!
In order to use them as a base map, just click and drag them to the LAYERS panel.
And for QGis Cloud?
There, you will get (unnecessarily) stuck.
Little reminder. To publish projects in QGis Cloud, you upload your project data to the cloud, except the base maps you will define in QGis 2.X by clicking on Add background layer
With QGis 3, you have the QGis Cloud plugin, but the developers forgot to remove a warning message. And that is what will mix you up.
If you trust this message, you will be looking to install the OpenLayers plugin in QGis 3 … and it does not exist any longer!
By the way, it’s the message that’s wrong. Version 3 of QGis Cloud no longer needs the OpenLayers plugin. You, just, have to use the chosen basemap in your project and when you publish your project in the cloud, the QGis cloud plugin does the work for you: it detects which basemap you are using and inserts it into your cloud project.
So much simpler than before, if it were not by this damn message that should be removed.
