ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Web Map Tile Service

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a big map of the world that you can see on your computer screen or phone. Now imagine you can zoom in and out of that map and move around to see different parts of the world. That's what a web map tile service does.

So, when you look at a map on your screen, you're not just looking at one big picture. Instead, the map is broken up into lots of little pictures called tiles. These tiles are like puzzle pieces that fit together to make the big map you see.

The web map tile service is like a magic machine that creates these tiles for the map. It takes a big map and cuts it into lots of little pieces, and then puts them together again in a way that lets you see different parts of the map when you zoom in or out.

The reason for doing this is that it makes the map load faster and use less data. Instead of downloading one big picture, your computer or phone only has to download the tiles it needs to show you the part of the map you're looking at.

So, when you're using a map app on your phone or computer, you're actually using a web map tile service without even knowing it! It's like a secret helper that makes maps work better.