2026-09-02 –, Dahlia1
Ensuring reliable map tiles is critical for modern web mapping applications. This talk presents how MapLibre approaches tile quality using automated testing and CI pipelines, sharing practical lessons and reusable patterns for open-source geospatial projects.
Map tiles are the foundation of modern web mapping and visualization, directly impacting correctness, performance, and user trust. As open-source geospatial projects scale in usage, maintaining consistent tile quality across diverse data sources, styles, and rendering scenarios becomes increasingly challenging.
This talk explores the quality mechanisms used around MapLibre tile workflows, with a focus on how automated testing and continuous integration help detect regressions early and support long-term project sustainability. We will discuss the different categories of tests used in practice—such as unit tests, integration tests, and rendering-related checks—and how they are combined to validate tile behavior across platforms and environments.
Drawing from contributor experience and maintainer insights, the session highlights common failure modes encountered in tile pipelines, trade-offs in test design, and lessons learned when balancing coverage, performance, and developer productivity. The talk emphasizes practical approaches rather than theory, showing how quality checks are integrated into everyday development workflows.
The goal of this session is to share actionable insights that other open-source geospatial projects can apply when designing or improving their own testing and CI systems. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how automated quality mechanisms can improve reliability, reduce regressions, and strengthen trust in geospatial software at scale.
Familiarity with basic web mapping concepts (map tiles, vector tiles) and general CI/CD principles is helpful. No specific prior knowledge of MapLibre internals is required.
Indicate what is (are) the open source project(s) essential in your talk:MapLibre GL JS
I make my conference contribution available under the CC BY 4.0 license. The conference contribution comprises the abstract, the text contribution for the conference proceedings, the presentation materials as well as the video recording and live transmission of the presentation:
Shreeharsh Shinde is a contributor to MapLibre GL JS, with a focus on type safety, API correctness, and rendering-related improvements. He has worked on clarifying API nullability, fixing incorrect TypeScript types, and improving internal control positioning logic to reduce ambiguity and prevent runtime errors. His contributions include closed pull requests addressing glyph handling APIs and internal map control types, aimed at improving developer experience, correctness, and long-term maintainability of the rendering pipeline. His interests include web mapping internals, automated testing, and quality mechanisms in open-source geospatial software.