terrestris
terrestris is a Bonn-based open source GIS consulting firm founded in 2003 that designs, develops, and maintains WebGIS applications, geoportals, and OGC/INSPIRE-compliant spatial data infrastructure for German federal, state, and municipal government agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersBonn, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What terrestris does
terrestris GmbH & Co. KG is a Bonn-based, privately held open source GIS specialist founded in 2003 (over 20 years operating) that designs, builds, and operates WebGIS applications and geodata infrastructure for German federal and state agencies, municipalities, and research institutions. The company is structured as a German GmbH & Co. KG with managing directors Torsten Brassat and Roland Hachmann, holds DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications (since December 2023), and is an OSGeo charter member with deep contributor status across OpenLayers, GeoServer, GeoStyler, SHOGun, and Masterportal.
The technology stack is built around SHOGun, terrestris's proprietary open source WebGIS framework (Spring Boot/Hibernate backend, OpenLayers frontend, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GeoServer for OGC services WMS/WFS, Keycloak for RBAC, MapFish Print, containerized via Docker and Kubernetes-deployable), supplemented by proprietary commercial offerings OSM WMS Premium and the hosted On-A-Map platform (co-developed with meggsimum). Service offerings span consulting, conception and architecture, custom software development, agile project management, quality and test management, operation and maintenance, and training and workshops. Named customer work includes the BfS Geoportal, BKG GDI-DE Test Suite, MDI-DE Portal, GDA Rheinland-Pfalz (1,800+ subject areas, 170+ applications), the Geoportal Spatial Planning Baden-Württemberg, and the Map Viewer API for LGB Brandenburg.
Revenue is generated almost entirely from professional services sold on a project and retainer basis to government buyers, augmented by modest recurring streams from OSM WMS Premium subscriptions and On-A-Map hosting. Distribution is fully direct (no resellers or self-serve marketplace), with demand generated primarily through a community-led, event-driven GTM centered on FOSS4G and FOSSGIS conferences, OSGeo code sprints, webinars, and a knowledge-base content engine. The company is independently owned by its founding/management team; no external investors, parent, or M&A activity is identified.
terrestris firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- terrestris
- Legal name
- terrestris GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://terrestris.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- terrestris is a Bonn-based open source GIS consulting firm founded in 2003 that designs, develops, and maintains WebGIS applications, geoportals, and OGC/INSPIRE-compliant spatial data infrastructure for German federal, state, and municipal government agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
terrestris industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geospatial Software & Services
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)
Keywords
Where terrestris is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonn
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
terrestris business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services (Consulting & Software Development): The primary revenue stream. terrestris sells its expertise through consulting, conception and architecture, custom software development, project management and agile support, quality and test management, and operation and maintenance services. Services are sold to government agencies, municipalities, and research institutions on a project and retainer basis. Training and workshops are also offered as billable services.
- OSM WMS Products: Sale of premium and free OpenStreetMap WMS products, providing pre-rendered map tiles as OGC-compliant WMS layers. Revenue is generated from premium tier subscriptions/licensing of the OSM WMS Premium product.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
terrestris product offering
Product offeringCore offering
terrestris is a German open source GIS specialist that delivers customized WebGIS applications, geoportals, and spatial data infrastructure to government agencies, research institutions, and private organizations. The company sells professional services (consulting, conception, custom software development, project management, quality assurance, and operation/maintenance) as its primary offering, alongside commercial products (OSM WMS Premium map service and the On-A-Map hosted map platform) and its proprietary open source WebGIS framework SHOGun.
Product overview
terrestris is an Open Source GIS specialist offering both commercial products and extensive open-source software solutions. Their commercial portfolio includes OSM WMS Premium (a fee-based map service) and On-A-Map (a complete hosting solution for interactive web maps). Their core open-source products include SHOGun (their proprietary WebGIS framework with modular architecture, role-based access, and OGC compliance) and GeoStyler (a generic geodata styler developed with meggsimum). They actively support and contribute to major open-source GIS projects including GeoServer, OpenLayers, Masterportal, CesiumJS, GeoNetwork, MapProxy, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, and Apache Superset. Their services span geoportal development, WebGIS application creation, spatial data management, and consulting, with a focus on Open Source Geospatial technology (OSGeo) and OGC standards compliance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OSM WMS Premium Premium Web Map Service based on OpenStreetMap data, providing pre-rendered map tiles as OGC-compliant WMS layers for integration into GIS applications, with enhanced quality, reliability, and support compared to the free version.
- Freier OSM WMS Free Web Map Service providing OpenStreetMap data as WMS layers for basic mapping needs.
- SHOGun WebGIS Framework Proprietary open source WebGIS framework from terrestris for creating modern, productive WebGIS applications with modular architecture, Spring Boot/Hibernate backend, OpenLayers frontend, PostgreSQL/PostGIS database, GeoServer for OGC services, Keycloak role-based access control, and Kubernetes-ready cloud deployment.
- On-A-Map Complete hosted web map solution for regions, cities, municipalities, and associations, built on Masterportal and OpenLayers, providing ready-to-use interactive map applications with hosting, maintenance, and updates included.
- GeoStyler Generic geodata styler (OSGeo Community project) co-developed by terrestris and meggsimum to harmonize differences between different cartographic display formats and translate between format A and format B.
- GIS Professional Services End-to-end professional services covering GIS consulting & conception, custom WebGIS and geoportal software development, project management and agile coaching, quality and test management, long-term operation & maintenance, and training/workshops. Sold to government agencies, research institutions, and private organizations on a project and retainer basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Geoportal manages over 1,800 subject areas and integrates 170+ specialized applications for Rhineland-Palatinate's water management administration
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use terrestris
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
terrestris technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
terrestris partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- mundialiscoremundialis is a related company also based in Bonn. The terrestris website displays mundialis's logo alongside its own, indicating a close strategic relationship. Both companies share expertise in geoinformation and open source GIS, and appear to collaborate on projects and initiatives.
- meggsimumcoremeggsimum is a key strategic partner with whom terrestris co-developed the GeoStyler project (a generic geodata styler harmonizing different display formats) and the On-A-Map hosting solution. Both companies are core contributors to GeoStyler and share open source GIS development goals.
- OSGeo (Open Source Geospatial Foundation)coreOSGeo is a non-profit organization promoting global adoption of open source geospatial technology. terrestris is an active OSGeo charter member and core developer in OSGeo software projects. OSGeo provides financial, organizational, and legal support for open source GIS projects and the broader community.
- FOSSGIS e.V.coreFOSSGIS (Freie und Open Source Software für Geoinformationssysteme) e.V. is a registered non-profit association organizing the largest German-speaking FOSSGIS conference. terrestris has been actively involved since the founding of the association (evolved from the UMN MapServer User Conference), helped organize FOSS4G 2016 in Bonn, sponsors the conference, and participates with numerous employees.
- DataportminorDataport is listed as a partner on terrestris's website. Their representative (Jens Nienaber) co-presented the Masterportal webinar with terrestris, indicating collaborative work on the Masterportal open source project and related government IT projects.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
terrestris competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Esri: Global GIS software incumbent (ArcGIS); competes with terrestris for the same German government GIS budgets but from a proprietary, broad-portfolio position rather than open source WebGIS specialization.
- Hexagon Geospatial: Global geospatial platform vendor (Power Portfolio, M.App Enterprise); competes for enterprise and government spatial data management contracts where terrestris also bids, but from a much larger proprietary platform base.
Others
- wetransform: German open source GIS technology company and listed terrestris partner; comparable because of overlapping technology stack (open source ETL/GIS) and shared German public-sector customer base.
- meggsimum: Strategic partner and co-developer of GeoStyler and On-A-Map; directly comparable as a German open source GIS consultancy with overlapping community (OSGeo) engagement and similar public-sector customer profile.
- mundialis: Bonn-based sister/partner company focused on geoinformation and Earth observation; comparable because it shares terrestris's open source GIS DNA and is jointly marketed, though its EO/raster focus differs from terrestris's WebGIS/government-portal core.
Direct peers
- WhereGroup: German open source GIS services and products company (PostNAS, Mapbender) serving public-sector geodata infrastructure; the closest direct competitor to terrestris in the German open source WebGIS/geoportal market.
- lat-lon: German geoinformation services and OGC-compliant software solutions firm; comparable as a German-language open source GIS specialist targeting government and enterprise spatial data infrastructure customers.
- Camptocamp: Swiss/French open source GIS and infrastructure company (GeoMapFish, Odoo) with deep OSGeo involvement; comparable as a European open source WebGIS specialist serving public-sector geodata customers.
- con terra: German GIS specialist (esri partner historically) focused on spatial data infrastructure and INSPIRE compliance; comparable as a German public-sector-focused GIS professional services and platform company.
Regional players
- Geocat: Netherlands-based open source geospatial consultancy with INSPIRE and metadata expertise; comparable as a small European open source GIS services firm, though primarily serving Benelux public-sector clients rather than the German market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
terrestris social profiles
Digital presenceterrestris compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
terrestris financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
terrestris leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
terrestris funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
terrestris M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about terrestris
What does terrestris do?
terrestris is a German open source GIS specialist that delivers customized WebGIS applications, geoportals, and spatial data infrastructure to government agencies, research institutions, and private organizations. The company sells professional services (consulting, conception, custom software development, project management, quality assurance, and operation/maintenance) as its primary offering, alongside commercial products (OSM WMS Premium map service and the On-A-Map hosted map platform) and its proprietary open source WebGIS framework SHOGun.
Is terrestris a public or private company?
terrestris is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was terrestris founded?
terrestris was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is terrestris based?
terrestris is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does terrestris make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Professional Services (Consulting & Software Development) is the primary driver. The others are OSM WMS Products.
Who are terrestris's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Esri and Hexagon Geospatial. Others are wetransform, meggsimum and mundialis. Direct peers are WhereGroup, lat-lon, Camptocamp and con terra. Geocat is listed as a regional player.
Does terrestris have an API?
No public API is recorded for terrestris.
What industry is terrestris in?
terrestris's product category is Geospatial Software & Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAK, GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms, with a secondary code of EUAHAKAC, Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics). Its NAICS code is 5413 and its SIC code is 7371.