Milestone Maps is a reverse- and forward-geocoding API and a lightweight vector-tile map renderer — real places and street addresses merged into one ranked list, with global coverage that loads itself in on demand, no bulk import required.
No dataset to license, no bulk import to run first. Ask a question about a point or a place name — Milestone Maps figures out the rest, including whether it's ever seen that part of the world before.
1
Ask
Send a lat/lon to reverse-geocode a point, or a text query to search by name or street address — optionally scoped to a map's current view.
2
Get one ranked list
Named places and street addresses come back merged into a single distance- or relevance-ordered list — a house is just as valid an answer as a business.
3
Coverage grows itself
The first request into a new area imports it in a few seconds. Every request after that — from anyone — is served instantly, forever.
One query, one authenticated request, one response — places and addresses already merged and ordered.
Features
A geocoder you can actually inspect
Open map data you can actually check, plus the map itself — not just a black-box lookup you have to trust.
Reverse & forward geocoding
Point in, nearest places and addresses out — or a name/address in, ranked matches out. One merged, distance- or relevance-ordered list either way.
Built on Overture Maps
Places and addresses come from the open, actively-updated Overture Maps dataset — not a proprietary blend you can't audit or export.
Coverage on demand
No world-sized bulk import required. A new area loads itself in on the first real request — every later request into it, from anyone, is instant.
Places + addresses combined
A named business and a raw street address are both first-class results — merged into the same ranked list instead of two APIs to reconcile yourself.
A vector map, included
A dependency-free 2D map renderer in ~55KB of JavaScript (under 18KB compressed) — no 3rd party, no multi-megabyte SDK. Roads, buildings, and labels styled by feature, not one flat color.
Simple key-based auth
One header, X-API-Key or a bearer token — no OAuth dance. Keys are scoped per customer, can be restricted to your own domains, and can be copied again any time from the developer portal.
Zero dependenciesSecure, read directly over HTTPSLight & dark map themesSearch-as-you-typeAPI Playground
Why Overture, not a black box
You should be able to see where the data comes from.
Most geocoders are a single opaque lookup — you get a result, and no way to tell why. Milestone Maps is built on Overture's open places, addresses, buildings, and transportation datasets, so coverage, freshness, and gaps are all things you can actually check.
Open data with visible provenance — not a licensed black box.
Coverage grows automatically as real requests touch new areas.
The map renderer reads the same open tile archives directly — no per-tile vendor billing.
Without Milestone MapsWith Milestone Maps
Add coverage for a new city
Wait on a vendor's next dataset refresh
Automatic — the first request there imports it
Search addresses and places
Two separate APIs — one for addresses, one for places
One API — category: "address" vs. a named place, ranked together
Style a road network
One generic "road" color for everything
Motorway, footway, subway — each styled on its own
Pay for basemap traffic
Metered, per-tile pricing that climbs with usage
Free at low volumes — no cost to get started
Have a location to resolve?
Get an API key and turn a lat/lon — or a search box — into real results.