Introduction

Last edit: 2026.11.05

NDS.Live is the NDS Association’s standard for connected map data. TomTom delivers TomTom Orbis Maps in this format for two kinds of systems in vehicles:

Embedded navigation for route planning and driver guidance
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for helping the driver on the road

TomTom delivers two kinds of content in NDS.Live:

Map content describes the roads themselves: where they run, how they connect, their lanes, and the rules that apply on them, such as speed limits.
Dynamic content describes conditions on those roads that change while you drive: traffic and hazards.

The content can go straight to the vehicle or to your own cloud backend, which then serves your vehicles.

In NDS.Live, the map is split into tiles. You can stream only the tiles you need from TomTom’s Smart Layer Tile Services. You can also download the map content in bulk. The NDS.Live Registry lists these services, so your map data component finds them there. This means you don’t have to hardcode service addresses.

This documentation covers TomTom’s implementation of NDS.Live: how to get an evaluation endpoint rendering a map on your own computer, and how the services fit together, so you can design your integration. The NDS Association explains how NDS.Live services are meant to be used, and offers a Python SDK that you can use as a sample client.

The API reference describes the services that deliver map content. Traffic and hazards come from separate Smart Layer Tile Services, which the NDS.Live Registry lists as well. This documentation doesn’t cover them.

Start here

Evaluating NDS.Live for the first time? Go straight to the Endpoint quick start. It takes you from the onboarding email you received to a lane-level map rendered locally, in eleven steps.

Two ways to get the data

TomTom’s NDS.Live content reaches you in one of two ways, and the choice shapes your integration:

Stream it tile by tile from a Smart Layer Tile Service endpoint, to the vehicle or through your own cloud.
Download it in bulk as a file store from the TomTom Map Content Portal, for example to install a full map for the first time.

Many integrations combine the two, and how updates reach you differs between them.

Your path through this documentation

What you do	Read
1. Learn how map data and updates reach you	Ways to get map data
2. Get access	Access and accounts
3. Try streaming from an evaluation endpoint	Endpoint quick start
4. Design and build your integration	Architecture overview, and for streaming, the API reference

What you get

Map content: a road model and a lane model, compiled from TomTom Orbis Maps and delivered in packages. Update frequency depends on the package. As of October 2026, ISA, ADAS Road Model and Navigation are updated weekly, and Lane Model monthly. ADAS Road Model and Navigation contain lane data too, which is updated with their roads. TomTom is working on shorter cycles for all packages.
Custom layers: additional layers for your use case, on request.

Everything TomTom delivers in NDS.Live starts with TomTom Orbis Maps. It combines open data from OpenStreetMap and the Overture Maps Foundation with TomTom’s own content.

NDS.Live is compiled map data: a standard format that embedded navigation and driver assistance systems read directly. TomTom also offers uncompiled Orbis map data, in a source format that you compile into a format of your own. This documentation doesn’t cover uncompiled map data.

The Architecture overview shows how the services deliver this content.

Endpoint types

TomTom serves NDS.Live content from these endpoints:

Evaluation endpoints — one for each standard package, for trying TomTom’s content.
Production endpoints — defined by the entitlements on your API key.
- Custom endpoints — production endpoints with added features, set up on request.

Do not build against an evaluation URL and expect it to keep working

Evaluation data and services are neither validated nor certified, and coverage is selected for technical availability, so it may not be complete.
Production endpoints are under change control, updated on a regular cadence, and covered by OneSLA.