> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.defrost.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.defrost.io/defrost-maps/european-alps-map.md).

# European Alps Map

Daily updated snow cover map at 20 meters resolution

The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, and stretching approximately 1,200 kilometres across eight Alpine countries: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.

![The DeFROST Map for the European Alps coverage area, as per the Alpine Convention](https://1127025084-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lili0IfPABv5Bgn32Kc%2F-LsbFGhrDoNmBDS0TprD%2F-LsbG6PG-Q_572jDxpfJ%2FAlpine_higher_respng.png?alt=media\&token=1cc1b4af-7c45-4af0-b4c4-988abd825472)

Due to the key importance of this area in Europe and globally in terms of population, visitors and human activity, DeFROST operates and serves a daily snow cover map with 20 meters resolution for its extent.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you make any request for a tile outside the above covered area, the DeFROST server will return a 404 Not Found response code. 
{% endhint %}

### Map Characteristics

The table below summarizes this map's key characteristics: 

| **Map Characteristics** |                                                                                                        |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Spatial resolution**  | 20 meters                                                                                              |
| **Update time**         | Daily at 3AM CET                                                                                       |
| **Tile zoom levels**    | 13 zoom levels                                                                                         |
| **Tile size**           | 256x256 pixels                                                                                         |
| **Default coloring**    | <p>From light blue (#35e9e6) to bright pink (#ff01fb)</p><p>The coloring spreads from 1cm to 2.5m+</p> |
| **Covered area**        | Alpine Convention                                                                                      |

### Map Endpoint

To display the DeFROST European Alps snow cover map as a layer over the base map of your choice, use the URL string below as the Tile Server endpoint:

```http
https://maps.defrost.io/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
```

Pay attention to the fact that as any DeFROST endpoint, JWT Authentication is required for the Tile Server. This means **a valid JWT token has to be set in the HTTP Authorization request header**. Read more about Maps Authentication in the [Maps Overview section](/defrost-maps/maps-overview.md#maps-authentication-json-web-tokens).&#x20;