Atlaslog / Field Notes / Coordinates & projections
Field note · Coordinates & projections
WMS 1.3.0 BBOX is lat-first, so the layer is offset
Quick answer
WMS 1.3.0 with CRS=EPSG:4326 requires BBOX in latitude,longitude order, while 1.1.1 with SRS always used longitude,latitude. A lon-lat BBOX sent to 1.3.0 is read as latitudes beyond plus/minus 90 and returns a blank or flipped image.
Symptom
- VERSION=1.1.1&SRS=EPSG:4326&BBOX=116.0,39.7,116.6,40.1 returns the correct Beijing image.
- The same request as VERSION=1.3.0&CRS=EPSG:4326 returns a 256x256 pure white tile.
- Reordering to BBOX=39.7,116.0,40.1,116.6 restores the image but it is upside down.
Checklist
- Read VERSION from the request URL; 1.1.1 and 1.3.0 have different axis rules.
- Take absolute values of the four BBOX numbers; a value above 90 in the third slot means latitude is in the longitude position.
- Query GetCapabilities and check whether the layer advertises CRS:84, which keeps lon-lat order even in 1.3.0.
- Open the GetMap URL directly in the browser to prove the problem is the request, not the layer.
- Let the library build the BBOX instead of hand-concatenating it.
Fix
Use L.tileLayer.wms or ol.source.TileWMS, which emit the correct axis order, or switch to CRS=CRS:84 when the server supports it; for hand-built URLs, wrap BBOX assembly in one function that branches on VERSION.
Code
...&VERSION=1.1.1&SRS=EPSG:4326&BBOX=116.0,39.7,116.6,40.1
...&VERSION=1.3.0&CRS=EPSG:4326&BBOX=39.7,116.0,40.1,116.6
...&VERSION=1.3.0&CRS=CRS:84&BBOX=116.0,39.7,116.6,40.1L.tileLayer.wms('http://localhost:8080/geoserver/gis/wms', {
layers: 'gis:beijing_districts',
format: 'image/png',
transparent: true,
version: '1.3.0',
crs: L.CRS.EPSG4326
}).addTo(map);
new TileWMS({
url: 'http://localhost:8080/geoserver/gis/wms',
params: { LAYERS: 'gis:beijing_districts', TILED: true },
serverType: 'geoserver',
projection: 'EPSG:4326'
});
Watch out
- Assuming 1.3.0 is just 1.1.1 with SRS renamed to CRS.
- Swapping the BBOX but leaving the image flipped because the CRS is still EPSG:4326 instead of CRS:84.
English edition written for Atlaslog from the original Chinese field note. Code is unchanged and runs as-is.
Atlaslog (2026). WMS 1.3.0 BBOX is lat-first, so the layer is offset. https://www.jingweizhi.com/en/cookbook/wms-130-axis-order.html (accessed 2026-11-03).