01 · Product name
Shade Map
Public map of sun position and shadows for a time and place.
Published by Shade Map.
In short
Shade Map is a public web map at shademap.app. You move the clock and the map redraws shadows from terrain and buildings. The map opened here credited OpenStreetMap and showed a sun readout: time, date, elevation, and azimuth. The about page describes a JavaScript toolkit with three plans, Learn, Ship, and Scale, and it says Learn is free on localhost. Dollar amounts were not present as text on that page, so this listing does not quote one. A shadow is the model for that clock time, not a photograph.
Product pricing strategy
02
Free and paid
The public map loaded without an account. The about page is where the paid toolkit is described. Learn is free on localhost and is labeled for personal projects. Ship includes 1,000 external map loads a month, an external domain, a mobile app, and developer support. Scale includes unlimited external map loads plus roadmap priority and community marketing. Both Ship and Scale are shown as monthly plans. The currency amounts were not text on the page opened on 16 Oct 2026, so this listing does not invent them. Read the about page again before you budget. Localhost use and embedding the map on another domain are different products on that page.
Utility and features
03
Shade Map draws sunlight and shadow on a slippy map. The page title calls it a simulation for any time and place. Two views of the same coordinate pair, about 39.04 north and 77.49 west, were captured on 16 Oct 2026. The morning view read 07:52 AM, UV 0.0, elevation 5.3 degrees, azimuth 105.9 degrees ESE. The afternoon view read 01:52 PM, UV 4.7, elevation 40.2 degrees, azimuth 198.6 degrees SSW. A time control runs along the bottom of the map. The overlay says to drag or click the time to see shadows change. OpenStreetMap is credited on the map.
- Time of day is the control. The same place at two hours shows a different elevation and azimuth. The shadow is the model's output for that clock time.
- Terrain and buildings. The about page says the toolkit can load elevation models and OpenStreetMap buildings, or your own GeoJSON.
- A public map and an embed API. The map is usable in the browser. Ship and Scale are the plans for loading it on another domain.
The about page, in Bothell, Washington, describes the same engine as a toolkit: terrain from elevation models, buildings from OpenStreetMap or your own GeoJSON, and sun-exposure analytics. It names three plans. Learn is described as best for personal projects and free on localhost. Ship lists 1,000 external map loads and developer support. Scale lists unlimited external map loads. The dollar figure next to Ship and Scale was not in the page text, so it is not repeated here. The public map itself loaded without an account.
- 1
Open shademap.app and note the coordinate, the date, and the sun readout before you describe a shadow.
- 2
Move the time control and watch the elevation and azimuth change. Save the readout with the image.
- 3
Treat the shadow as a model. A tree, a new building, or a bad elevation tile will disagree with the street.
- 4
If you need the map on another site, read the about page for Learn, Ship, and Scale, and get the current price there.
Caveats
04
Shade Map is a sun and shadow model on top of map data. It is not a photograph and not a guarantee of what a person standing there would see. Terrain tiles, building footprints, and the clock you set can all be wrong. The morning and afternoon readouts on 16 Oct 2026 are what the page displayed for that coordinate. They are not a survey.
The about page describes paid embed plans and does not put a currency amount in the text. Do not invent one. Localhost use and a public marketing site are different rows on that page. Credit OpenStreetMap when you reproduce the base map. A shadow graphic is not a location of a person.
Screenshots
05
Potential use cases
06
- You need to say whether a public place is in sun or shadow at a specific time. Open Shade Map on that coordinate, set the clock, and write down the date, the elevation, and the azimuth from the readout. The two captures near 39.04 north, 77.49 west showed a low morning sun and a higher afternoon sun on 16 Oct 2026. The shadow polygon is the model. Walk the site or use a photo if the decision depends on a tree or a new building.
- A report needs two times, not one. Capture morning and afternoon, or whatever pair the question names, on the same coordinate. Do not describe a single frame as the light for the whole day. The time control is the product. If the readout and the clock disagree, reload and record what you see. OpenStreetMap geometry can be stale.
- A developer wants the same map inside another product. The public map is not automatically the embed. The about page separates Learn, which is free on localhost, from Ship and Scale, which cover external map loads. The dollar amounts were not text on that page. Get them from the page before you promise a price. Copernicus Browser is the pivot when the question is a satellite image rather than a sun model.
Hard cases
The case where the first result is easy to over-read.
The model says shadow and the photo says sun
A building was demolished, a tree grew, or the elevation tile is coarse. The map can still draw a confident polygon. Keep the Shade Map readout as the model output, with the time and the coordinate, and keep the photo as the observation. Do not average them into a fake sun angle. If the case needs the light at that minute, the photo and a site visit outrank the tile.
Questions
Is Shade Map free?
The public map opened without an account. The about page says Learn is free on localhost. Ship and Scale are monthly embed plans, and the page did not show a dollar amount as text.
Is the shadow a photo?
No. It is a sun model drawn on the map for the time you selected. Buildings and terrain can be wrong or out of date.
Citations
07
Titled sources. These public pages are what the quotes on this listing come from.
Product
Shade Map
https://shademap.app/Pricing
Shade Map plans
https://shademap.app/about/