# The Wheeler Atlas: license summary

This site combines works under different licenses. The table below says which license covers each file or folder. The human-readable version is `credits.html`.

**Scope of the GPL.** GPL-3.0 covers only the historical border data, the religion, culture and development layers, and the scripts that build them. It does not cover the atlas application and its interface, the logo and brand, the shop images, or the text of the About, Shop and other pages, which stay © 2026 The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. All rights reserved. A GPL-3.0 label on the source repository refers to those data files only.

| Path | What it is | License |
|---|---|---|
| `eras/*.json`, `data/eras.json` | Historical border data, adapted from historical-basemaps (each `eras/*.json` also carries that year's territory raster) | **GPL-3.0** (`licenses/GPL-3.0.txt`). Corresponding source: https://github.com/thewheeleratlas/website |
| `rel/`, `cul/`, `dev/`, `data/religions.json`, `data/cultures.json`, `data/develop.json`, `data/ovmain.json` | Religion, culture and development layers, and the per-territory summaries made from them | **GPL-3.0** (`licenses/GPL-3.0.txt`), with their build scripts. Corresponding source: https://github.com/thewheeleratlas/website |
| `data/trade.json`, `data/battles.json`, `data/disasters.json`, `data/wonders.json`, `data/roads.json`, `data/rail.json` | Trade-route, battles, natural-disasters, wonders, roads and railways layers (original work) | © 2026 The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. All rights reserved. |
| `clim/`, `data/climate.json` | Climate layer (Köppen-Geiger types). 1901–2020 maps adapted from Beck et al. (2023), *Scientific Data* 10:724, reprojected and simplified; earlier maps are reconstructions derived from them | **CC BY 4.0** (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attribution: Beck, H.E., et al. (2023), High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections. Changes were made. |
| `data/flags.json`, `flags/` | Flags on realm cards: modern national flags from flag-icons, plus historical flags drawn for this atlas | flag-icons: **MIT** (`licenses/flag-icons-MIT.txt`). Drawn flags and the rules file: © 2026 The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. |
| `tiles/` (bundled into sprite images), `data/dem.png`, `data/shelf.png`, `data/deep.json`, `data/world.json`, `data/vectors.json`, `data/disputed.json` | Terrain, elevation and base geography, derived from Natural Earth, NOAA ETOPO, NASA Blue Marble and shadedrelief.com | Derived from public-domain sources. Credits are in `credits.html`. The basemap-data MIT notice is in `licenses/basemap-data-MIT.txt`. |
| `index.html`, `about.html`, `credits.html`, `privacy.html`, `terms.html`, `shop.html`, `legal.css`, `favicon.svg`, `apple-touch-icon.png`, `helm.png`, `og-image.jpg`, `shop-*.jpg`, `corrections.html`, `config.js`, `export.js`, `bg-engraving-*.webp`, `shop-eng-*.webp` | Atlas application code and interface (UI), design, page text (including the About and Shop copy), logo and shop images | © 2026 The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. All rights reserved. The name and logo are trademarks (below). Shop photos are product mockups made with Fourthwall's tools. |
| `fonts/`, `fonts.css` | Cinzel, Spectral, IBM Plex Mono (self-hosted) | SIL Open Font License 1.1 (`licenses/OFL-1.1.txt`) |

## Note on the overlay layers

The religion, culture and development layers are painted only onto land that the GPL border data marks as held by a realm or people, so they are released under GPL-3.0 too, together with the rules and scripts that build them. The GPL allows commercial use, so this does not affect advertising or paid features. The trade-route, battles, natural-disasters, wonders, roads and railways layers are drawn independently of the border data and stay © The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. The climate layer is likewise independent of the border data; its maps are adapted from Beck et al. (2023) under CC BY 4.0.

## Map prints

The era posters, classroom posters and 1914 desk mat sold in the Atlas Shop are rendered from the GPL border data. The Atlas Engraving products (globe-and-wave and ship's-wheel artwork) contain no border data and are © The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. Their corresponding source is the same repository (https://github.com/thewheeleratlas/website); `credits.html` also carries a written offer of the source for at least three years after the last sale. Print lettering uses Cinzel, Spectral and EB Garamond under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which permits commercial printed products.

## Trademarks

"The Wheeler Atlas"™ and the Compass Helm logo™ are trademarks of The Wheeler Atlas, LLC. The W-arrow device in the logo comes from the Wheeler Yacht Company and is used under license. The GPL, MIT, CC BY and OFL licenses listed here do not grant any trademark rights (GPL-3.0 section 7(e)).

## Third-party names

The atlas is independent and is not affiliated with any game publisher, mapping company or data provider. Other names, such as adidas on our polo, are trademarks of their owners and are used only to describe products.