You’ve processed your drone survey and produced a beautiful orthomosaic GeoTIFF. It’s georeferenced, it’s accurate, it might be several hundred megabytes or a few gigabytes.
Now: how do you share it with a client who doesn’t have QGIS?
What’s inside a GeoTIFF?
A GeoTIFF is a standard TIFF image file with embedded geospatial metadata — coordinate system, projection, spatial resolution, and bounding box. Open it in an image viewer and you’ll see a flat image (probably looking like it was shot from directly above). Open it in QGIS or ArcGIS and you’ll see the same image correctly placed on a map.
The geospatial metadata is invisible to regular image viewers. And the files are typically too large to email or view directly — a 30cm resolution orthomosaic of a medium-sized construction site might be 2-5 GB.
Option 1: Export a regular JPEG for quick sharing
If the client just needs to see what the survey area looks like, export a JPEG from your processing software. Remove the geospatial metadata (or keep it — JPEGs can carry EXIF GPS data).
Pros: Small file size. Anyone can open it.
Cons: No geographic reference. No way to zoom in and read coordinates. No interactivity. Not a proper deliverable.
When it works: As a quick preview or a “here’s what we captured” image in an email. Not as the primary deliverable.
Option 2: Share via Google Earth (KMZ export)
Most photogrammetry software can export your orthomosaic as a KMZ file (a compressed KML with embedded raster layer) that displays in Google Earth.
The client installs Google Earth (free), opens the KMZ, and sees your orthomosaic overlaid on Google’s satellite imagery at the correct geographic location.
Pros: Free. Good for context — clients can compare your survey with the existing Google imagery.
Cons: Google Earth is required. Quality is limited by KMZ compression. Large areas look fuzzy. No measurement tools in the standard viewer.
When it works: For visual context delivery to technically comfortable clients. Reasonable for agriculture, land management, planning contexts.
Option 3: Publish a WMS/WCS service
Web Map Service (WMS) allows you to serve your GeoTIFF as a map tile layer that can be consumed by any GIS application. Tools like GeoServer (open source) or ArcGIS Server let you publish your raster data as a service.
Pros: Standards-compliant. Can be consumed by QGIS, ArcGIS, or any GIS tool your client uses.
Cons: Requires a server. Requires GeoServer or similar software to install and configure. Your client still needs a GIS viewer to consume the service.
When it works: For engineering or infrastructure clients who have GIS teams and need to consume your data programmatically or within their own GIS workflows.
Option 4: Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) + direct browser viewer
A Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) is a standard GeoTIFF formatted for efficient HTTP range requests — meaning a browser can load only the portion of the raster needed for the current viewport, rather than downloading the entire file.
Tools like georaster-layer-for-leaflet or Titiler can serve COGs in browser-based map interfaces. Platforms built on this technology allow you to host a GeoTIFF on S3 and serve it in a Leaflet or MapLibre map without converting it to tiles.
Pros: Efficient. Standard format. Increasingly well-supported.
Cons: Still requires infrastructure setup. Not plug-and-play for most surveyors.
When it works: For platforms and applications being built on top of GeoTIFF data. Not practical for individual survey deliverables without technical implementation.
Option 5: Convert to map tiles (XYZ/WMTS)
Tools like GDAL, QGIS’s “Generate XYZ tiles” tool, or cloud-based converters can slice your GeoTIFF into a pyramid of map tiles at multiple zoom levels. These tiles can be served by any static file host and displayed in web maps (Leaflet, MapboxGL, etc.).
Pros: Standard web mapping format. Fast to serve. Works with Leaflet, MapboxGL, and other common web map libraries.
Cons: Generating tiles requires processing time and produces many files. Hosting and serving requires setup.
Option 6: Use a spatial data delivery platform
Upload your GeoTIFF to a platform designed for spatial data delivery. The platform handles conversion, hosting, and serving — and gives you a shareable link.
Swyvl accepts GeoTIFFs and serves them in a Leaflet-based map viewer. The client gets a link, opens it in their browser, and sees the orthomosaic on a basemap at the correct geographic location — with the ability to zoom in, pan, and toggle layers.
For orthomosaics specifically, the experience is: “your site, from above, accurate to the ground.” Clients find this immediately intuitive.
Pros: No infrastructure. Professional delivery. Works alongside other file types (point clouds, PDFs, models) in the same portal.
Cons: Subscription cost.
Which format should you deliver?
Depending on your client’s use case:
| Client use case | Recommended delivery |
|---|---|
| Visual reference, general use | Swyvl link or Google Earth KMZ |
| Engineering/GIS integration | COG or WMS service |
| Measurement / analysis | Full GeoTIFF via direct transfer + viewer access |
| Archive / record | Full GeoTIFF (preserve full resolution and metadata) |
For most client-facing delivery, the combination of:
- A browser-based viewer (via Swyvl or similar) for interactive exploration
- The full GeoTIFF download for clients who need to use it in their own GIS software
…covers both the “I want to look at it” and “I need to work with it” use cases.
FAQ: Can I share a GeoTIFF via Dropbox or Google Drive?
Yes for storage — both handle large files. But neither displays GeoTIFFs interactively. Dropbox shows a flat JPEG-like preview at low resolution. Google Drive shows a basic preview that loses the geographic reference. For proper delivery, you still need a spatial viewer.
FAQ: Will a GeoTIFF preview in Google Maps?
No. Google Maps displays its own imagery layers and KML/KMZ overlays. It does not support GeoTIFF upload or display. Use Google Earth or a proper spatial data platform.