Query and catalogue APIs

Two common API tasks look similar but answer different questions.

Query the records

LINZ's Koordinates-based Query API lets applications query LDS data directly. Use a data query when you know the dataset and need selected records/attributes rather than the whole layer.

Query the catalogue

Catalogue services return metadata about datasets: title, description, extent and other discovery information. LINZ exposes OGC CS-W 2.0.2 for catalogue access.

Use catalogue search when building a data discovery tool or checking which datasets exist. Use WFS/query services when retrieving the actual features.

Why metadata search matters

A text search for river can find a map tile, a vector river network, a monitoring table and an old archived layer. Discovery metadata helps distinguish them before you wire the wrong service into an analysis.

Official source: Which LDS API should I use?.

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026