Adding an image layer

With an image layer, you can configure your map chart to use images in combination with both geographical and non-geographical data. For example, you can add a background image and position markers on top of the image, instead of using a map background.

Procedure

Follow the steps in Adding layers.

Tip: You can reuse the settings of an already existing layer instead of adding a completely new layer. See Duplicating a layer for detailed instructions.
From the list, click Image layer.
Navigate to the image you want to use, and add it to your map chart.
When you add an image layer from the visualization properties panel, if the image you have selected does not contain geographical metadata, you will be asked whether you want to add the image as a background (typically used if you want to show data on something else than a geographical map, like a floor plan, a schematic figure of the body, or similar) or, if you want to add the image on top of geographical layers (like an image of a flag, to be placed on a map).

(If you add an image layer from the visualization properties dialog, the layer is added to the map chart with its default settings and no image selected. You must then navigate to the Data section and click Browse to select an image.)

Note: If you select to add an image as a background, all geographical layers are removed from the map chart because the geographical projections do not work together with a background image. Also, any previously specified projections (that is, any previously specified coordinate reference systems) in other layers are removed.
See Moving and resizing images for an example where non-geographical images are used on top of maps, and Positioning markers on an image background for an example with a non-geographical image background.
Optionally, move the layer to a new position.

Results

The image layer is added to the map chart.

In the visualization properties, you can also determine whether to ignore this layer in auto-zoom operations, or to always see the entire extent of the image, even if filtering of a data layer hides data points on a part of the image. The latter is obtained by adding the layer to Included layers when zooming to filtered items in the Zoom card in the visualization properties panel. (In the visualization properties dialog, this is done by selecting Include in auto-zoom in the Data section of the Image Layer Settings.)

You can also define whether to make sure that the entire image in this layer is visible when you select reset navigation in the map chart with the Include in reset view extent setting. For more information, see Navigation in the map chart.

Image layer examples

Using an image works similarly to the map with markers, but with the difference that you do not need to have map data in a data table to configure it. If you use a GeoTIFF image, where geographical information is included as metadata in the image file, then the image will automatically be positioned correctly. The example below shows a GeoTIFF image that is projected onto a map layer, and the markers are placed on top of the image layer.

Note that for the GeoTIFF image to be placed correctly on the map, the image must include projection metadata, and that some projections are not supported.

With other types of image files, the data table must contain X and Y coordinates for the markers to be placed correctly in geographical positions.

A map chart can also be used to show non-geographical data. The example below shows a map chart where the background is an image illustrating the three weather types sunny, partly cloudy, and rainy. The markers placed on top of the image show how many days in the month of August that were sunny, partly cloudy, and rainy respectively.

See Positioning markers on an image background to learn more about this example.

You can choose how you want the image to be presented when it is scaled up compared to its original size and resolution. In the Appearance section on the visualization properties, select if you want to preserve sharp (pixelated) edges, and avoid smoothing, when scaling up the image.

The example below shows the difference between the two options in an upscaled image.