Creating a map chart

The Spotfire Business Author map chart is a container designed to hold map layers to display data in a geographical context. The map chart has its own properties that control the characteristics of the container and the layers you add to it. When you create a map chart, a map layer is also supplied by default, and optionally a feature or marker layer (depending on the data Spotfire Business Author is interpreting).

Prerequisites

The data you use to create a map chart in Spotfire Business Author must have geographical context, such as columns with latitude and longitude values.

You can add multiples of other available layers and control the properties for each layer separately. Spotfire Business Author also provides navigation controls in the visualization for zooming and panning.

  • Each layer contains multiple properties to add fine control for the specific type of layer.
  • Transparency, a property in each layer, gives the designer fine control over the layer display.
  • The marker layers can add indicators for a data column, such as locale or zip codes, major cities, or country names.
  • The feature layers can add shapes defining areas such as regions, countries, or continents.
  • Third-party services (TMS and WMS) add specific field interest or beauty to the map charts.

Perform this task in Edit mode in Spotfire Business Author.

Procedure

  • On the toolbar, click Add new visualization, and then select Map Chart.
    A default map chart, which reads data from the available geographical columns, is created.

Map chart example

This example shows creating a map chart from the existing GeoAnalytics public data, available in Spotfire Business Author. The data table, already loaded, shows Australia States and Territories. When the map chart is created from this data table, it uses the categorical values in Continent, Country, and Subregion to display the map chart, and then it automatically adds the map layer and a feature layer to render the filled-in shapes using the other data columns (Geometry, State, and so on). This image shows the default properties settings for this built-in data before any customizations are added.


The map chart created from GeoAnalytics data provided in Spotfire

What to do next

Configure the map chart properties, and then add and configure any number and variety of layers to the map chart.