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Power BI integrates with Bing Maps to provide default map coordinates (a process called geo-coding) so you can create maps. Together they use algorithms to identify the correct location, but sometimes it's a best guess. If Power BI tries, but can't create the map visualization on its own, it enlists the help of Bing Maps. Read more in Bing Maps Documentation.
To increase the likelihood of correct geo-coding, use the following tips. The first set of tips is for you to use if you have access to the dataset itself. The second set of tips is things you can do in Power BI if you don't have access to the dataset.
What is sent to Bing Maps?
The Power BI service and Power BI Desktop send Bing the geo data it needs to create the map visualization. This may include the data in the Location, Latitude, and Longitude buckets of the visual's field well. Exactly what is sent varies by map type. To learn more, see Bing Maps privacy.
For maps (bubble, scatter, and dot plot maps), if latitude and longitude are provided, then no data is sent to Bing. Otherwise, any data in the Location bucket is sent to Bing.
Filled maps require a field in the Location bucket; even if latitude and longitude are provided. Whatever data is in the Location, Latitude, or Longitude bucket is sent to Bing.
(Video) Power BI Maps [Tips and Tricks]In the example below, the field PostalCode is being used for geo-coding, so the values in the PostalCode column are sent to Bing. Data from the Size bucket is not sent to Bing.
See AlsoGet samples for Power BI - Power BILicensing overview for Microsoft Power Platform - Power PlatformPower Platform licensing FAQs - Power PlatformMicrosoft Power Fx overview - Power PlatformIn this second example below, the field Territory is being used for geo-coding, so the values in the Territory column are sent to Bing. Data from the Legend bucket (and the Color saturation bucket when you use a Shape Map in Power BI Desktop) is not sent to Bing.
In the dataset: tips to improve the underlying dataset
If you have access to the dataset that is being used to create the map visualization, there are a few things you can do to increase the likelihood of correct geo-coding.
1. Categorize geographic fields in Power BI Desktop
In Power BI Desktop, you can ensure fields are correctly geo-coded by setting the Data Category on the data fields. In Data view, select the desired column. From the ribbon, select the Column tools tab and then set the Data Category to Address, City, Continent, Country, County, Postal Code, State, or Province.
These data categories help Bing correctly encode the data. To learn more, see Data categorization in Power BI Desktop. If you are live connecting to SQL Server Analysis Services, you will need to set the data categorization outside of Power BI using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT).
2. Use more than one location column
Sometimes, even setting the data categories for mapping isn't enough for Bing to correctly guess your intent. Some designations are ambiguous because the location exists in multiple countries or regions. For example, there's a Southampton in England, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Power BI uses Bing's unstructured URL template service to get the latitude and longitude coordinates based on a set of address values for any country. If your data doesn't contain enough location data, add those columns and categorize them appropriately.
For example, if you only have a City column, Bing may have a hard time geo-coding. Add other geo columns to make the location unambiguous. Sometimes all it takes is adding one more location column to the dataset - in this case state/province. And don't forget to categorize it properly, see #1 above.
Make sure each field only has a single location category. For example, your City location field should be Southampton, not Southampton, New York. And Address location fields should be 1 Microsoft Way and not 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA.
3. Use specific Latitude and Longitude
Add latitude and longitude values to your dataset. This removes any ambiguity and returns results more quickly. Latitude and Longitude fields must be in Decimal Number format, which you can set in the data model.
Note
This video might use earlier versions of Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service.
4. Use Place category for columns with full location information
While we encourage you to use geo-hierarchies in your maps, if you must use a single location column with full geographical information, you can set the data categorization to Place. For example, if the data in your column is full addresses, such as 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond Washington 98052, this generalized data category will work best with Bing.
In Power BI: tips to get better results when using map visualizations
1. Use latitude and longitude fields (if they exist)
In Power BI, if the dataset you are using has fields for longitude and latitude--use them! Power BI has special buckets to help make the map data unambiguous. Just drag the field that contains your latitude data into the Visualizations > Latitude area. And do the same for your longitude data. When you do this, you also need to fill the Location field when creating your visualizations. Otherwise, the data is aggregated by default, so for example, the latitude and longitude would be paired at the state level, not the city level.
Use geo-hierarchies so you can drill down to different "levels" of location
When your dataset already has different levels of location data, you and your colleagues can use Power BI to create geo-hierarchies. To do this, drag more than one field into the Location bucket. Used together in this way, the fields become a geo-hierarchy. In the example below we have added geo fields for: Country/Region, State, and City. In Power BI you and your colleagues can drill up and down using this geo-hierarchy.
When drilling with geo-hierarchies, it is important to know how each drill button works and what gets sent to Bing Maps.
- The drill button on the far right, called Drill Mode , allows you to select a map Location and drill down into that specific location one level at a time. For example, if you turn on the drill-down option and select North America, you move down in the hierarchy to the next level -- states in North America. For geo-coding, Power BI sends Bing Maps country and state data for North America only.
- On the left, there are two other drill options. The first option, , drills to the next level of the hierarchy for all locations at once. For example, if you are currently looking at countries/regions and then use this option to move to the next level, states, Power BI displays state data for all countries. For geo-coding, Power BI sends Bing Maps state data (no country data) for all locations. This option is useful if each level of your hierarchy is unrelated to the level above it.
- The second option, , is similar to the drill-down option, except that you don't need to click on the map. It expands down to the next level of the hierarchy remembering the current level's context. For example, if you are currently looking at countries and select this icon, you move down in the hierarchy to the next level--states. For geo-coding, Power BI sends data for each state and its corresponding country to help Bing Maps geocode more accurately. In most maps, you will use either this option or the drill down option on the far right, so you can send Bing as much information as possible to get accurate location information.
, allows you to select a map Location and drill down into that specific location one level at a time. For example, if you turn on the drill-down option and select North America, you move down in the hierarchy to the next level -- states in North America. For geo-coding, Power BI sends Bing Maps country and state data for North America only.
, drills to the next level of the hierarchy for all locations at once. For example, if you are currently looking at countries/regions and then use this option to move to the next level, states, Power BI displays state data for all countries. For geo-coding, Power BI sends Bing Maps state data (no country data) for all locations. This option is useful if each level of your hierarchy is unrelated to the level above it.
, is similar to the drill-down option, except that you don't need to click on the map. It expands down to the next level of the hierarchy remembering the current level's context. For example, if you are currently looking at countries and select this icon, you move down in the hierarchy to the next level--states. For geo-coding, Power BI sends data for each state and its corresponding country to help Bing Maps geocode more accurately. In most maps, you will use either this option or the drill down option on the far right, so you can send Bing as much information as possible to get accurate location information.Next steps
Drill down in a Power BI visualization
Power BI visualizations
More questions? Try the Power BI Community
FAQs
How do I use Bing map in Power BI? ›
Create a Bing Map in Power BI
Go to the report view and click on Map visualization. This populates a Microsoft-powered Bing Map on your report. On the Location well, drop Country, State, and City fields.
The Shape map visual is only available in Power BI Desktop and not in Power BI service or mobile. Since it is in preview, it must be enabled before you can use it. To enable Shape map, select File > Options and Settings > Options > Preview Features, then select the Shape map visual checkbox.
What can we do to help Power BI interpret our map data correctly? ›In Power BI Desktop, you can ensure fields are correctly geo-coded by setting the Data Category on the data fields. In Data view, select the desired column. From the ribbon, select the Column tools tab and then set the Data Category to Address, City, Continent, Country, County, Postal Code, State, or Province.
Can you overlay two maps in Power BI? ›Nope, you can't view both two map visuals at same time.
How do I get coordinates from Bing Maps? ›- Find the location you are interested in.
- Right click on the locaion on the map and see the coordinates on the context menu.
- Copy them to the organisation account details.
Each of the Bing Maps services uses a projected coordinate system called Mercator Auxiliary Sphere, which uses GCS_WGS_1984 as its geographic coordinate system. The Bing Maps web service projects on the fly and can be transformed to match your data precisely in the same way as any other data source.
How do I combine multiple maps into one? ›Alternatively, we can use Stream#concat() function to merge the maps together. This function can combine two different streams into one. As shown in the snippet, we are passed the streams of map1 and map2 to the concate() function and then collected the stream of their combined entry elements.
How do you integrate maps into an application? ›- On this page.
- Set up the development environment.
- Set up an Android device.
- Create a Google Maps project in Android Studio.
- Set up your Google Cloud project.
- Add the API key to your app.
- Look at the code. Maps activity file. Module Gradle file. XML layout file.
- Deploy and run the app.
- Scale dependency on layers and labels.
- Remove unnecessary layers or data frames.
- Use annotation instead of labels.
- Avoid complex symbology and label effects.
- Use the ESRI_Optimized style set for defining simple line and fill symbols. ...
- Use a map cache to improve rendering performance.
- locational skills - using grid references, coordinates, longitudes/latitudes.
- symbol skills - using the key to interpret the different symbols.
- understanding of scale - using a scale to estimate distances and compare areas.
What is map layering? ›
Typography, as an aspect of cartographic design, is the craft of designing and placing text on a map in support of the map symbols, together representing geographic features and their properties. It is also often called map labeling or lettering, but typography is more in line with the general usage of typography.
Can you put two locations on maps? ›Add multiple destinations
On your computer, open Google Maps. Add a starting point and a destination. To add a stop, choose another destination. You can add up to 9 stops.
Go to first map and select "Add a New Layer" Go to the second map and in the top menu ( three dots) and choose Export to kml-->save the file to your computer. Go to first map, click into the new layer and choose Import--> import the kml file you previously saved. The two maps are combined.
Is Bing Maps any good? ›However, despite this, many independent reviewers describe Bing Maps to be one of the best maps available, rivaling even Google Maps. They state that Bing offers better image quality. They also maintain that Bing offers a friendlier and easier to follow API. Usage in countries.
Is Bing Maps more accurate than Google Maps? ›Google maps and Bing maps are two of the most popular map services in the world. But they have some major differences. Google Maps has better quality satellite and aerial images that incorporate more locations because of its use of satellites.
Why is Bing Maps better than Google? ›Diatrom Enterprises said “[compared] to Google, Bing offers higher image resolution and better image quality" and Bing's “API is much friendlier and it's much easier to implement custom requirements using Bing's maps."
What are the 4 main types of map projections? ›Projection Types
The four main types of map projections are conformal projection, equal-area projection, equidistant projection, and true direction projection, also called equal-angle projection.
| Projection | Type | Key virtues |
|---|---|---|
| Stereographic | azimuthal | conformal |
| Lambert Conformal Conic | conic | conformal |
| Mercator | cylindrical | conformal and true direction |
| Robinson | pseudo-cylindrical | all attributes are distorted to create a 'more pleasant' appearance |
Selecting the right map projection is one of the important first considerations for accurate GIS analysis. The Robinson, Transverse Mercator, Lambert Conformal Conic, and Space Oblique Mercator projections are discussed in this article.
What are map mashups? ›The map mashup is an online cartographic representation created by combining two or more pre-existing data sources gleaned from the Internet, via either data scraping or querying an application programming interface (API), with a web map.
How does map merge work? ›
The Java HashMap merge() method inserts the specified key/value mapping to the hashmap if the specified key is already not present. If the specified key is already associated with a value, the method replaces the old value with the result of the specified function.
What are the most common data mapping techniques? ›Within data mapping, there are three main techniques that are used — manual mapping, semi-automated mapping, and automated mapping.
What tools are used for data mapping? ›- Talend Open Studio. Talend Open Studio (a free data mapping tool) supports over a hundred connections for diverse sources. ...
- Pentaho. Kettle operates the very popular Extract Transform Load (ETL) tool Pentaho Data Integration. ...
- InfoSphere. ...
- AtomSphere. ...
- HVR Software. ...
- Astera. ...
- Clover. ...
- MapForce.
- Data items (e.g. names, email addresses, records)
- Formats (e.g. hard copy forms, online data entry, database)
- Transfer methods (e.g. post, telephone, internal/external)
- Locations (e.g. offices, Cloud, third parties)
Embed a map or directions
Open Google Maps. Go to the directions, map, or Street View image you'd like to embed. Click Share or embed map. Click Embed map.
- Open Google Earth.
- Right-click the placemark you want to customize. Click Properties (Windows, Linux) or Get Info (Mac).
- At the top right of the "Edit Placemark" or "Edit Folder" window, click the icon.
- Choose Add Custom Icon.
- In the field next to "Icon location," add an icon:
Application mapping helps IT teams track the interactions and relationships between applications, software, and supporting hardware. In the past, companies mapped out interdependencies between apps using extensive spreadsheets and manual audits of application code.
What are the 4 essential elements of map reading? ›Map Elements. Most maps contain the same common elements: main body, legend, title, scale and orientation indicators, inset map, and source notes.
What is the best resolution for a map? ›- 72 dpi - usually enough for on-screen graphics.
- 150 dpi - good for large format printed maps, e.g. 24 in x 36 in.
- 300 dpi - good for small format printed maps, e.g. 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17.
- Geographic Bounds. The extent of the geographic area mapped will affect a whole slew of cartographic choices from the map projection used to data and symbology choices. ...
- Background Data Elements. ...
- Symbolization. ...
- Labels. ...
- Legend. ...
- Incorporating Map Elements. ...
- Metadata. ...
- Map Layout.
What are 2 things that every map should have? ›
The distance between the map and it's border should be the same on all sides (balanced). There should also be a border around the entire page or map layout (enclosing and grouping the title, legend, text boxes, etc.). Both of these borders are sometimes referred to as a 'neatline.
What are the 4 characteristics of a good map? ›- Clear idea of what the map is trying to demonstrate.
- Easy to interpret legend or key.
- Good use of symbols to demonstrate a clear point.
- Good sources/metadata.
- Clear features, not overcrowded.
- Title, Scale, Direction, Latitude and Longitude, Conventional symbols and colours, Index are the essential elements of a map. ...
- Scale is the relative distance used to represent the distance between two places on the earth.
- Direction is another major element of a map.
The convention is to use the serif font to label natural features and the sans serif for cultural features. For the sans serif I chose Century Gothic, which is a classic, reliable mapping font.
What is map telemetry? ›Telemetry is a process in which automatic sensors create and update maps by gathering de-identified data about where and how people are moving. Telemetry data is used to discover missing roads, determine turn restrictions, build speed profiles, improve OpenStreetMap, and more.
What is map normalization? ›Normalization means adjusting data that was collected using different scales into a common scale, in order to make more appropriate comparisons.
How do I create a bunch of locations on a map? ›- On your computer, sign in to My Maps.
- Open or create a map. A map can have up to 10,000 lines, shapes, or places.
- Click Add marker .
- Select a layer and click where to put the place. A layer can have 2,000 lines, shapes, or places.
- Give your place a name.
- Click Save.
If you have a lot more than nine stops on your route, you can use Google's My Maps to make a master list and decide which stops are nearest to each other. It is the only way to add multiple addresses to Google Maps if you have more than nine stops.
How do you quickly merge layers? ›Use the Merge Layers keyboard shortcut.
The easiest way to merge layers is to click on one layer, hold Shift, and click on another. Then press Ctrl+E on Windows or Command+E on Mac to merge the two layers.
Map image layers do not support web-based editing; however, you can optionally share an editable feature layer when you share the map image layer. The map image layer type is available only if you are sharing to an ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
How do you make a layer editable in a field map? ›
- Decide how to create the layer.
- Use a template in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Import data in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Create a feature class in ArcGIS Pro.
- Import data in ArcGIS Pro.
- Define the fields to prepare the form.
- Restrict editing permissions.
- On your computer, sign in to My Maps.
- Open or create a map.
- In the map legend, click Add layer.
- Give the new layer a name.
- Under the new layer, click Import.
- Upload the file or photos that have your info. Then click Select.
Embedding a Google Map on Your Website
You can include a Google map of your business, location, and reviews on your website. The map will show a Google pin with a view of your business location, address, reviews, review stars, and directions. If embedded correctly, this map can be a great addition to your website.
Costs. All Maps Embed API requests are available at no charge with unlimited usage.
What is an interactive map? ›Interactive maps are web-based maps that allow users to click, pan and zoom for further information. They can be geographical maps to show location-specific data, or use layers to showcase multiple data sets.
How do I turn an image into a map? ›- Upload map-file(s) Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.
- Choose "to jpg" Choose jpg or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)
- Download your jpg.
- On your computer, sign in to My Maps.
- Click Create a new map.
- Go to the top left and click "Untitled map."
- Give your map a name and description.
Import the data
Click on the import button and select the CSV file. The order of the locations in your map and categories will follow the order of the locations in the import file.