Power BI includes the ArcGIS Maps for Power BI visual, developed by Esri, which enables users to create interactive maps with advanced geographic analysis. It combines Power BI data with ArcGIS mapping capabilities to help identify spatial patterns and gain deeper location-based insights.
How to Proceed?
Step 1
Launch power BI desktop app and open the new report page and import the data required.
Step 2
In the Visualizations pane, click ArcGIS Maps for Power BI.
Prerequisites
When I click ArcGIS visual for the first time, I will get “Sign in “dialog box to proceed with the visual.
Note: ArcGIS Maps for Power BI includes a standard experience that can be used without signing in. Signing in with an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise account unlocks additional capabilities such as premium reference layers, advanced analysis tools, and organizational content.
Step 3
Location: Specifies information that defines geographic locations that includes city names, country/region names, Postal codes to be displayed on the map – Region.
Latitude and Longitude can be used to accurately plot locations on the map. Since our dataset already contains region names, these fields are not required in this example.
Size: Size of the data points showing in map based on the data – Count of Medal
Color: Applies different colors to the map locations based on the selected field or measure. – Count of Medal
Tooltips: add more information to the visual
Step 4
Customizing the appearance
You can customize the appearance of the ArcGIS Map visual. Click anywhere on the visual and set the properties in the Format visual pane.
Layers
We can customize the Layers title and its position under formatting section.
Layers list is visible in this visual by default. It represents collection of additional information that can be visualized on the base map and it is for organizing and displaying the geographical data within the map.
By clicking on the Three dots, we have list of layer option.
Symbology: This layer allows users to symbolize their data i.e., how individual points can be represented on the map from the default styles like heatmaps etc.,
Heatmaps usually represent the intensity of the data density
Clustering: This layer groups nearby data to avoid cluttering which has too many individual markers.
Location Type: In this layer location type enhance the accuracy of location representation on the map, users can define the location type for different geographic entities.
Labelling: It represents the data labels of the data points in the map
Map Tools:
We can customize the Zoom options, base Maps settings and Infographic card position can be set to left or right.
Infographics is the option under the three-dot menu where we can add the Infographic card in the visual
Location Type and Search
Select Locations
Click Selection tool to expand the toolset where we have different types of options to select the location on the map
Single select: Default selection tool to select the particular location point
Like this we have Rectangle, circle, polygon, freehand polygon options to select the location.
Click on the search icon. This option is to pin a specific location or address to the base map. we cannot save pinned location to the map it only remains active during the current session.
Reference layer
In this layer we can add additional information or data about the location of the map. In this e.g.
We have this map based on region, here in reference layer we can add additional context of data like
“Historical places near this region”,” Best schools in the region” etc. This will give users bigger picture of the data.
Infographic card
It provides more information about the areas mentioned on the map, where we have different demographic information about the place like population, income, age etc. we can add this info as a card in the visual which makes more intuitive.
Buffer/Drive time Using this feature we can find the distance between the location pinned to the area we want to drive. We can also options to set specific distance from the base map location.
Step 5 Save the visual
Finally, your ArcGIS Maps for Power BI visual is ready. Click Save to save the report.
When to use ArcGIS Map visual?
Use the ArcGIS Maps for Power BI visual when your reports require advanced geographical analysis beyond standard map visuals. It is useful for displaying spatial patterns, adding reference layers, performing drive-time analysis, and combining business data with geographic context.
Pros
- Advanced geospatial analysis capabilities
- Rich customization options
- Interactive map exploration
- Supports demographic and reference layers
Cons
- Some advanced capabilities require an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise account.
- Large datasets may affect report performance.
- Learning advanced ArcGIS features takes additional time.
Conclusion
ArcGIS Maps for Power BI is a powerful visualization for analyzing geographical data. It extends the capabilities of standard map visuals by offering advanced mapping, spatial analysis, and reference layers, making it an excellent choice for location-based reporting.
Useful Information
| Tags | Power BI |
| Useful links | |
| MS Learn Modules | |
| Test Your Knowledge | Quiz |
No comments:
Post a Comment