Replacing data sources

Map design Custom data visualization

This collection of articles presents a suggested workflow for creating Custom data visualizations.

  1. Creating a custom vector dataset (GeoJSON)
  2. Data sources
  3. Replacing data sources
  4. Replacing name label
  5. Editing JSON
  6. Map data visualization with MapTiler Cloud
  7. Preparing gridded raster data for visualization
  8. How to add MapTiler attribution to a map

This article describes the process of replacing data sources in a map. Working with different versions of data sources is very common, and replacing them is very useful during map updates. 

Data sources can be replaced only if they cover the same style layers as the initial source! Equally important is the fact that a raster data source can only be replaced by another raster data source. The same applies to vector data sources that can only be replaced by other vector data sources.

Explaining the replacement of data sources

Replacing data sources can be very useful in case of updates. Go to the Data source panel > right-click the Data source > Replace data source… Data sources can be replaced only if they cover the same style layers as the initial source!

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After clicking “Replace data source” you will see the complete list of your available data sources (stored in your MapTiler Cloud account). You can even use the search bar at the top left corner of the context window.

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After you find the right data source, click it and a comparison preview will appear in the right part of the context window. This will help you quickly check what changes will be done to the map if you decide to complete the replacement of the data sources. 

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Once you are satisfied with the preview, click the blue “Continue” button in the lower left part of the context window.

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The Customize tool will let you know if this action would cause any style layers to be changed or removed from your map.

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To complete the replacement process click the blue “Replace” button in the lower right part of the context window.

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Why can’t you replace a data source with any other random data source

All data sources aren’t created equal. Data sources tend to have various structures which can not be easily combined with each other. Needless to say that you simply cannot replace a vector dataset with a raster one. Why is that?

In the case of vector datasets, the MapTiler Customize tool works with style.json files that define the looks of the map in the editing tool you can see in your MapTiler Cloud account. Any change of a parameter or movement of a slider equals a change in the definition of the style.json of the map. This style.json also contains references to the data sources used in the map. Therefore replacing a data source from your map with a completely different one (different layers, different structure) would completely break your map and possibly render many other layers missing (although the two data sources might have several common layers). 

The bottom line is that the original and the new data source must have a compatible schema where the respective features (roads, rivers, lakes…) are represented in the same structure and naming. Read more about the schemas of MapTiler data sets.

Conclusion

Replacing data sources is a very useful feature, especially during map updates when you can easily switch one data source for another one, let’s say for an updated version. Just keep in mind that the structure (layers) and the format (raster or vector) of the data source must be the same for the original and the newly installed data source.

Next steps

Continue to Replacing name label to learn how to replace and create new names for cities and streets.

Origin of the MapTiler Planet data
OpenStreetMap vector data
MapTiler Countries dataset
MapTiler Planet updates