What You’ll Learn in This Guide
1. Overview of layer types
Every dataset you upload to Neural Earth Studio can be visualized through one or more data layers. Layers define how data is drawn on the map — as points, lines, polygons, or aggregated cells — and control how attributes like color, size, and opacity are represented.
Each layer type serves a specific analytical purpose, from showing individual assets and connections to summarizing dense datasets into clusters or heatmaps. The number and type of layers you create depend on your dataset’s structure, the insights you want to uncover, and how you want those insights to be visually communicated.
The sections below describe each layer type available in Neural Earth Studio, along with their key attributes and best-use scenarios to help you decide which is right for your map.
2. Single feature layers
These layers render individual features (points, lines, or connections) directly from your dataset.
Point layer
Draws points for events or objects using latitude and longitude coordinates.
Common uses include visualizing property locations, sensor points, or asset inventories.
Layer Attributes: Color / Color Based On, Opacity, Radius / Radius Based On, High Precision Rendering
Arc layer
Draws arcs between two points — ideal for visualizing connections or distances.
Arcs do not show routes; they display straight-line distance. The tallest arc represents the greatest distance.
A Dataset must contain latitude and longitude of both start and end points to draw an Arc.
Layer Attributes: Color / Color Based On, Opacity, Stroke Width / Stroke Based On, High Precision Rendering
Line layer
Draws straight lines between two points in 2D. Similar to arcs, but flat on the map.
Layer Attributes: Color, Stroke Width, High Precision Rendering
Icon layer
Displays symbols or icons instead of dots to represent point data.
Common uses include differentiating categories (e.g., facility types, incident types).
To configure, create a new Icon Layer and select an icon field.
Layer Attributes: Color, Radius, Label, High Precision Rendering
3. Aggregated and advanced layers
These layers group or aggregate multiple features to reveal spatial patterns or density.
Hexbin layer
Aggregates points into hexagonal bins, showing data counts through color or height.
Layer Attributes: Color / Color Based On, Filter by Count Percentile, Opacity, Hexagon Radius (km), Coverage, Enable Height, Elevation Scale / Height Based On, High Precision Rendering
Grid layer
Aggregates points into square grid cells to show density.
Layer Attributes: Color, Radius, Height, High Precision Rendering
Heatmap layer
Represents data values as colors, with warmer colors indicating higher density.
Layer Attributes: Color, Opacity, Radius, Weight
Cluster layer
Groups nearby data points into clusters based on geographic radius.
Layer Attributes: Color, Cluster Size
4. Specialized and external layers
These layers support advanced visualization formats such as GeoJSON geometries, vector tiles, and raster imagery.
GeoJSON layer
Displays paths, polygons, or points defined in GeoJSON format.
Examples:
Path GeoJSON: trip routes or movement data
Polygon GeoJSON: geofences or boundary zones
Layer Attributes: Color / Color Based On, Stroked, Filled, Extruded, Wireframe, Stroke Width, Opacity, Height Based On, High Precision Rendering
H3 layer
Displays spatial data using the H3 Hexagonal Hierarchical Spatial Index.
For this layer to be visualized, the Dataset in use must include a
hex_idcolumn generated usingh3-js.
S2 layer
Displays data using S2 tokens, representing Google’s S2 geometry system.
For this layer to be visualized, the Dataset in use must include a valid S2 token column.
Vector tile layer
Visualizes large datasets using Mapbox Vector Tiles (MVT) for efficient rendering.
Loads tiles dynamically based on your map’s viewport.Supported URL templates:
MVT:
https://api.mapbox.com/v4/mapbox.mapbox-streets-v8/{z}/{x}/{y}.mvt?access_token=your-mapbox-access-tokenPMTiles:
https://your-cdn/filename.pmtiles
Raster tile layer (Experimental)
Displays satellite or aerial imagery from raster
.pmtilesor Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) formats.Supported formats:
Raster
.pmtilesCOGs with valid STAC metadata (v1.0.0+)
Examples include:
Mount Whitney:
https://pmtiles.io/usgs-mt-whitney-8-15-webp-512.pmtilesBangladesh Rivers:
https://4sq-studio-public.s3.../planet-skysat-opendata.json
WMS layer (Experimental)
Adds raster imagery directly from OGC Web Map Service (WMS) servers.
This feature must be enabled by setting
enableWMSLayer: truein the configuration.Once enabled:
Add a WMS URL via the Tilesets modal.
Select a named layer from the service.
Click a feature to view its info (for queryable layers).
5. Common layer attributes
Each layer type in Neural Earth Studio includes a unique set of visual and analytical attributes that control how data appears and behaves on the map. These attributes define color schemes, transparency, scale, height, precision, and rendering styles — enabling you to tailor visualizations for clarity and insight.
Understanding these parameters helps you fine-tune how your data is represented and ensures consistency when comparing multiple datasets or visual layers in one view.
The following table summarizes all configurable attributes available across layer types, along with where each setting can be applied.
Attribute | Description | Available In |
Color / Color Based On | Choose a static color or assign color dynamically based on a dataset field. | All layers |
Opacity | Adjust transparency (1 = fully visible, 0 = hidden). | All layers |
High Precision Rendering | Improves rendering accuracy when zoomed in (may impact performance). | Point, Arc, Line, Icon, GeoJSON, Hexagon, Grid |
Radius / Radius Based On | Adjusts point or circle size, or scales it by field value. | Point, Icon, GeoJSON |
Stroke Width / Stroke Based On | Controls line or border thickness. | Arc, Line, GeoJSON |
Grid Size | Adjusts grid aggregation area in square kilometers. | Grid |
Cluster Size | Sets the geospatial radius for cluster aggregation. | Cluster |
Height / Height Based On | Assigns 3D elevation values to polygons or cells. | Grid, Hexagon, S2 |
Filter by Count Percentile | Filters aggregation results by percentile thresholds. | Grid, Hexagon |
Coverage | Controls how much of each cell is filled with color. | Grid, Hexagon |
Color Palette | Applies predefined or custom color scales. | All layers |
Color Scale Type | Choose quantile (by rank) or quantized (by value) scaling. | All layers |
Stroked / Filled / Extruded / Wireframe | Toggle outlines, fill, or 3D height rendering for polygons. | GeoJSON |