Catalog

The Catalog lets you upload GIS files from your computer and use them in shared MappView projects. People opening the project read the published layer; they do not need your original files or a matching folder on their computer.

The Catalog plugin is included with MappView and is available in new projects by default. It shares the same right-hand rail as Style, so you can switch between browsing data and styling the selected map layer. Layer publishing and management happen in MappView.

Upload a local layer

1. Open MappView and choose Layers.
2. Choose Upload layer.
3. Drop the local files onto the upload area, or browse for them.
4. Give the layer a clear title and, optionally, a description and keywords.
5. Choose who can initially find the layer.
6. Choose Upload layer and wait for the layer page to show that it is ready.

The layer page and Catalog update automatically while an upload is being prepared. You do not need to refresh the page to see Uploading, Processing, Ready, or Failed.

For a Shapefile, upload a single ZIP archive containing its parts when possible. If you select the parts separately, include the .shp, .dbf, .shx, and .prj files together.

Vector datasets and raster datasets supported by the workspace are prepared for web maps automatically. You never need to enter a service address.

Supported local files

The upload form accepts these file families:

• Vector — GeoJSON, zipped or multipart Shapefile, GeoPackage, KML, KMZ, spatial CSV, FlatGeobuf, and GeoParquet
• Raster — GeoTIFF and cloud-optimized GeoTIFF
• Map tiles — PMTiles
• Point clouds — COPC and LAZ
• 3D — self-contained glTF or GLB models and Gaussian splat files

GML is not accepted by the current publication service. Convert it to GeoPackage or GeoJSON before upload. Local MBTiles should be converted to PMTiles.

Directory-based Zarr stores, 3D Tiles sets, and glTF models with external buffers need several related files. Share can store and securely deliver those hierarchies, but the browser upload picker does not select directories yet. Use a self-contained file for the day-to-day workflow until folder upload is available.

Choose who can use a layer

The initial audience controls discovery:

• Private — only you and people or teams you grant access to
• Unlisted — available through its link or a project that references it, but absent from public browsing
• Public — discoverable by everyone

After upload, the Access tab can grant people, teams, and organizations separate permissions for viewing, downloading, editing, and managing. This makes it possible to let a company view a layer without allowing downloads, or let an editing team update features without giving them administrative control.

Projects keep a stable layer reference, not a temporary download link. Private access is checked again when someone opens the project.

Add a published layer to a map

1. Open the Catalog panel in MappView.
2. Search the public catalogue or your own layers.
3. Select a layer and choose Add to map.
4. Save the project normally.

MappView automatically chooses the best available way to draw that layer. When the layer has a geographic extent, the map frames it before the add operation finishes. That fitted view is saved with the project. Point-sized 3D models are placed at the current map centre and framed at a useful close zoom. Alternative representations are available under More ways to add when an advanced workflow needs one. Internal service names and server addresses are not part of the normal workflow.

Organize layers into collections

Collections provide a lightweight way to group related layers without changing their titles, files, or project references.

1. Open Layers in Share.
2. Choose New collection, enter a title, and choose who can discover it.
3. Add published layers from the collection card.
4. In MappView, open Catalog and choose that collection from the Collection menu.

A private collection can contain any layer you are allowed to manage. A public collection can contain only public layers, because every anonymous Catalog visitor can discover its membership. Removing a layer from a collection does not delete the layer or remove it from existing projects.

Manage a layer

Open a layer in Share to work with the following areas:

• Overview — publication state, ownership, extent, coordinate system, and basic statistics. The basic details form also lets a manager correct the declared coordinate system with an EPSG: code or CRS:84.
• Details — title, description, keywords, attribution, dates, licence, contacts, categories, regions, restrictions, and workspace-specific metadata
• Use & share — available map representations, downloadable formats, and optional map-image, feature, coverage, and tile connections for other GIS software
• Access — audience, people, teams, permissions, and optional geographic access limits
• Appearance — styles and the default appearance
• Table — field order, visibility, labels, descriptions, and editing settings
• History — source relationships, replacement files, and retained versions
• Feedback — comments, ratings, and favourites
• Activity — an audit trail of management and publication changes

Options appear only when they are meaningful for the layer and enabled by the workspace. For example, feature editing applies to editable vector data, while a raster layer may offer image and tile representations instead.

Technical connections open with a complete capabilities request. Vector publications can expose map images and features; raster publications can expose map images and raster coverage. These addresses are Share URLs, so projects and people never receive the publishing service’s internal address.

Feature connections request EPSG:4326 by default so their geometry can be drawn directly on a web map. Map-image connections support the standard identify action: activate Identify features for the WMS layer and click the map to read the returned attributes.

Changing the declared coordinate system does not transform the uploaded coordinates. Use the code that actually describes the source data; reproject the file before replacement when the coordinates themselves need to change.

Replace data without breaking projects

Use Replace data on the layer page when a newer local file should take the place of the current one. The layer keeps the same stable ID, so projects do not need to be edited. Retained versions can be reviewed and, when allowed, restored later.

Replacement files should describe the same kind of data. Review the table, style, extent, and coordinate system after a replacement, especially if the new file changed its fields.

Troubleshooting

If an upload fails, keep the layer page open and follow the error shown beside the failed action. Common causes are a missing Shapefile part, an unsupported file, a damaged archive, a storage limit, or a file that is too large for the workspace.

If a project can open but cannot display a private layer, confirm that the viewer is signed in and has View access. If downloading fails while the map still works, confirm that the viewer also has Download access.