Columns
Icon Map Pro can draw a 3D column at each location, with its height set by a value in your data. Columns work well for counts, totals and other measures that read naturally as height, and they come to life when the map is tilted.
Columns need the Modern map engine (Format pane › Rendering › Map engine). New maps use it by default.
Data configuration
To draw columns, the following fields must be configured:
- ID - A unique ID representing that location. This can also be used for drill-down hierarchies.
- Longitude (with aggregation type Average)
- Latitude (with aggregation type Average)
- Column Height - A numeric value that sets the height of the column.
A row is drawn as a column only when it has a Column Height and leaves the fields that belong to other layers empty: Destination Longitude, Destination Latitude, Circle Size, Image / WKT / GeoJSON, Feature Reference, Cell Weight and Heatmap Weight. A row with a Circle Size, for example, is drawn as a circle instead.
Sample data
| ID | Longitude | Latitude | Destination Longitude | Destination Latitude | Circle Size | Cluster Group | H3 Weight | Column Height | Heatmap Weight | Image / WKT / GeoJSON | Feature Reference | Feature Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | -0.1278 | 51.5074 | null | null | null | null | null | 8982000 | null | null | null | null |
| Birmingham | -1.8904 | 52.4862 | null | null | null | null | null | 1145000 | null | null | null | null |
| Manchester | -2.2426 | 53.4808 | null | null | null | null | null | 553000 | null | null | null | null |
| Bristol | -2.5879 | 51.4545 | null | null | null | null | null | 467000 | null | null | null | null |
Columns configuration
In the Data Layers card of the Format pane, turn on Columns. This shows the Columns - Configuration and Columns - Formatting sections.
Include in Zoom
Whether these columns are included when the map zooms to your data. Supports conditional formatting.
Allow Selection
Whether columns can be selected to cross-filter or cross-highlight other visuals, or to drill down or drill through. Supports conditional formatting.
Include Tooltip
Whether to show a Power BI tooltip when hovering over a column. Supports conditional formatting.
Min Zoom / Max Zoom
The zoom levels between which the columns are shown.
Z-Index
The drawing order relative to other layers. Higher numbers are drawn above lower numbers.
EPSG (Coordinate Reference System)
The coordinate reference system of your data. The default is 4326 (WGS84 longitude and latitude). Other EPSG codes can be used, such as 27700 for British National Grid.
Formatting
Shape
The cross-section of each column:
- Square - rectangular prisms (the default).
- Circle - cylinders.
Height Behavior
How the Column Height value becomes a height on the map:
- Relative - heights are scaled between Min Height and Max Height across the range of values in your data. This is the easiest place to start.
- Height in Meters - the Column Height value is used directly as a height in meters, raised by an optional Base Height.
Min Height / Max Height
With Relative height behavior, the heights in meters of the smallest and largest columns. Both can go up to 10,000,000 m.
Heights are real distances on the ground, so how tall a column looks depends on the zoom level: a 100 km column is only a few dozen pixels tall when the whole continent is in view. If your columns look flat, increase Max Height or zoom in.
Base Height
With Height in Meters behavior, a height in meters that each column starts from. Supports conditional formatting.
Width
The width of each column's footprint, in meters. Supports conditional formatting. At low zoom levels the default of 100 m is smaller than a pixel, so widen the columns (for example to 20,000 m) for maps that show a whole country or more.
Color
The fill color of the columns. Supports conditional formatting.
Transparency
A value between 0 and 100, where 0 is fully opaque and 100 is fully transparent.
Viewing columns in 3D
Columns are drawn in 3D, so tilt the map to see them rise:
- Hold the right mouse button (or Ctrl and the left mouse button) and drag to tilt and rotate the map.
- Set a starting tilt with Default Pitch in the Zoom section of the Format pane, so the report opens already tilted. Tilting the map while editing updates this setting for you.
Example uses
- Population or customer counts per location.
- Sales volumes per store or region.
- Sensor readings where the height shows the measured value.