Icon Map Catalog

The Icon Map Catalog gives Power BI users instant access to a curated library of ready-to-use geospatial reference layers — boundaries, infrastructure, and reference data — directly inside Icon Map Pro and Icon Map Slicer. No shapefiles to download, no GIS expertise required.

What is the Catalog?

The catalog is a searchable collection of hundreds of vector-tile map layers hosted by Icon Map. Each layer is a pre-processed, optimised dataset that you can search, preview, configure, and add to your Power BI report in a few clicks.

Catalog layers render as high-performance vector tiles using MapLibre GL, so even large datasets display smoothly at any zoom level — everything streams on demand with no file downloads.

Key Features

• Search & Filter — find layers by keyword, tag, region, or access tier. Optionally filter by the current map viewport to find layers covering a specific area.
• Live Map Preview — see every layer rendered on an interactive map before committing. Pan, zoom, and inspect features in the catalog dialog.
• Flexible Styling — configure fill colours, outlines, labels, 3D extrusion, line styles, and point icons. Gradient, single-colour, and rule-based colouring modes are all supported.
• Data Binding — join a catalog layer to your Power BI data by matching a key field. Turn static boundaries into dynamic, data-driven visualisations with conditional formatting.
• Pre-defined Styles — some layers ship with ready-made style variants (e.g. OpenRailwayMap) that you can select from a dropdown.
• Layer Groups — composite datasets with zoom-based variants (e.g. coarse boundaries at low zoom, fine boundaries at high zoom) switch automatically as you zoom.
• Multiple Layers — add up to 10 catalog layers per visual, reorder them with drag-and-drop, and control their z-index.

How It Works — At a Glance

1. Open the catalog from the Power BI formatting pane (Catalog → Configure Layers).
2. Search for layers by keyword, tag or region.
3. Preview a layer on the interactive map.
4. Configure styling — colours, outlines, labels, 3D extrusion, and more.
5. Bind data (optional) — match a vector-tile property to a field in your Power BI model.
6. Filter (optional) — filter the layer - can be set using conditional formatting.
7. Add the layer to your visual and click Apply Changes.

The layer configuration is saved in your Power BI report — no external files or connections are needed at runtime.

Availability

The catalog is available in:

• Icon Map Pro — full catalog access via the formatting pane.
• Icon Map Slicer — full catalog access via the formatting pane.

You can also browse the catalog on the Icon Map website.

Access Tiers

Catalog layers are organised into four access tiers: