Feature layers & tables
Datasets are OrbGIS’s working unit: hosted feature layers and attribute tables with typed fields, relationships, statistics — and vector tiles behind every map.
Datasets and tables#
A spatial upload becomes a Dataset — a hosted feature layer. CSV-as-table, XLSX and ODS uploads become Tables: the same thing without geometry. Tables never render on a map themselves, but they join the party through relationships (below). Both open from the portal into a detail page with four tabs: Fields, Data (a paginated attribute table), Relationships and Statistics.
Fields#
Every layer has a typed schema — text, integers, decimals, dates and so on — established at upload. Per-map aliases and formats (set in the map viewer’s Fields panel) control how fields appear in pop-ups and tables. The schema itself is fixed once hosted; restructure by publishing through the Data Editor.
Relationships#
The Relationships tab links layers to layers — or layers to tables — with 1:1, 1:M or M:N cardinality, in two modes:
- Relate — related records appear as a list in pop-ups and the feature table (1:1 and 1:M).
- Join (1:1 only) — the related row’s fields merge into the origin feature, spreadsheet-lookup style. You choose which joined fields are baked into the map tiles for styling and labeling (within a per-tile budget); pop-ups and tables always show everything.
A classic pattern: upload a CSV as a table (statistics per municipality code, say), then join it 1:1 to a boundary layer and style the map by the joined numbers.
Rendering: vector tiles#
Feature layers render as MVT vector tiles from OrbGIS’s own tile server — that’s why styling changes apply instantly and filtering happens client-side in dashboards. Very large layers get automatic level-of-detail overviews at ingest (see Uploading data); the dataset page’s Rendering pyramid card shows what was built, and offers the categorical Mode aggregation opt-in for class-grid polygons. Edits arriving from QGIS show up live — layers carry a live badge and refresh automatically.
Statistics#
The Statistics tab summarizes the layer’s fields, and the same aggregations (count, sum, average, min, max) power dashboard indicators and charts.