From data to a map you can share.
Add data, choose a map, then configure and share. Start from scratch or customize an example.
1. Add and check data
Start with a map type, a geography with an editable table, or an imported table. The geography preview shows which areas have data as you enter values. County and ZCTA data require import. Download a CSV template for the geography you choose to get stable place IDs.
- Import: upload CSV or TSV, paste a table, or connect a public ArcGIS point Feature Layer. Uploaded tables are limited to 10 MB and 100,000 source rows.
- Match: confirm the geography, location column, value column, and numeric or categorical value type. For subdivisions, select the country first. Preserve leading zeroes in county FIPS and ZCTA identifiers.
- Review: sort source columns, exclude rows, inspect unmatched locations and invalid values, and remove duplicates. Field types lets you adjust interpretation and table display widths.
- Check privacy: local checks flag likely personal information. You can remove flagged columns or scrub values. Review the data yourself; these checks can miss sensitive information.
For multiple data series, include up to 12 value columns. Set each series label, units, and value type, then choose which opens first. Choropleths can also calculate change between two numeric columns or combine two variables in a 3 × 3 bivariate map. Manual sample values are illustrative, not real-world statistics.
Latitude and longitude work directly. To locate addresses or place names, choose ArcGIS geocoding and sign in. A batch can contain up to 1,000 unique locations.
Create an original world
Create a world opens a separate, client-side tile-map builder for fictional geography and classroom projects. Begin with the campus, fantasy atlas, or original epic-quest example, then choose a square or hex grid from 4 × 4 through 12 × 12. Paint water, land, forests, mountains, parks, schools, buildings, or towns, and give individual tiles a shape, color, texture, name, value, and popup description.
Build mode edits the map; Explore mode opens its place details. The latest world stays in this browser. Download an editable Mapfetti world file to continue elsewhere, or export SVG and PNG images. This first version uses structured tiles rather than real-world boundaries and does not publish to ArcGIS.
Use a live public ArcGIS point layer
Choose Add a live public ArcGIS layer, paste a FeatureServer or queryable MapServer URL, choose a point layer and up to 12 fields, and optionally add an ArcGIS SQL where clause. No ArcGIS sign-in, token, or private service is supported.
The viewer fetches current points directly from the source whenever the map opens. Mapfetti saves the public layer URL, filter, chosen fields, feature ID and name fields, and map design; it does not copy geometry or attribute rows into the draft, editable map file, or published item. If the source changes, becomes private, changes schema, blocks browser access, or goes offline, the map can change or fail to load.
To keep browser maps responsive, requests include only chosen fields, use WGS84 coordinates, and page through bounded results. The current limits are 25,000 points and 10 MB of responses. Use a server-side filter when a source exceeds those limits.
Supported geographies
Mapfetti provides boundaries, not a general statistical-data service: add your own values or modify a sourced example. Boundaries load only as needed. Choose the administrative level that matches your data; custom boundary uploads are not yet supported.
| Geography | Match with | Coverage and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Hex tile layouts | Use the selected geography’s identifiers | U.S. states and D.C., Europe, and India and Australia subdivisions. Equal-size tiles use schematic positions, including island and territory insets. |
| U.S. states and D.C. | Name or two-letter abbreviation | 50 states and D.C.; includes a hex tile layout. Focus a map on the contiguous 48 states, any of the four Census regions, or nine Census divisions without loading another boundary file. |
| U.S. states, D.C. and territories | Name, postal abbreviation, or two-digit FIPS | All 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands. The five populated territories use labeled insets; their relative sizes and positions are not geographic. Choropleths only. |
| U.S. seven-region grouping | Region name or abbreviation | Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Great Lakes, Southeast, South, and Northeast, covering the contiguous 48 states and D.C. This practical grouping is not an official Census classification. Choropleths only. |
| U.S. HHS regions | Region 1 through Region 10 | Ten regions formed from states and D.C. Pacific and Caribbean territory geometry is omitted. Choropleths only. |
| U.S. counties | Five-digit FIPS, or county and state name | Import only. Use the full catalog, one state, Southern California (10 counties), or the San Francisco Bay Area (9 counties). Both California regions load only the California county shard. |
| U.S. ZCTAs (2020) | Five-digit Census ZCTA GEOID | Import only; choropleths with labels off. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census statistical areas, not USPS delivery ZIP codes. |
| Canada | Name, postal abbreviation, or PRUID | 13 provinces and territories, using 2021 Statistics Canada boundaries; English and French names. |
| City & metro areas | London: borough name or GSS code. NYC boroughs: name, code 1–5, or county FIPS. Community districts: three-digit BoroCD (101) or borough + district (Manhattan 1). LA: district number 1–15 or CD 1. | Greater London: 32 boroughs plus City of London. NYC: five boroughs, or 59 community districts, excluding 12 Joint Interest Areas; borough metadata is preserved. Los Angeles: 15 City Council districts, not Los Angeles County or the wider metro. Chicago: 77 community areas; Paris: 20 arrondissements; Toronto: 158 neighbourhoods (2022 system); Berlin: 12 districts. Sydney: 33 LGAs in the NSW planning region; Melbourne: 31 LGAs in the Victorian Live in Melbourne grouping. These metro definitions differ from ABS statistical extents. Match names or official codes using each CSV template. Each city has its own optimized file. Choose the city under City & metro areas, then enter values or download its CSV template. |
| Asian cities | Use the city CSV template: Tokyo municipal codes or English/Japanese ward names; Hong Kong district letters or English/Chinese names; Shanghai district names or supplied IDs; Delhi district names or LGD codes. | Tokyo: 23 special wards, excluding Tama and outlying islands. Hong Kong SAR, China: 18 districts. Shanghai: 16 municipal districts, geoBoundaries 2017 edition. Delhi: 13 revenue districts in the 2026 configuration, using community-mapped OpenStreetMap geometry; excludes the wider NCR. Source and boundary editions appear on each example. |
| South American cities | São Paulo subprefecture codes or names; Rio administrative-region numbers or names; Buenos Aires commune numbers or “Comuna 1”. | São Paulo: 32 subprefectures with city-zone metadata. Rio de Janeiro: 33 administrative regions with planning-area metadata. Buenos Aires: 15 comunas of the Autonomous City. These cover the municipalities, not their states, provinces, or wider metropolitan areas. |
| South African cities | Cape Town ward number or “Ward 1”; Johannesburg region letter A–G or “Region A”. | Cape Town: 116 wards in the 2021 boundary edition. Johannesburg: seven administrative regions from the city’s 2016 layer. Both cover their full municipalities. South Africa’s national province map remains under country subdivisions; these city packs load independently. |
| Europe | Country name or ISO country code | European countries from the bundled Eurostat GISCO dataset. France offers 18 regions or 101 departments; Germany 16 states; Italy 20 regions; the Netherlands 12 provinces; Spain 19 autonomous communities and cities; the UK four constituent countries. |
| UK, Ireland & Crown Dependencies | Country name or ISO country code | A focused five-jurisdiction view of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey. Detailed geometry keeps the Crown Dependencies available. The grouping is geographic; they do not share one constitutional status. |
| South Asia (SAARC) | Country name or ISO country code | Ready-made regional view of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Detailed geometry keeps Maldives visible. All eight countries also have subdivision maps. |
| Southeast Asia | Country name or ISO country code | Ready-made view of all 11 Southeast Asian countries, with additional Mainland and Maritime subsets. Detailed geometry keeps Singapore visible. |
| Countries within a continent or region | Country name or ISO country code | Select Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, North America, or another continent to show and frame its individual countries. You can also use 22 official UN M49 statistical subregions, top-50 sets, UN electoral groups, the Nordic countries, Baltic states, SAARC, or Gulf Cooperation Council. |
| All continents (one shape per continent) | Continent name | Use one value and one combined shape for each of six continents. Antarctica is excluded; country rows can be aggregated by the continent field. |
| Country subdivisions | Name or ISO 3166-2 or LAU code where available | Select one of the 35 countries below. Each country has an independent boundary file, so detailed small-country maps do not load the rest of the catalog. France has separate region and department choices. |
Small countries and city-states: Singapore maps 55 official Master Plan 2025 planning areas, Malta maps 68 local councils, Luxembourg maps 100 communes with official LAU2 codes, and Maldives maps 21 administrative atolls and cities. Each detailed geometry loads only when selected.
Subdivision countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom. The UK maps England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland; the Netherlands maps its 12 European provinces; Thailand maps all 77 provinces, including Bangkok.
French regions: 13 metropolitan and five overseas regions. Match region names or two-digit INSEE COG region codes (for example, 84); templates use unambiguous identifiers such as FR-REG-84. This level differs from Eurostat NUTS 2 areas. Geometry is generalized from existing department boundaries; overseas regions keep their geographic positions.
SAARC subdivision coverage: Afghanistan (34 provinces), Bangladesh (8 divisions), Bhutan (20 districts), India (36 states and union territories), Maldives (21 administrative atolls and cities), Nepal (7 provinces), Pakistan (7 provinces and territories), and Sri Lanka (9 provinces).
Subdivision cartograms are available where symbol placement has been reviewed. Bhutan, France, Greenland, Iceland, India, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Türkiye currently support choropleths only because small, dispersed, or closely spaced areas produce overlapping symbols or have not completed a placement audit.
2. Choose a map
- Choropleth map
- Color areas by numeric values or categories. Rates and percentages often make comparisons across differently sized areas clearer. With multiple numeric columns, calculate difference, percentage change, percentage-point change, or an index; or combine two measures in a bivariate 3 × 3 color matrix.
- Hex tile map
- Give each U.S. state and D.C. equal visual weight. Supports numeric values and categories.
- Cartogram
- Scale circles or squares by numeric magnitude at area locations. Available only for compatible geographies; negative values can use diverging colors.
- Point map
- Use coordinates or geocoded locations. Choose pins or geometric symbols, fixed or value-scaled size, category colors, labels, and popup fields. Automatic clustering groups nearby points in compact badges; open a cluster to page through its locations. Authors can turn clustering off.
- 3D map
- Compare numeric values at coordinates with height on a dotted globe. Viewers can rotate, zoom, and switch to the dotted 2D view. This map keeps individual points rather than clustering them.
- Connections
- Connect consecutive locations as a journey, or link an origin to its destinations. Animate all routes in a fixed view, or play a guided tour that follows each stop. A compact player sits on the map; tours also include Previous, Next, and a minimize control. Set playback, layout, icon, and duration in Configure. Link labels can show straight-line distance or a formatted data column, such as travel time. For selectable origins, include an
Originpopup field and put each origin first in its group. Try the European flight-route example.
The editor disables map types that do not fit the selected geography.
3. Configure the map
Confirm or change the map type while viewing the result. For maps with multiple data series, choose what opens first, revise viewer labels, data types, and units, or remove a series. Choropleths can use one series, derive change from a baseline and comparison, or classify two numeric series together. Source values remain unchanged. Return to the source-data review whenever you need to restore columns or change rows.
Choose a ColorBrewer or Mapfetti palette. Numeric area maps offer smooth color, five quantiles, five equal intervals, or up to eight custom thresholds. Change maps use a zero-centered diverging scale. Bivariate maps offer accessible visual 3 × 3 palettes with quantile or equal-interval classification. Categories use a discrete legend.
Area patterns include dots, diagonal lines, crosshatch, horizontal or vertical lines, and waves. Apply them to missing data, areas with data, or all areas. Choose Pattern, Reference map, or None for the map background. Patterns include ocean waves, paper, textured paper, and topographic contours; these are decorative. City and metro maps and supported compact countries can show surrounding administrative boundaries and coastlines, with Key places, More detail, or no reference labels. Backgrounds load only when selected and never change the main map’s extent or data. Enable Include map background in the export settings to retain this context in an image.
Choose up to three stat cards, labels, navigation controls, data search, and the table layout.
Tables and viewer controls
Choose map only, a map/table toggle, or a collapsible table beside the map. Side tables move below the map on narrow screens. The data search setting controls both map search and table search. Series selection updates the map and its table.
Viewers can use the enabled map controls, select map features, inspect the table, download a PNG, share a link, or open full screen. Examples also include a short recreation guide and a Customize action.
4. Review and share
Add the final title, subtitle, source, notes, and active-series unit while reviewing the finished map.
- Editable map: Map file → Download editable map saves a
.mapviz.jsonwith data and design. Live ArcGIS maps save the source configuration instead of copied features. Use Open saved map to resume it. The latest draft also saves in this browser. - Image: export PNG, JPEG, or vector SVG in 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, or 3:2, with three sizes per ratio. PNG and SVG allow transparency. JPEG uses a background and offers three quality levels. Exports include map context and Mapfetti attribution.
- Interactive link: Publish to ArcGIS creates or updates a public item and returns a responsive viewer URL. Sign-in is required. Publishing shares the map data as well as its design; use data you intend to make public.
Image files are static. To share map interactions, use the published viewer link. Embed-code generation and time animation are not yet available.
Is Mapfetti the right tool?
Mapfetti is a free, focused choice when you want to turn a table into a thematic map without creating an account or uploading the source data to Mapfetti. A broader GIS product may fit better when you need spatial analysis, team collaboration, custom geographic boundaries, or very large layers. A storytelling platform may fit better when animation is central to the result.
Privacy and local storage
Mapfetti processes imports, matching, privacy checks, rendering, and exports in your browser. It does not use AI models or upload your data to Mapfetti servers.
Your latest draft is stored in this browser using IndexedDB, with a localStorage fallback. There is one draft, not a project library or cloud sync. Clearing browser storage can remove it; download an editable map to keep a copy.
Live public ArcGIS maps send the saved query directly to the source service and keep fetched features in memory for the current session. Drafts, editable files, and published items store only the live source configuration. ArcGIS service operators can observe requests and apply their own terms. Geocoding sends locations to ArcGIS. Publishing stores uploaded-map data or live-map configuration and settings in a public item in your ArcGIS account.
Examples and published maps work on phones. Editing requires a browser window wider than 680 pixels. Below 1024 pixels, Edit map opens the controls in a side drawer; Done or Escape returns to the full-width preview. On larger screens, controls and preview sit side by side.
Sources, boundaries, and attribution
Map rendering uses D3.js and TopoJSON Client. Palettes include ColorBrewer schemes by Cynthia Brewer, Mark Harrower, and Penn State. ArcGIS REST JS loads when an ArcGIS action is requested.
Boundaries come from U.S. Census/us-atlas, Statistics Canada, Eurostat GISCO, Natural Earth, geoBoundaries and its documented upstream sources, the UK Office for National Statistics, the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority, Greater London Authority / Ordnance Survey, NYC Department of City Planning, City of Los Angeles, City of Chicago, Ville de Paris, City of Toronto, Berlin ALKIS, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Example maps cite their own data sources and limitations.
Geographic data disclaimer
Geographic boundaries, names, and locations are provided for visualization and may be generalized, incomplete, outdated, or disputed. Their display does not imply any position by Mapfetti regarding the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of any boundary. Included geography is derived from publicly available third-party datasets and is provided as is, without warranties of accuracy or fitness for a particular purpose. Verify geographic information with an authoritative source before relying on it. Use at your own risk.
Keep the Mapfetti credit
Maps created with Mapfetti must retain the visible Mapfetti attribution. Do not remove, obscure, crop, or alter the Mapfetti name, logo, or link in an interactive map, embed, or exported image.
Standard publication credit: Created with Mapfetti — Data to interactive maps, made simple. Mapfetti
When publishing a sourced map, use: Map created with Mapfetti. Data: [data source]. Geographic boundaries: [boundary source]. Keep any additional attribution required by the underlying data or boundary provider.