Binned density over London
Ten thousand observations would overplot into a solid blob. Binning them into hexagons aggregates first and colours second, which is the only way a reader can see where a dense point dataset actually concentrates.
Start an editable copy with this data and your current map styling.
What to look at
- Hexagons share edges exactly, so the grid never looks like a real boundary.
- Empty cells are omitted rather than drawn at zero, keeping the pattern clean.
- A magma ramp gives high-density cells a bright core against the dark theme.
Source columns
These fields describe the example data. CSV and Excel use first-row headers; GIS formats store geometry and feature properties. Required geometry depends on the map type.
| Column | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cell | text | A12 |
| readings | number | 64 |
Rebuild it with your own data
- 1
Get your CSV file ready
The example fields are cell, readings. For CSV or Excel, put headers in the first row. GIS files carry geometry and feature properties. Prepare any grid, catchment or route geometry before import.
- 2
Drop it into the studio
MapCrafter detects the geometry, counts the features, and shows the layers it found.
- 3
Style the imported layer
Pick which column drives colour, and which drives size or width where relevant.
- 4
Pick a basemap theme
Graphite is used here. 15 other basemaps are available, including official OpenFreeMap styles. Switch using Layers & basemap.
- 5
Share or export
Publish a link, embed the map, or export a PNG at print resolution.
Questions about this example
- What file format does this hexbin use?
- This example illustrates CSV data. The live preview uses GeoJSON geometry. MapCrafter reads CSV directly, along with Excel, CSV, KML, KMZ, GPX, GeoJSON, TopoJSON and zipped Shapefile. No conversion step and no desktop software.
- What columns does the source data need?
- The file used here has 2 columns: cell, readings. For tabular imports, supply coordinate columns, WKT or GeoJSON geometry, or address columns for an explicit geocoding step. Polygon and line files carry their geometry separately from these attributes.
- Can I use my own data with this map type?
- Yes. Open the studio, drop in your file, and MapCrafter detects the geometry and applies a starting style. Then style the layer and choose which property drives colour, size or width. The studio can render a point heatmap, but grids, routes and catchment polygons must be prepared before import.
- Can I export or share the finished map?
- Each map can be published to a short share link, embedded in another page with an iframe, or exported as a print-resolution PNG. The cleaned-up geometry can also be exported as GeoJSON. All of that is available on the free tier.
- Where does the data in this example come from?
- Cell values generated from a seeded process with four hotspots; the subject matter is illustrative.
More heat maps examples
Gallery (314)- CSVTokyo binned densityA dark-theme hexbin over the Kantō plain, with the highest-value cells reaching a pale yellow. On a dark basemap the ramp has to run towards light, because a dark-to-dark ramp has nowhere left to go.
- GeoJSONAgricultural survey binsA wide, sparse region binned at a coarse cell size. Cell size is the single most consequential choice in a binned map: too small and the pattern dissolves into noise, too large and the structure vanishes into a single blob.
- CSVBinned density across IndiaBinned observations over a large, irregular landmass. Because cells are generated in geographic space, a binned map over a wide latitude range needs its cell size expressed in kilometres, not degrees.
Last updated 2026-10-22