Maps in spaciv

‍Maps

This guide explains what maps are in spaciv, how they are structured, and how to create one from scratch. Use it alongside the video and slides as a step-by-step reference.

What you will need

• Access to your spaciv account
• The site plan SVG file provided with this lesson

1. What Are Maps in spaciv?

Maps are visualisations that use an image as a base and let you layer your data on top of it. Instead of viewing your data as rows in a table, maps let you see it placed in a real spatial context.

You can use maps in two ways:

• Visualise data — overlay property values, room assignments, headcount, or any other imported data onto the map
• Edit data — draw polygons or make changes directly on the map, without going back to the data tables

Scales and nesting

Maps in spaciv are not limited to floor plans. They can represent any scale of information:

• A world map showing your global portfolio
• A country or regional map showing office locations
• A site plan showing all buildings on a campus
• A floor plan showing individual rooms and workstations

Maps can also be nested inside each other. Start with a site plan, double-click a building to drill into its floor plan, and double-click again for more detail. You build the hierarchy once and navigate through it naturally.

2. What Goes Into a Map

Every map in spaciv is built from up to three image layers and a linked property. Two things are mandatory; the rest is optional.

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Background image (mandatory)

The background image is the foundation of your map. It is the image you want to see underneath everything else — a floor plan, site plan, or any other spatial image.

It must be uploaded as an SVG file. Without a background image, there is nothing to place your data on.

Linked property (mandatory)

Every map must be linked to a property. This tells spaciv what kind of data the map is representing.

For example, if your map shows buildings, link it to the Building property. If it shows floors, link it to the Floor property.

When you select a tree property and set it to root, spaciv includes all values inside that property — so all buildings, all floors, or all rooms, depending on what you have linked.

Note: Root means all values. If you want to scope a map to a specific subset of data, select a specific child node instead of root.

Overlay (optional)

An overlay sits above the background image. Use it for pre-drawn spatial data like building outlines, room boundaries, or polygons imported as an SVG file. It sits precisely on top of the background.

Foreground image (optio

A foreground image sits above everything else, including any polygons you draw on the map. It is useful for shading, design elements, or additional context that should always appear in front of your data.

Think of it as a transparent sheet placed over the top of the entire map.

Note: For this lesson, you only need a background image and a linked property. Overlay and foreground image are not required.

3. Creating Your First Map

Here is how to create the Academy Level 2 Site Plan map from this lesson.

1. In the sidebar, navigate to Maps under your account.
2. Click Add Map.
3. Name it Academy Level 2 Site Plan and confirm.

The map is created but still empty. Now you need to add the background image and link a property.

Add the background image

1. Click the background image field and upload the site plan SVG file provided with this lesson.
2. The image will appear as the base of your map.

Link a property

1. In the property field, select Building.
2. Set the value to Root. This links the map to all buildings in your dataset.

Save

1. Click Save.

Your map is now set up and saved in your account. It will be available to use as a visualisation inside your project in the next lesson.

4. Quick Reference

 Mandatory

• Background image — the spatial image that forms the base of the map (SVG format)
• Linked property — the property that defines what data this map represents

Optional

• Overlay — pre-drawn spatial data (e.g. room boundaries) imported as an SVG, sits above the background
• Foreground image — sits above everything, useful for shading or design elements

Property linking

• Root — includes all values inside the linked property
• Specific node — scopes the map to a subset of data