Add, Edit, or Delete an External GIS Source

External GIS sources allow Borealis to display spatial data from external services and uploaded files directly on maps. You can add, edit, and remove external GIS sources. External GIS data is currently read-only in Borealis and must be updated in the source GIS system. This article explains how to add, edit, and delete external GIS sources in Borealis Map.

📌 Prerequisite: Only Borealis Superusers can configure external GIS sources and layers. Other users can view and interact with layers based on their visibility settings.

This article covers:

• Adding an external GIS source
• Editing an external GIS source
• Deleting an external GIS source

Add an External GIS Source

1. Navigate to Map.
2. Select the Layers button in the bottom-left corner of the map. 
3. In the Layers panel, select the More options button (...) and then select External Sources. 

4. Select + Add.

   

In Source tab, you can configure the GIS source as required.

5. Enter a descriptive Name. 
6. Select the required source type: ArcGIS Feature Service, WFS, ReportAll USA, Shapefile or KML/KMZ 
7. Enter the Service URL or upload a valid ESRI Shapefile (.zip archive containing .shp, .shx,.dbf, and .prj files) or a valid KML or KMZ file.
8. Configure authentication, if required. 
   Note: Applicable to URL-based services only.
9. Select Test connection
   Note: Applicable to URL-based services only. Validates the service URL and credentials.
10. Select the required layers.
    Note:  An ESRI Shapefile and ReportAll USA service contain a single external GIS layer, which is automatically selected.
11. Set the source visibility: 
    • Private: Visible only to the superuser who configured the source.  
    • Global: Available to all users with access to Borealis Map.
12. Click Save.

An external GIS source is added, and the selected layers are available on the map.

In the Style tab, you can customize the display properties of the layer selected in Step 10.

Edit an External GIS Source

1. Navigate to Map. 
2. Select the Layers button in the bottom-left corner of the map. 

3. In the Layers panel, you can select the Layer setting option for the specific layer from the Layers panel.
   

   Or In the External Sources list, select the Edit icon for the source you want to update. 

   

4. Modify the settings in the Source or Style tab as required. 
5. Click Save.

📌Note: When replacing an existing ESRI Shapefile with an updated or different file, Borealis displays a Review File Changes dialog showing the differences between the current and uploaded data, including new, updated, unchanged, and removed features. Review the changes and select Apply to update the layer. This will not make any changes to the existing style of the layer.

Delete an External GIS Source

1. Navigate to Map. 
2. Select the Layers button in the bottom-left corner of the map. 
3. In the Layers panel, select the More options button (...) and then select External Sources. 

4. In the External Sources list, select the Delete icon for the source you want to remove.

   

5. Click Delete in the confirmation dialog.

📌 Note: Deleting an external GIS source also removes all layers associated with that source from the map.