# OS Power BI Map Visual Documentation

OS Power BI Map Visual is a tool for creating high-quality and insightful maps within Power BI, utilising OS mapping data. It's a highly flexible open source product, satisfying a wide range of use cases for customers through the creation of point and choropleth maps.

<figure><img src="/files/46f59d8f753c2003ceabf3c4d31eedf25eb4e651" alt="An example of data mapped onto an OS background map using OS Power BI Map Visual. Image shows crime data for the City of London displayed as shaded areas on top of a light background map."><figcaption><p>An example of data mapped onto an OS background map using OS Power BI Map Visual.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Key features

* Easily create choropleth (fill) or point maps on an OS basemap in Power BI
* Combine points and polygons on the same map to enable greater insights
* Provides easy access to hundreds of commonly used Office for National Statistics (ONS) boundaries such as Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) / Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) and wards without needing to import your own separate geometry files
* Drag-and-drop geocoding for longitude / latitude, postcodes, Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) and Eastings / Northings
* Use custom geometries within your map (GeoJSON or WKT)
* Enable two-way interaction between the map and other visuals (graphs, charts, tables, etc.) within your report
* Highly customisable map formatting and styling options
* Built with security in mind for data protection

## Product supply

The visual has been designed to work with both the web app / cloud and desktop versions of Power BI (version 2.142.1277.0 64-bit, April 2025). Older versions of the software aren't guaranteed to work with the OS Power BI Map Visual. Your Power BI administrator will need to have enabled the use of third-party custom visuals for this product to work.

Use of the visual requires an OS Maps API Key from the [OS Data Hub](https://osdatahub.os.uk/). If you’re unsure if your organisation is registered on the OS Data Hub or who your admin is, chances are it's someone in your geospatial / GIS team.

The visual is freely available on an open source basis. [The visual can be downloaded from the Releases page of the GitHub repository](https://github.com/OrdnanceSurvey/os-powerbi-map/releases).

{% hint style="info" %}
This product is provided for free under an open source MIT licence. It is maintained on a best-efforts basis only by a small team and no guarantees are made regarding suitability or availability.
{% endhint %}

## What's next?

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h3>OS Power BI Map Visual Getting Started Guide</h3></td><td>The getting started guide provides instructions for using the OS Power BI Map Visual tool. Users with limited technical knowledge will be able to follow this guide.</td><td><a href="/pages/e1ec108d413023a4fa8b18df30504491952b3d7e">/pages/e1ec108d413023a4fa8b18df30504491952b3d7e</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3>OS Power BI Map Visual FAQs</h3></td><td>The FAQs page provides answers to common questions users may have about using the OS Power BI Map Visual. It offers quick responses and useful solutions to queries about this product.</td><td><a href="/pages/591391cc3987c668c9370a430f0f7bad35ccc73b">/pages/591391cc3987c668c9370a430f0f7bad35ccc73b</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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