Create your first map

Map Wizard is a Vizualist tool designed to help you create data-driven maps that make presenting information easy, flexible, and visually appealing. Let’s get started.

Preparing your data file

This is the most important step when creating a map. Please read the instructions carefully and follow all steps below to ensure your data file is properly prepared before uploading it to the Map Wizard.

If your file is not correctly formatted, the tool will not be able to match it to the selected basemap. To make changes after uploading, update your file outside the Map Wizard and upload it again—the tool is not intended for data preparation.

Data file requirements

To use your data file with the Map Wizard, it must meet the following conditions:

1. Includes one unique column with FIPS or ISO codes.

   
   FIPS codes are numeric identifiers for geographic areas. The number of digits depends on the level of geography:
   
   • State-level: 2 digits
   
   • County-level: 5 digits (first 2 represent the state)
   
   • Tract-level: 11 digits (first 5 represent the state and county)
   
   • Canada provinces/territories: 2 digits
   
   ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes are three-letter country codes defined by the ISO 3166 standard, used to represent countries and territories worldwide.

2. The FIPS/ISO column must be formatted as text.

   Use the provided templates at the end of this page to prepare your data or verify codes. Open files as text in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets to prevent losing leading zeros
   
   If zeros are removed, add them manually before uploading:
   
   • US States: add leading zeros for values 1–9
   
   • US Counties: add leading zeros for values 1001–9015
   
   • Canada & World: no changes needed

3. Contains at least one value column.

4. Saved in CSV format.

How to create a map

1. Go to the Vizualist dashboard and select the project where you want to create your map.

2. Click the button.

3. Select Map from the Vizualist Templates list.

4. Enter the name for your map and click the Create button. This will launch the Map Wizard window.

Map Wizard

1. Select one of the basemaps and click the Next button.

   Switch to JSON Editor – Opening the map in the JSON Editor converts it into JSON format and allows you to add advanced features using the current map schema. This is an irreversible action. Once you switch, you cannot return to the standard interface.

2. Upload your CSV data using drag and drop, or click browse to select a file.

3. Click the Next button.

4. From the left Select GEO column dropdown, choose the basemap column to link with your data file (typically the FIPS or ISO column).

5. From the right Select GEO column dropdown, choose the corresponding column from your data file

   After connecting the data, you will see the percentage of successfully matched records. Areas that do not match will appear greyed out on the map. If no rows are matched, the selected columns may not correspond, or your data file may not be properly formatted.

6. Click the Create button.