Ch 08c: Mapping and visualisation

Summary automatically generated on 11/25/2025 using the gpt-oss:120b model from the servers of  (INSEE) based on the complete document of the chapter. 

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1️⃣ Spatio‑temporal Map tab

Step

Action

1

Click 

[Explorer]

.

2

Run a search 

or

 use a 

[Saved Filter]

 to retrieve the records you want to map.

3

Select a 

record

 (any record that contains the required fields).

4

Click 

[Map]

.

Result: The interface splits into two synchronized panels – a map (top) and a timeline (bottom).

1.1 Prerequisites for a spatio‑temporal view

At least one spatial field (coordinates, GeoJSON, etc.). At least one temporal field (date, date‑range, etc.).

If one of these is missing the map/timeline will stay empty.

1.2 Map panel

Tool

Description

Legend

• 

Result sets

 – show/hide points belonging to the current result set.

• 

Map Documents

 – (see 

Publish

 section).

• 

Base map

 – choose background (e.g., 

OpenStreetMap

).

Zoom/Dezoom

Standard zoom controls (🔍).

[full screen]

Expand the map to full‑screen mode.

Help

Opens the contextual help window.

[Bookmark]

Add a temporary point you can later retrieve.

[Search]

Geocode a place name (searches OSM index).

[Print]

Print the current map view.

[Publish map]

Generates an 

iframe

 snippet to embed the map on another page, optionally with controls (legend, bookmark, geocoder, selector, print).

• You can also export the map as 

KML

 for Google Earth.

Clusterisation

Points are automatically clustered; clusters recompute on zoom/dezoom.

1.3 Publishing a map (iframe)

Setting

What it does

Include

 – 

current query

The iframe displays the map built from the query you just ran.

Include

 – 

opened map documents

(still under documentation – shows any additional map layers you have opened).

Controls

Choose which UI elements appear inside the iframe (legend, bookmark, geocoder, selector, print).

Visible in legends

Choose which legend items are shown (basemap, result set, map documents).

Other settings

Use current basemap

, 

Allow modify symbology

, 

Show map

, 

Show timeline

, 

Marker clusters

.

Popup template

You can pick a custom HTML template for the pop‑ups (create a new template in the 

Templates

 section of Heurist).

Copy code

Two formats are offered: 

embed

 (standard 

<iframe …>

 ) and 

web‑safe

 (escaped for direct insertion in CMSs).

Export to KML

Generates a KML file that can be opened in Google Earth.

1.4 Timeline (chronological strip)

Synchronized with the map: moving the timeline brush filters the points shown on the map. Tools (bottom bar)

Zoom / De‑zoom – change the temporal resolution. Reset – return to the full time span. Downloading – export the timeline data (CSV) – see Export section for details. Left / Right navigation – step forward or backward in time. Timeline options – label display (full, truncated, fixed width, hidden), label placement (inside / above bar), bar stacking, bar wrapping, and a “Filter map with current timeline range” checkbox.

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2️⃣ Network tab

Step

Action

1

Click 

[Explorer]

.

2

Run a search 

or

 use a 

[Saved Filter]

 to collect the records you want in the network.

3

Select a 

record

 that will be the entry point of the network.

4

Click 

[Map]

 (the same button as for the spatio‑temporal view; the 

Network

 view appears).

2.1 What you need

Linked records (relationship fields) or record types that are already defined as linked. A query that returns all records you want to appear in the graph.

2.2 Main controls (header)

Control

Function

Node Control

• 

Select mode

 – click‑drag a single node or draw a selection rectangle (right‑click + drag).

• 

Gravity

 – toggle node‑to‑node attraction; turn 

on

 to let the layout settle, then 

off

 for a static view.

Link Control

• 

Links

 – show/hide empty links and 

expanded

 links (links that open to show nested relationships).

• 

Node Size Formula

 – choose linear or logarithmic scaling of node size.

• 

Fixed

 – set a fixed link thickness.

Graph Control

• 

Refresh Data

 – re‑load the graph if new records were added.

• 

Open/Close Fullscreen

 – toggle full‑screen mode.

• 

View Mode

 – 

Icon view

, 

Basic info box

, 

Full info box with link view

.

• 

Set Zoom

 – manual zoom slider.

• 

Export

 – download the graph as 

GEXF

 (Gephi format).

2.3 Tips for a readable network

Turn Gravity on, let the layout settle, then turn it off. If the graph still looks tangled, click Refresh Data under Graph Control. Use the Select mode to isolate a subset of nodes and move them manually.

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3️⃣ Cross‑tabular (Pivot) View

Step

Action

1

Click 

[Explorer]

.

2

Run a search 

or

 use a 

[Saved Filter]

.

3

Select a 

record

 (any type).

4

Click 

[Cross‑tables]

 (also called 

Tableaux croisés

).

3.1 Building the table

Choose the record type you want to analyse (right‑hand panel). Pick Variable 1 (dropdown Var 1) – the first field to cross. Pick Variable 2 (dropdown Var 2) – the second field (optional). Optionally add a Variable 3 (click the “+” icon). Click “Update results”.

If only one variable is chosen, you obtain a simple frequency table; with two variables you get a cross‑tabulation.

3.2 Assign / edit intervals (value grouping)

Click the pencil icon (✏️) to open the Assign intervals dialog. Add Interval – press [Add Interval], select the values to merge, click the right‑arrow, then give the new interval a name. Remove Interval – select an interval and click the left‑arrow (or the blue “←” button). Reset – press [🔄Reset] to revert to the original value list.

All changes are reflected instantly in the table.

3.3 Table options

Option

What it does

[save]

Store the current table configuration for later reuse.

Show

 – 

Values

Show raw counts.

Show

 – 

Totals

Show row/column totals.

Show

 – 

Row % / Column %

Show percentages per row or column.

Aggregates Counts

Switch between sum, average, etc.

Hide / Show

 – 

null values

, 

empty rows/columns

Clean up the display.

3.4 Export & visualisation

Export – click the Export button (top‑right) to download CSV or PDF. Chart (pie) – when only one variable is selected, a pie chart button becomes active; it displays the distribution of that variable.

🚨 Warning: At least one variable must be selected before any result (table or chart) appears.

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📊 Quick‑reference of Heurist visualisation tabs

Need

Map + Timeline

Network

Cross‑tabular (pivot)

Geographic + temporal exploration

✅

 

✅

 

   

Relationship graph

 

✅

 

✅  

Quantitative cross‑tabulation

 

 

 

✅

✅

Quick export (CSV / PDF)

✅ (via 

Publish

 or 

Download timeline

)

✅ (GEXF)

✅

Embedding in external site

✅ (iframe)

✅ (iframe)

–

Custom pop‑ups / symbology

✅ (Popup template)

–

–

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🔖 Key take‑aways

Map + Timeline requires both a spatial and a temporal field; otherwise the view stays empty. Use the Publish button to generate an embeddable iframe; you can customise which controls appear and even export a KML for Google Earth. In the Network view, turning Gravity on, letting the layout settle, then turning it off yields the cleanest static graph. The Cross‑tabular view is ideal for quick quantitative overviews; remember to assign intervals when you need to group raw values. All export actions (CSV, PDF, GEXF, KML, iframe) are reachable from the respective tab’s header toolbar.

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