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The basemap is the background map that provides geographic context for your data layers. MapX offers four basemap styles: The default basemap follows your interface theme: projects using the light theme start with Light, and projects using the dark theme start with Dark. You can switch at any time — the choice is saved with the project.

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Switching the Basemap

To switch basemaps:
  • In the Layers panel, expand the Basemap section and pick a style from the dropdown.
  • Or type your preference in the AI chat:
Basemap changes apply immediately and don’t affect your data or analysis layers.

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Customizing Basemap Categories

Each basemap style is organized into categories: Background, Water, Green areas, Roads, Buildings, Aeroway, Boundaries, and Labels. For each category you can:
  • Change the color — e.g., recolor water or roads to match your analysis.
  • Toggle visibility — hide a category entirely (for example, hide labels for a cleaner export).
Category customizations are saved with the project and reapplied whenever the project is opened. You can also make these changes through the AI chat — for example, “make the water blue” or “hide the building labels”.

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Masking the Map

Masks hide everything outside a region you define — both the basemap and your data layers outside the boundary are covered, keeping the view focused on one country or a custom area. Masks are saved with the project, reapplied after basemap switches, and only one mask can be active at a time.

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Country Mask

The quickest way to focus a map on one country is the country mask. In the Layers panel, expand Basemap and choose a country from the Country dropdown — or select None to remove the mask. You can also set it from the AI chat:

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Custom Mask

For an arbitrary area — a province, metro region, or catchment zone — use a custom mask defined by a Polygon or MultiPolygon GeoJSON. There’s no separate dropdown for it; describe the area in the AI chat and provide the geometry:
Setting a custom mask clears any active country mask, and selecting a country clears the custom mask. To remove a mask, ask the AI to clear it or — for a country mask — select None in the Country dropdown.
A mask only changes what is visible on the map — it doesn’t delete or modify your data. Your layers and their attributes remain intact.
Dark basemaps make heatmaps and bright color scales pop — they’re the best choice for slide decks, stakeholder presentations, and exported report covers. Switch to a dark style before generating a report for a polished, professional look.