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MapX accepts CSV, GeoJSON, Excel, GeoTIFF, Shapefile, and text documents (TXT, Markdown, Word, and PDF). CSV, GeoJSON, and Excel are general-purpose data formats — they carry attributes and location columns that MapX auto-detects. GeoTIFF and Shapefile are GIS-specific formats: GeoTIFF is rendered as a raster image layer on the map, and Shapefile is converted to a vector layer (points, lines, or polygons). Text and document files do not become map layers — MapX reads them as source material the AI can analyze, for example when generating a report. When you upload a tabular file, MapX scans it automatically, identifies the columns that contain location information, and renders your data on the map canvas within seconds.

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Supported File Formats

Large aerial or satellite images (GeoTIFF) render as a smooth, zoomable raster layer, and you can restyle the color bands on the fly.

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Uploads run in the background

Uploads process in the background and show their progress in the upload queue — you can keep working while a file converts or imports. When an upload finishes, MapX zooms the map to fit the new layer. Paid plans can upload single files up to 20 GB. Uploads are queued, so you can add several files at once; each file is processed in order.

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Uploading a Shapefile

A Shapefile is defined by several files that share the same prefix and must be uploaded together:
  • Required: .shp (geometry), .shx (index), .dbf (attributes)
  • Optional: .prj (coordinate system), .cpg (character encoding), plus spatial/attribute index files (.sbn, .sbx, .qix, etc.)
Select all of these files at once — MapX groups them into a single upload and shows an error if a required file is missing. You can also package the files into a .zip and upload that. If the .prj file is absent, MapX assumes WGS84 (EPSG:4326); attribute encoding is read from .cpg when present. The geometry is reprojected to WGS84 and added to the map as a regular vector layer.

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How Auto-Detection Works

When you upload a file, MapX performs the following steps before displaying your data:
  1. Header scan — MapX reads the column names and checks them against a built-in list of common location field names (see Column Naming Tips below).
  2. Value inspection — For candidate columns, MapX samples up to 100 rows to confirm that the values look like valid coordinates (decimal degrees in the range −180 to 180 for longitude, −90 to 90 for latitude).
  3. Confidence preview — MapX shows you the detected columns and a small sample of matched rows before import completes. You can confirm the detection or manually reassign columns if needed.
  4. Map render — Once confirmed, all rows with valid coordinates are plotted on the map. Rows with missing or invalid coordinates are skipped, and a count of skipped rows is shown in the import summary.

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Column Naming Tips

For the fastest and most reliable auto-detection, use one of the following standard column names in your file: Latitude:
  • lat
  • latitude
  • y
  • y_coord
  • lat_dd
Longitude:
  • lng
  • lon
  • long
  • longitude
  • x
  • x_coord
  • lng_dd
Address (geocoded automatically on Basic and above):
  • address
  • full_address
  • street_address
  • location

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Handling Messy Data

If MapX does not automatically detect your coordinate columns, you can map them manually during the import preview step. Click Edit column mapping, then use the dropdowns to assign which column represents latitude and which represents longitude. Your custom mapping is saved for the project — if you re-upload the same file, MapX will remember the mapping.For bulk workflows or repeated uploads, renaming your columns to one of the standard names listed above is the most reliable long-term solution.
Rows where the latitude or longitude value is blank, null, N/A, or outside the valid coordinate range (−90 to 90 for lat, −180 to 180 for lng) are automatically skipped during import. The import summary panel shows the total number of skipped rows and lets you download a CSV of the problematic rows so you can investigate and re-upload.Missing coordinates do not cause the import to fail — MapX simply plots the rows it can and reports what was skipped.
MapX supports address-based geocoding (converting a street address to lat/lng) on the Basic, Pro, and Business plans. If your file contains an address column instead of numeric coordinates, MapX will detect it and offer to geocode the column automatically before rendering the map.Geocoding uses the column names listed in the Column Naming Tips section. Each address lookup counts as one AI prompt against your monthly allowance. Free plan users can manually convert addresses to coordinates using a free tool like geocod.io or Google Sheets before uploading.