Data Visualization Patterns

Quick reference for visualizing data on Mapbox maps.

Visualization Type Decision Matrix

Data Structure

All code snippets below use Style expressions to style features based on their property data. Expressions like ['get', 'value'] access properties from your GeoJSON features:

// Example GeoJSON feature
{
  "type": "Feature",
  "geometry": {
    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [-77.0323, 38.9131]  // [longitude, latitude]
  },
  "properties": {
    "magnitude": 7.8,      // Custom data property
    "value": 42,           // Another property
    "category": "coffee"   // Can be any data type
  }
}

Accessing properties:

['get', 'magnitude']; // Returns 7.8
['get', 'value']; // Returns 42
['get', 'category']; // Returns "coffee"

Choropleth Maps

Pattern: Color-code regions by data values

map.addLayer({
  id: 'choropleth',
  type: 'fill',
  source: 'regions',
  paint: {
    'fill-color': [
      'interpolate',
      ['linear'],
      ['get', 'value'],
      0,
      '#f0f9ff', // Low
      50,
      '#7fcdff',
      100,
      '#0080ff' // High
    ],
    'fill-opacity': 0.75
  }
});

Color Scale Types:

// Linear (continuous)
['interpolate', ['linear'], ['get', 'value'], 0, '#fff', 100, '#000']

// Steps (discrete buckets)
['step', ['get', 'value'], '#fff', 25, '#ccc', 50, '#888', 75, '#000']

// Categories (qualitative)
['match', ['get', 'category'], 'A', '#ff0000', 'B', '#0000ff', '#cccccc']

Heat Maps

Pattern: Show point density

map.addLayer({
  id: 'heatmap',
  type: 'heatmap',
  source: 'points',
  paint: {
    'heatmap-weight': ['get', 'intensity'],
    'heatmap-intensity': ['interpolate', ['linear'], ['zoom'], 0, 1, 15, 3],
    'heatmap-color': [
      'interpolate',
      ['linear'],
      ['heatmap-density'],
      0,
      'rgba(33,102,172,0)',
      0.2,
      'rgb(103,169,207)',
      0.4,
      'rgb(209,229,240)',
      0.6,
      'rgb(253,219,199)',
      0.8,
      'rgb(239,138,98)',
      1,
      'rgb(178,24,43)'
    ],
    'heatmap-radius': ['interpolate', ['linear'], ['zoom'], 0, 2, 15, 20]
  }
});

// Show individual points at high zoom
map.addLayer({
  id: 'points',
  type: 'circle',
  source: 'points',
  minzoom: 14,
  paint: {
    'circle-radius': 6,
    'circle-color': '#ff4444'
  }
});

Clustering (Point Density)

Pattern: Group nearby points with aggregated counts

// Add source with clustering enabled
map.addSource('points', {
  type: 'geojson',
  data: data,
  cluster: true,
  clusterMaxZoom: 14, // Max zoom to cluster points on
  clusterRadius: 50 // Radius of each cluster when clustering points (default 50)
});

// Clusters - sized by point count
map.addLayer({
  id: 'clusters',
  type: 'circle',
  source: 'points',
  filter: ['has', 'point_count'],
  paint: {
    'circle-color': ['step', ['get', 'point_count'], '#51bbd6', 10, '#f1f075', 30, '#f28cb1'],
    'circle-radius': ['step', ['get', 'point_count'], 20, 10, 30, 30, 40]
  }
});

// Cluster count labels
map.addLayer({
  id: 'cluster-count',
  type: 'symbol',
  source: 'points',
  filter: ['has', 'point_count'],
  layout: {
    'text-field': ['get', 'point_count_abbreviated'],
    'text-font': ['DIN Offc Pro Medium', 'Arial Unicode MS Bold'],
    'text-size': 12
  }
});

// Unclustered points
map.addLayer({
  id: 'unclustered-point',
  type: 'circle',
  source: 'points',
  filter: ['!', ['has', 'point_count']],
  paint: {
    'circle-color': '#11b4da',
    'circle-radius': 6,
    'circle-stroke-width': 1,
    'circle-stroke-color': '#fff'
  }
});

// Click to expand clusters
map.on('click', 'clusters', (e) => {
  const features = map.queryRenderedFeatures(e.point, { layers: ['clusters'] });
  const clusterId = features[0].properties.cluster_id;
  map.getSource('points').getClusterExpansionZoom(clusterId, (err, zoom) => {
    if (err) return;
    map.easeTo({ center: features[0].geometry.coordinates, zoom: zoom });
  });
});

When to use clustering vs heatmaps:

• Clustering: Discrete grouping, exact counts, click to expand
• Heatmaps: Continuous density visualization, smoother appearance

Bubble Maps

Pattern: Size circles by magnitude

map.addLayer({
  id: 'bubbles',
  type: 'circle',
  source: 'data',
  paint: {
    'circle-radius': ['interpolate', ['exponential', 2], ['get', 'magnitude'], 0, 2, 5, 20, 10, 100],
    'circle-color': ['interpolate', ['linear'], ['get', 'magnitude'], 0, '#ffffcc', 50, '#78c679', 100, '#006837'],
    'circle-opacity': 0.7,
    'circle-stroke-color': '#fff',
    'circle-stroke-width': 1
  }
});

3D Extrusions

Pattern: Extrude polygons by height

Note: This example works with classic styles only (streets-v12, dark-v11, light-v11, etc.). The Mapbox Standard style includes 3D buildings with much greater detail by default.

// Add 3D buildings from basemap
map.on('load', () => {
  // Insert the layer beneath any symbol layer
  const layers = map.getStyle().layers;
  const labelLayerId = layers.find((layer) => layer.type === 'symbol' && layer.layout['text-field']).id;

  map.addLayer(
    {
      id: 'add-3d-buildings',
      source: 'composite',
      'source-layer': 'building',
      filter: ['==', 'extrude', 'true'],
      type: 'fill-extrusion',
      minzoom: 15,
      paint: {
        'fill-extrusion-color': '#aaa',
        'fill-extrusion-height': ['interpolate', ['linear'], ['zoom'], 15, 0, 15.05, ['get', 'height']],
        'fill-extrusion-base': ['interpolate', ['linear'], ['zoom'], 15, 0, 15.05, ['get', 'min_height']],
        'fill-extrusion-opacity': 0.6
      }
    },
    labelLayerId
  );

  // Enable 3D view
  map.setPitch(45);
  map.setBearing(-17.6);
});

Data-driven 3D (custom data):

// For your own data source
map.addLayer({
  id: '3d-data',
  type: 'fill-extrusion',
  source: 'your-data',
  paint: {
    'fill-extrusion-height': ['get', 'height'],
    'fill-extrusion-base': ['get', 'base_height'],
    'fill-extrusion-color': [
      'interpolate',
      ['linear'],
      ['get', 'height'],
      0,
      '#fafa6e',
      100,
      '#e64a45',
      200,
      '#a63e3e'
    ],
    'fill-extrusion-opacity': 0.9
  }
});

Line Visualization

Pattern: Style lines by data

map.addLayer({
  id: 'traffic',
  type: 'line',
  source: 'roads',
  paint: {
    'line-width': ['interpolate', ['exponential', 2], ['get', 'volume'], 0, 1, 10000, 15],
    'line-color': [
      'interpolate',
      ['linear'],
      ['get', 'speed'],
      0,
      '#d73027', // Stopped
      30,
      '#fee08b', // Moderate
      60,
      '#1a9850' // Free flow
    ]
  }
});

Animated Data

Time-Series:

let currentTime = 0;

function animate() {
  currentTime++;
  map.getSource('data').setData(getDataForTime(currentTime));
  requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}

Real-Time Updates:

setInterval(async () => {
  const data = await fetch('/api/live-data').then((r) => r.json());
  map.getSource('live').setData(data);
}, 5000);

Performance

Data Size Guidelines:

Vector Tiles:

map.addSource('large-data', {
  type: 'vector',
  tiles: ['https://example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.mvt']
});

map.addLayer({
  id: 'data',
  type: 'fill',
  source: 'large-data',
  'source-layer': 'layer-name'
});

Feature State (Dynamic Styling):

// GeoJSON source with generateId
map.addSource('data', {
  type: 'geojson',
  data: data,
  generateId: true // Required for feature state
});

// Update state (GeoJSON source)
map.setFeatureState({ source: 'data', id: featureId }, { hover: true });

// Vector tile source - requires sourceLayer
map.addSource('vector-data', {
  type: 'vector',
  tiles: ['https://example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.mvt']
});

// Update state (vector source)
map.setFeatureState({ source: 'vector-data', id: featureId, sourceLayer: 'my-source-layer' }, { hover: true });

// Use in paint property
'fill-color': [
  'case',
  ['boolean', ['feature-state', 'hover'], false],
  '#ff0000',
  '#0000ff'
]

Client-Side Filtering:

// Filter without reloading data
map.setFilter('layer-id', ['>=', ['get', 'value'], threshold]);

Progressive Loading:

map.on('moveend', () => {
  const bounds = map.getBounds();
  const visible = allData.features.filter((f) => bounds.contains(f.geometry.coordinates));
  map.getSource('data').setData({ type: 'FeatureCollection', features: visible });
});

Color Scales

Accessible Colors (ColorBrewer):

// Sequential (single hue)
const sequential = ['#f0f9ff', '#bae4ff', '#7fcdff', '#0080ff', '#001f5c'];

// Diverging (two hues)
const diverging = ['#d73027', '#fc8d59', '#fee08b', '#d9ef8b', '#91cf60', '#1a9850'];

// Qualitative (distinct categories)
const qualitative = ['#e41a1c', '#377eb8', '#4daf4a', '#984ea3', '#ff7f00'];

Legend Component

<div class="legend">
  <h4>Population Density</h4>
  <div class="legend-item">
    <span class="legend-color" style="background: #f0f9ff;"></span>
    <span>0-500</span>
  </div>
  <div class="legend-item">
    <span class="legend-color" style="background: #0080ff;"></span>
    <span>1000+</span>
  </div>
</div>

Common Use Cases

Election Results:

'fill-color': [
  'match',
  ['get', 'winner'],
  'democrat', '#3b82f6',
  'republican', '#ef4444',
  '#94a3b8'
]

COVID Cases:

'fill-color': [
  'step',
  ['/', ['get', 'cases'], ['get', 'population']],
  '#ffffb2',
  0.001, '#fed976',
  0.01, '#fc4e2a',
  0.1, '#b10026'
]

Real Estate:

'circle-radius': [
  'interpolate',
  ['exponential', 2],
  ['get', 'price'],
  100000, 5,
  1000000, 20
],
'circle-color': [
  'interpolate',
  ['linear'],
  ['get', 'price_per_sqft'],
  0, '#ffffcc',
  400, '#41b6c4',
  800, '#253494'
]

Quick Decisions

Need to show regional statistics? → Use choropleth with fill layer

Need to show point density? → Use heatmap layer (continuous) or clustering (discrete groups)

Need to show point magnitude? → Use circle layer with data-driven radius

Need 3D visualization? → Use fill-extrusion layer

Need to animate over time? → Use setData() with time-based filtering

Large dataset (> 20 MB)? → Use vector tiles instead of GeoJSON

Need dynamic hover effects? → Use feature state instead of updating data

Color-blind friendly? → Use blue-orange or purple-green, avoid red-green

Expression Patterns

Safe Property Access:

['case', ['has', 'property'], ['get', 'property'], defaultValue];

Calculations:

// Divide
['/', ['get', 'numerator'], ['get', 'denominator']]

// Multiply
['*', ['get', 'value'], 1.5]

// Percentage
['*', ['/', ['get', 'part'], ['get', 'total']], 100]

Resources

• Mapbox Expression Reference
• ColorBrewer - Accessible color scales
• Turf.js - Spatial analysis