Creating a basemap with MapBox & using it as a visual for Power BI

This resource was originally published on the CartoBlog in 2020 by CartONG. It was transferred to the IM Resource Portal in May 2021. The CartoBlog will be decommissioned in early 2022.

Are you looking for a way to visualize data with an interactive map in a Power BI dashboard? And a way to visualize, publish and share base maps that is currently not covered by the “ArcGIS Maps for Power BI” tool? Would you like to create custom basemaps from your own vector files? Mapbox Visual for Power BI might be just the solution for you!

In fact, the Mapbox Visual for Power BI meets the needs for cartographic visualization while addressing issues linked to sharing and publication present in the current “ArcGIS Maps for Power BI” plugin. Like its ArcGIS counterpart, it can be imported and accessed as a visualization plugin inside Power BI.

This “How-to” will walk you through getting started with Mapbox Visual for Power BI. It will explain to you how to create a basemap visualization in Mapbox and how to make it available in Microsoft Power BI.

This tutorial was developed by CartONG in support to the Information Management activities of the Global Data Service of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).