[Feature Request] Add the ability to draw points as context layers dynamically from related table with lat/lon

Problem

Often we need to dynamically draw point layers in GeoSigt that would represent various objects: schools, child friendly spaces, UNICEF offices, warehouses, border crossings or armed conlifct events. Currently, in GeoSight users can only add layers as context layers, which are stored and managed by external mapping platforms (e.g. ArcGIS Online, web-based GeoJSON or XYZ tile layers from MapBox etc).

Point locations often are sourced from internal Excel files or other internal databases, and may be very dynamic (e.g. changing status of the warehouse stock or status of the border crossing, etc). In GeoSight users can add and store Related Tables, which can be any structured table. Related Tables can be related using 1:many relation with administrative boundaries and used for dynamically creating indicator layers.

We would like to add the ability to create point context layers based on data pulled dunamically from a related table that contains geographic coordinates (latitude - y, and longitude - x, in WGS 84 coordinate system). This would allow us to show point layers from Related Tables which can also be used for creating indicator layers.

Solution

This could be implemented by adding another type of Context Layer: Related Table:

When the "Related Table" type is selected from the dropdown, the following additional fields should be shown:

a dropdown or a dialog box for selecting existing related table
once RT is selected - read all the fields and allo users to select the fields for:
lat/long values (must be numeric, for lat: -90 +90, for lon: -180 +180)
datetime
datetime format

Same as other context layers, we should enable configuring the default style (e.g. icon) for points, as well as default styles.

Optional configurations:

add the ability to define the style for points with the following options:
1) style by category - enable defining unique styles for each category (based on the selected field: e.g. different style for schools and hospitals, based on the field Type in Related Table,
2) clustered points - applies a standard point clustering to avoid overlapping points, cluster icon could show (optionally) a number of clustered features,
3) heatmap (based on a field with value)

Sample data

Sample related table:

Related table after importing to GeoSight

Related table added as an Indicator Layer (summed by Value column and grouped by districts)

Expected visualization of points as a context layer on top of other indicator layers

(currently, the same data has to be uploaded to ArcGIS environment, published as a feature layer and connected back to GeoSight)

Reference info

This is how RT-based indicator layers are configured in GeoSight.

Step 1: Add Related Table to the project and configure GeoCode field - based on this, all records will be joined with a specific admin units (geometries)

Step 2: Add Related Table as an Indicator Layer:

go to list of Indicator Layers within a project
click Add Indicator Layer
choose Related Table Layer

Step 3: Configure Related Table Layer (1/2)

Provide name
optionally: Provide Description (note - default dynamic description is already provided)
optionally: Override admin level configuration (i.e. at which admin levels the layer will be available)
choose Related Table
confirm that the correct type of geo code is set (it was set in the previous step - when adding a RT to the project, typically, this would be Ucode)

Step 4: Configure Related Table Layer (2/2)

choose a field with date (each row in RT must have a valid date to be shown as an indicator layer, because each indicator value must be timestamped)
choose correct date format
optionally: choose which fields (columns) will be used slicers (dropdown filters filtering the Related Table before it is dynamically aggregated into the indicator value)
choose aggregation function (when multiple rows are referring to the same date/admin unit - they will be aggregated based on a selected function and column (10), e.g. users can choose to sum up the number of beneficiaries of humanitarian aid, or sum up the number of fatalities in conflict events

Step 5: Configure slicers (will be shown as dropdowns on the dashboard)

unicef-drp / GeoSight-OS