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Layer Editing

In GOAT, you can create your own layers and edit features directly on the map. This allows you to digitize new data, add attributes, and modify existing features without leaving the map view.

Create Layer​

1
Click on + Add Layer in the left panel and select Create Layer.
2
Enter a Layer name and select the Geometry type: Point, Line, Polygon, or Table. Click Next to continue.
3
In the Define Fields step, you will see a default name field. Click + Add field to add more fields. For each field, enter a field name and select its Field type: Text or Number. To remove a field, click the — icon next to it. Click Create Layer when done.

Edit Features​

Once a layer is created, you can add and edit features directly on the map.

1
Click the Options more options icon next to your layer and select Edit features to enter edit mode.
2
Use the editing toolbar at the bottom of the map: click + to add a new feature and click on the map to draw the geometry. The Feature Attributes panel opens on the right — fill in the attribute values and click Done.
3
When you are ready, click Save in the bottom bar to save your changes, or Discard to cancel them. The bar also shows the number of pending changes.

View Data​

View Data lets you see and edit your layer data as a table. Open it from the layer's Options more options menu to manage fields, edit attribute values directly in the table, or enter edit mode to add and modify features on the map.

1
Click the Options more options icon next to your layer and select View Data.
2
Click Edit fields in the table toolbar to open the Edit fields dialog, then click + Add field. A new field is added to the list — select its Field type on the right (Text, Number, Date, Boolean, or Formula, a computed field, see Formula fields below), and rename the field in the list. To remove a field, click the — icon next to it. Click Save when done.
3
Click Edit features in the table toolbar to enter edit mode. You can click directly on a cell in the table to edit attribute values inline, use the pointer on the map to select an existing feature and update its attributes in the Feature attributes panel, or use + to draw a new feature. Click Save or Discard when done.

Formula fields​

A Formula field's value is calculated from an expression you write, similar to a formula column in a spreadsheet. The expression can reference your other fields — for example, divide population by area to get density — or combine text fields into one. The result is applied to every feature in the layer.

1
Click Edit fields to open the Edit fields dialog and click + Add field. With the new field selected, set its Field type on the right to Formula (and rename the field in the list).
2
Click Add formula to open the Formula Builder. Write an expression, referencing your other fields by name in double quotes (for example "population"). The Build tab lets you insert fields, operators, and functions, and the Preview tab shows a sample result. A green check confirms the expression is valid.
3
Click Apply, then Save in the Edit fields dialog. GOAT computes the values for all features and keeps them up to date automatically.

Examples:

  • "population" / "area_km2" — population density
  • round("population" / "area_km2", 1) — density rounded to one decimal
  • concat_ws(', ', "city", "country") — combine text fields (e.g. `Berlin, Germany`)
  • if("population" > 100000, 'large', 'small') — classify by a threshold
info

A formula's values update automatically when the fields it references change. A formula must produce a number, text, true/false, or date value. Formula fields are only available on existing layers.