Overview

Heatmap Visualizer for Leaflet.js

Overview

The Heatmap Visualizer widget is a simple yet powerful tool for creating customizable heatmaps using the Leaflet.js library. Designed specifically for Mendix, this widget empowers developers and business engineers to integrate geospatial heatmaps into their applications with ease. Whether you want fine-grained control over settings or need features not supported by built-in Mendix components, this widget is the perfect solution.

When to Use It

• When you need more control over map and heatmap configurations.
• To visualize complex geospatial data within the Mendix environment.
• When built-in components don't fully meet your requirements for geospatial visualizations.

Features

This widget provides robust functionality to help you build and customize heatmaps effectively:

• Interactive Map Settings

  • Fully customizable map tiles using external providers like OpenStreetMap.
  • Adjustable zoom levels and scroll wheel behavior.
  • Center the map on specific coordinates.

• Heatmap Layer Configurations

  • Control over radius, blur, and opacity settings for heatmap points.
  • Dynamically bind data to heatmap layers with latitude, longitude, and intensity attributes.
  • High-performance rendering, even for large datasets.

• Dynamic Data Binding

  • Seamlessly connect your geospatial data from Mendix data sources.
  • Intensity values can be mapped to any numeric attribute for precise visual weighting.

Why Choose This Widget?

This widget goes beyond simple map visualization by offering features not found in standard Mendix components:

1. Customizable Map Settings: Adapt tile layers and map behaviors to suit your application needs.
2. High-Performance Heatmaps: Ideal for visualizing large datasets with real-time updates.
3. Stay Within Mendix: All map configurations and data processing happen inside the Mendix environment.

For Whom?

• Application Managers: Easily adjust configurations for specific business needs without modifying the code.
• Business Engineers: Create insightful geospatial visualizations with minimal effort.

Pricing

Free Forever: This widget is completely free and will always remain so.

Support or suggestions

If you have any issues or suggestions, please reach out to me at c.denbreejen[at]rotterdam.nl

Documentation

Typical Usage Scenario

The Heatmap Visualizer widget is perfect for applications that require advanced geospatial data visualizations. Typical use cases include:

• Visualizing population density, sales distribution, or user activity across regions.
• Mapping geospatial trends in real-time, such as traffic patterns or event hot spots.
• Displaying heatmaps based on any dataset with latitude, longitude, and intensity attributes.

This widget is ideal for:

• Applications where built-in map components are insufficient for advanced customization.
• Scenarios requiring fully integrated and interactive maps within the Mendix environment.

Features and Limitations

Features

• Interactive Map Controls: Customize zoom levels, scroll behavior, and map center settings.
• Custom Heatmap Configuration:
  • Adjustable radius, blur, and opacity for heatmap points.
  • Dynamic data binding for latitude, longitude, and intensity attributes.
• Tile Layer Support:
  • Compatible with OpenStreetMap and other third-party tile providers.
  • Easily customizable attribution for compliance.
• Real-Time Updates:
  • Dynamically respond to changes in data or user inputs.
• High Performance: Supports large datasets without performance degradation.

Limitations

• Currently optimized for web applications only; mobile support will be added in future updates.
• No built-in clustering for overlapping data points (can be customized with additional configurations).
• Requires basic knowledge of geospatial data (latitude, longitude, and intensity attributes).

Dependencies

• Leaflet.js Library: This widget is built on Leaflet.js, which is included as part of the widget.
• Leaflet.heap: A small extension for leaflet to render heapmaps based on given data.
• Data Requirements: A Mendix entity or data source containing geospatial data (latitude, longitude, and optional intensity attributes).

Installation

1. Add the Widget to a Page:
   • Drag and drop the widget onto your Mendix page.
2. Set Map Properties:
   • Configure the map's center (latitude/longitude) and zoom level via widget properties.
3. Configure Data Source
   • Bind your data source to the widget and map the required attributes:
     • Latitude: Select the attribute containing latitude values.
     • Longitude: Select the attribute containing longitude values.
     • Intensity (optional): Map an attribute representing the weight of each data point.
4. Adjust Heatmap Settings:
   • Customize the heatmap's radius, blur, and opacity settings to suit your data.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use this widget for mobile applications?

Currently, this widget is optimized for web applications only. Mobile support is planned for future releases.

2. What data format is required?

You need a Mendix data source containing at least latitude and longitude attributes. An optional intensity attribute can be used for weighted heatmaps.

3. Can I use custom tile providers?

Yes, you can specify a custom tile layer URL and add attribution via the widget's properties.

4. What if I experience performance issues with large datasets?

The widget is designed for high performance. However, for extremely large datasets, consider pre-filtering or reducing the number of data points before visualization.