Forum Discussion
Helper IUnable to Use Flow Map, Route Map, or ArcGIS Map to Draw Lines Between Coordinates (lat/lon)
Hi everyone,
I'm trying to create a map in Power BI that visualizes cables as lines between two sets of coordinates - a "Point A" (start) and "Point Z" (end).
My dataset looks like this:
| Cable 1 | 52.4064 | 16.9252 | 50.2649 | 19.0238 |
| Cable 2 | 50.0619 | 19.9368 | 51.7592 | 19.4550 |
| Cable 3 | 51.1079 | 17.0385 | 52.2297 | 21.0122 |
🧪 What I've tried so far:
1. Flow Map
Power BI keeps aggregating the latitude/longitude fields (e.g. “Count of latitude_a”)
I set data types to Decimal Number and Data Category to Uncategorized
I created DAX calculated columns (+0 trick) to break aggregation
Still can’t get it to accept fields without summarizing
2. Route Map by Weiwei Cui
I installed the visual successfully
But it won’t let me drag fields into the expected inputs (From Latitude, To Longitude, etc.)
No error, just doesn’t accept the fields
3. ArcGIS Maps for Power BI
I transformed my data to have two rows per cable: one for point A, one for point Z
I added a column with values 1 (A) and 2 (Z) to represent the path order
Then I added that column to the Time field in ArcGIS visual
But I can't change Symbology from Points to Lines - there is no such option
âť“Question:
Has anyone successfully used Flow Map, Route Map, or ArcGIS Map in Power BI to draw lines between two geographic points (lat/lon)?
Are there any working techniques or visuals (free or custom) for:
Drawing directional or undirectional paths
Connecting points A âžť Z visually on a map
Avoiding the constant summarization/aggregation issue with lat/lon fields
Any help would be massively appreciated 🙏
I'm using Power BI Desktop March 2025 (v2.141.1253.0)
Thanks in advance!
Hi LuigiBros
If you're looking for a solution that works without any coding, we recommend using the Icon Map Pro custom visual as an effective alternative.
Please note that the original Icon Map visual is no longer available through Microsoft AppSource as of the latest update. However, Icon Map Pro is an enhanced version that offers similar capabilities and is actively supported.
Icon Map
Icon Map Pro
To use Icon Map Pro in Power BI Desktop, add it from AppSource, format your dataset with latitude, longitude, and a grouping identifier, and the visual will automatically draw lines between points based on that identifier.
If this response is helpful, please mark it as an Accepted Solution to benefit other community members.
Thank You!
6 Replies
v-karpurapudCommunity Support
Hi LuigiBros
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
We understand that you are facing an issue with mapping visuals in Power BI, specifically the challenge of drawing lines or paths between two geographic points from Point A to Point Z using latitude and longitude coordinates.
At this time, Power BI does not natively support line or path visualizations between coordinate pairs. While some custom visuals appear to offer this functionality, they come with significant limitations or lack support entirely for this specific use case.
Flow Map: Often fails to accept latitude/longitude inputs due to Power BI's default aggregation behavior even when applying DAX-based workarounds or adjusting data types.
Route Map: Frequently does not allow field binding, with users unable to drag fields into the visual; the visual is outdated and no longer actively maintained.
ArcGIS Map: Does not support static line drawing between points. It only supports animated sequences using time-based fields, which makes it unsuitable for displaying static connections like cables or routes.
To visualize lines between two geographic coordinates in Power BI, we recommend the following solution:
Use Deneb for full customization, including drawing polylines between coordinate points. This provides flexibility and fine-grained control over map visuals.If my response has resolved your query, please mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, a 'Kudos' would be appreciated if you found my response helpful.
Thank You
- LuigiBros
Hey, thanks for getting back to me.
The issue’s still not fixed. I’ve tried Flow Map, Route Map, and ArcGIS Map - nothing really works for drawing a simple line between two coordinate points (from A to Z). Either the visuals don’t accept the fields at all, or they force some kind of aggregation.
I saw you mentioned Deneb as a workaround, but honestly that’s not really helpful for me - I don’t know how to use it, and I’d rather not dive into another language (Vega/Vega-Lite) just to get basic lines on a map.
Was hoping something like this would just work out of the box.
If there’s a better way to do it (without coding), I’m all ears.
Appreciate any tips!
- v-karpurapud
Hi LuigiBros
If you're looking for a solution that works without any coding, we recommend using the Icon Map Pro custom visual as an effective alternative.
Please note that the original Icon Map visual is no longer available through Microsoft AppSource as of the latest update. However, Icon Map Pro is an enhanced version that offers similar capabilities and is actively supported.
Icon Map
Icon Map Pro
To use Icon Map Pro in Power BI Desktop, add it from AppSource, format your dataset with latitude, longitude, and a grouping identifier, and the visual will automatically draw lines between points based on that identifier.
If this response is helpful, please mark it as an Accepted Solution to benefit other community members.
Thank You!
- v-karpurapud
Hi LuigiBros
May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.
Thank you.
- v-karpurapud
Hi LuigiBros
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you. - v-karpurapud
Hi LuigiBros
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please Accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so others can find it easily.
Thank you.
