AWS Adds Point and Route Support to Amazon QuickSight Layer Maps

Amazon Web Services says it has added two new geometry types, Point and LineString, to the GeoJSON workflow used by Amazon QuickSight layer maps, expanding what the mapping visual can display.

What AWS says is new

According to AWS, layer maps previously let users upload a GeoJSON file to draw custom shape layers, such as sales territories or districts, and join those shapes to a QuickSight dataset. AWS says that approach handled regions and boundaries well but did not cover individual locations within them or the routes connecting them.

With the update, AWS says layer maps now read two additional geometry types from the same GeoJSON workflow. Points, the company says, mark specific locations such as individual store or facility sites. A LineString, according to AWS, traces the route between locations, such as a delivery path or a flight between airports.

How AWS says the feature works

AWS describes a layer map as drawing its shapes from a GeoJSON file and its metrics from a QuickSight dataset, with a shared key joining the two. The company lists the following prerequisites for building a layer map:

• A GeoJSON file describing the geometry
• A QuickSight dataset holding the metrics and dimensions
• A join key shared between the dataset and the GeoJSON file
• The GeoJSON file saved in .geojson format, with a maximum supported file size of 100 MB

AWS explains that a GeoJSON file is structured as a FeatureCollection containing a features array. Each Feature carries a geometry, which has a type of Point, LineString, or Polygon, and a properties object holding the join key. For a Point, AWS says the coordinates hold a single longitude/latitude position; for a LineString, they hold an ordered list of positions.

AWS says that when configuring a layer in a layer map visual, users set two primary options: the geometry type to visualize (Points, Lines, or Polygons) and the shape file key field, which must be matched to the dataset key field. The company notes that a layer renders only one geometry type at a time, so if a GeoJSON file mixes types, only the features matching the selected type appear on the map. AWS also says the field names used for the join key do not need to match between the dataset and GeoJSON file, but the values do.

Examples AWS provided

AWS walks through two examples in the post. In the first, a LineString feature represents a flight route from JFK to Los Angeles, with coordinates tracing the path and a route_id property used to join to a dataset row; AWS says setting the geometry type to Lines renders this as a route on the map.

In the second, a Point feature represents a retail store location in Long Island City, with a single coordinate pair and a store_id property for the dataset join.

Source: AWS Machine Learning Blog, "Visualize points and routes with GeoJSON in Amazon QuickSight layer maps," published October 23, 2026.