Getting Started with Geobble

Geobble gives you several ways to begin, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. You can create a Project for a mapping or analysis objective, reuse a public dataset, upload your own geographic data, extract geographic features from evidence, enrich an existing Source, or work directly in Studio.

You do not need to follow all of these workflows in order. The best starting point is the one closest to the result you need.

Choose what you want to do first

After signing in, Geobble presents several starting actions.

• If you want to…: Investigate a geographic question or build towards a map · Start with…: Create a Project

• If you want to…: Find geographic data that is already available on Geobble · Start with…: Find a public dataset

• If you want to…: Use a geospatial file you already have · Start with…: Upload my data

• If you want to…: Turn information in documents, URLs, or other evidence into geographic features · Start with…: Extract features

• If you want to…: Add evidence-backed attributes to an existing dataset · Start with…: Enrich a Source

• If you want to…: Work directly on data, layers, styling, or maps · Start with…: Open Studio

These are entry points into the same broader product. Starting with one does not prevent you from moving into another later.

For example, you might upload a dataset as a Source, add that Source to a Project, use the Project to develop an analysis, then continue the resulting map work in Studio.

The main Geobble concepts

Before starting, it helps to understand four concepts that you will encounter repeatedly: Sources, Projects, Studio, and Maps.

Sources are reusable geographic data

A Source represents geographic data that can be reused in Geobble.

A Source may come from data you upload, an external data connection, a public Source that already exists on Geobble, or the reviewed result of extraction or enrichment work.

Think of the Source as the data you want to work with rather than the final map or analysis.

For example, a Source might contain:

• administrative boundaries;

• health facilities;

• roads;

• schools;

• survey locations;

• protected areas;

• business locations.

Once a Source is available, it can become input to Projects, maps, and other workflows.

If you already have geographic data in a supported file, continue with How to Create a Source from a Supported GIS File.

Projects organise a geographic objective

A Project is a workspace for mapping, analysis, and agent-assisted geographic work.

Projects are useful when you have an objective rather than merely a dataset.

For example:

Compare access to health facilities between these districts.

or:

Create buffer zones around these locations and map the affected areas.

or:

Join these two datasets and help me understand the resulting geographic pattern.

A Project can use Sources and Maps as context, allowing the work to remain connected to the relevant geographic resources.

You can use a Project for tasks such as comparing places, measuring accessibility, creating buffers, joining datasets, identifying features, or preparing a map for publication.

For the dedicated workflow, see How to Create a Project.

Studio is the direct GIS workspace

Studio is the collaborative GIS workspace for working directly with data and maps.

Use Studio when you want closer control over the map-production process, including tasks such as organising layers, editing styling, refining the result of earlier work, or preparing a map for publication.

Projects and Studio are therefore complementary.

A Project is often useful when the work starts from a question or desired outcome:

Question or objective
        ↓
Project
        ↓
Analysis or map work

Studio is useful when the work needs direct manipulation and refinement:

Data or map
        ↓
Studio
        ↓
Direct editing and cartographic refinement

You can move from Project work into Studio rather than choosing permanently between the two.

See How to Continue Project Work in Studio for that workflow.

Maps are publishable geographic results

A Map brings geographic layers together into an interactive presentation.

Depending on the work, you may arrive at a Map after preparing data in Studio, developing an analysis through a Project, or combining several existing Sources.

Before publishing, review the data, visible layers, styling, labels, popups, metadata, attribution, access settings, and the geographic conclusions the map might communicate.

The dedicated publishing workflow is covered in How to Publish an Interactive Map.

Start with a Project when you have a question

If what you have is a geographic question rather than a finished workflow, a Project is usually the most natural starting point.

Create a Project and describe the result you are trying to reach.

Try to make the objective concrete.

Instead of:

Analyse my data.

prefer something closer to:

Compare these districts by access to hospitals and help me identify the data required.

Or:

Create 5 km buffers around these facilities and show which settlements fall inside them.

A clear objective helps establish what data, operations, assumptions, and outputs the work requires.

You can then attach or add relevant Sources and Maps as context.

Geobble may help prepare spatial operations, analyses, or map work from the request, but important results should still be reviewed. Check the input data, units, assumptions, generated layers, and interpretation rather than relying only on how the final map looks.

Start with a public Source when the data may already exist

You do not always need to upload a new dataset.

Geobble has a public catalogue where you can look for Sources that are already available for reuse.

This can be useful when you need common geographic inputs such as boundaries or other publicly available datasets and an appropriate Source already exists.

From the starting actions, choose Find a public dataset to browse public Sources.

Before using a Source, review its available metadata and make sure that its geographic coverage, dates, provenance, licence, and limitations are appropriate for your work.

Finding a dataset with the right subject is not enough if its geography, time period, or quality does not match the question you are trying to answer.

Start with an upload when you already have the data

If you already have a supported geospatial file, choose Upload my data.

The upload workflow creates a Source from your file.

You will be able to provide the information required by the workflow and review the operation before processing proceeds.

Once processing is complete and the Source is ready, inspect it before using it in an analysis or map.

In particular, verify that:

• the expected features are present;

• the geometry appears in the correct location;

• important attributes are available;

• the geographic coverage is what you expected;

• any relevant metadata is accurate.

Do not assume that a successful upload means the dataset itself is suitable for the intended analysis.

Start with Extract Features when the geography is inside evidence

Sometimes the information you need does not begin as a GIS file.

It may be contained in a document, webpage, text, or other evidence.

Extract features is intended for workflows where you want to propose structured geographic features and attributes from that evidence.

For example, you might have a document describing facilities and their locations rather than an existing point dataset.

Extraction provides a starting result for review. It should not be treated as automatic ground truth.

Inspect the proposed features, attributes, and supporting evidence, and correct or reject uncertain results before saving accepted work as a Source.

The dedicated extraction guide will cover that review process in more detail.

Start with Enrich a Source when the geometry already exists

Sometimes you already have the geographic features you need, but important attributes are missing.

For example, a Source might already contain facility locations while another evidence source contains information about facility type, capacity, status, or another relevant property.

Choose Enrich a Source when you want to propose additional attributes for existing features using evidence.

The important distinction is that enrichment builds on existing features rather than creating an entirely new geographic dataset from scratch.

Review proposed values and their provenance before accepting changes.

See How to Enrich an Existing Source for the complete workflow.

Start directly in Studio when you already know the work you want to do

You do not have to begin every task through a Project.

If you already have the data or map and want direct control over its production, Open Studio can be the more appropriate starting point.

Studio is designed for direct GIS and cartographic work rather than conversational exploration alone.

For example, you might already know that you need to:

• organise the layers in a map;

• adjust styling;

• review a Source;

• refine map presentation;

• continue work created elsewhere in Geobble.

Use the surface that matches the task instead of adding an unnecessary Project merely because Projects are available.

A common first workflow

For many new users, a straightforward first Geobble workflow looks like this:

Create or find geographic data
        ↓
Source
        ↓
Create a Project around a question
        ↓
Add relevant Sources or Maps as context
        ↓
Request and review geographic work
        ↓
Continue in Studio when direct refinement is needed
        ↓
Review
        ↓
Publish or share the result

This is not a mandatory sequence.

If you only need to prepare and publish an existing dataset, you may spend most of your time in Sources and Studio.

If the relevant public data already exists, you may not upload anything.

If you are still discovering what analysis is appropriate, the Project may become the centre of the workflow.

Geobble's different surfaces are intended to support different stages of geographic work rather than force every task through one fixed path.

Review operations before relying on their results

Some Geobble workflows can prepare or perform processing, AI-assisted work, or other operations whose scope and cost depend on what you are asking the system to do.

When Geobble presents an operation for confirmation, review the available information before proceeding.

For geographic work in particular, pay attention to:

• which Sources are being used;

• the geographic area involved;

• units and coordinate assumptions;

• filters and joins;

• distance or routing assumptions;

• generated or modified attributes;

• the expected output;

• any displayed operation cost.

The same principle applies after the operation finishes.

A result that renders successfully is not automatically the right result for your question.

Keep the original purpose visible

As a Project or map grows, it is easy to accumulate layers, experiments, and intermediate results.

Keep returning to the original objective:

What am I trying to find out, create, or communicate?

That question helps determine which Sources belong in the work, which operations are necessary, what should be removed, and whether the resulting map actually answers the intended question.

When an experiment becomes unrelated to the original objective, consider separating it rather than allowing one Project to become a container for unrelated geographic work.

Where to go next

Choose the next Help article based on what you want to do:

• How to Create a Source from a Supported GIS File if you have geographic data to upload.

• How to Create a Project if you have a geographic question or map objective.

• How to Enrich an Existing Source if your existing features need additional evidence-backed attributes.

• How to Continue Project Work in Studio when you are ready for direct GIS and cartographic refinement.

• How to Publish an Interactive Map when the result is ready for an audience.

If something has already gone wrong rather than you simply needing the next step, use the Troubleshooting section of the Help Centre instead.