# Utilising an internal floorplan as a map layer

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860>\
**Category:** Kibana\
**Tags:** maps\
**Created:** [September 8, 2020, 9:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860 "2020-09-08T09:41:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benji87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@benji87](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/benji87)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 9:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860/1 "2020-09-08T09:41:13Z")

</div>

Hi all,

I just wondered whether anyone has any experience with using a custom WMS server or mapping feature for an internal structure or setting? I'm currently using the Open Street Maps WMS, and zooming in on a building to show internal points of interest. However, what would be much better is if I am able to take a custom made floor plan of the building in question, and upload it into Kibana.

The sorts of building I'm referring to are large, for example airports, shopping malls or train stations.

Not sure whether this is at all possible, and I can't find anything out there to suggest it is. However before I give up hope, I thought I'd ask on here 🙂

Thanks in advance!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jsanz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jsanz/32/53734_2.png) [@jsanz](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jsanz)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860/2 "2020-09-08T10:24:30Z")

</div>

Typically indoor maps need custom projections to show the floor plan in a different direction than North so it's common that floor plans don't use "real world coordinates" but some kind of planar projection.

You can still "fake" that removing the default basemap, and generating your own floor plan data for example around the `lat: 0, lon: 0` point (also known as [Null Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_Island)) and just fake lat/lons by your own X and Y coordinates.

You have an example of that approach in this blog post, but nowadays with Elastic Maps, I think it's easier to upload your floor plan as GeoJSON (assuming it's not too complicated). You may even create layers per building levels and so on.

> **[Kibana and a Custom Tile Server for NHL Data](https://www.elastic.co/blog/kibana-and-a-custom-tile-server-for-nhl-data)**
>
> In this integration, we explore NHL Play-by-Play data in Elasticsearch & Kibana, then dive into creating a custom WMS tile server for a hockey rink backdrop.

Nevertheless, this has to be seen as a hack, since ES will see those coordinates as latitude/longitudes and any distance computation or analysis will be wrong.

Elasticsearch supports [arbitrary spatial coordinates](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/mapping-types.html#spatial_datatypes) with the `point` and `shape` types, but they are not supported by Elastic Maps so you'd need to code your own frontend.

Hope this helps to clarify the current status of this topic, from my point of view.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benji87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@benji87](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/benji87)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 9:03am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860/3 "2020-09-10T09:03:10Z")

</div>

Hi Jsanz,

Thank you for you prompt reply! The information and link you sent through is really useful actually, and I believe may be what I need. 🙂

Thanks again

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jsanz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jsanz/32/53734_2.png) [@jsanz](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jsanz)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860/4 "2020-09-10T09:39:34Z")

</div>

Awesome, feel free to share any results and feedback here on this thread.

This is recurring topic so any experience and requirements are very welcomed 😄

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/utilising-an-internal-floorplan-as-a-map-layer/247860/5 "2020-10-08T09:39:51Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.