Documentation

Your First Success in Tamaat

A practical first path that helps a new user create a project, add layers, and understand how Tamaat's main panes connect around real GIS work.

20 minutesNew usersValidated 2026-05-15
Before you start
  • Access to a workspace
  • Access to at least one layer or dataset

The best first success in Tamaat is not trying every feature. It is completing a compact GIS journey end to end: opening the workspace, creating or opening a project, adding layers, inspecting the map, and understanding where to go next for deeper work.

Goal

Create or open a map project, bring in operational layers, and reach a point where the project is ready for analysis, editing, ETL, API publishing, or sharing.

Step 1: Start in Workspace

Open Workspace and confirm:

  • which project you want to work in
  • how many datasets and files are already available
  • whether this work belongs in an existing project or a new one

Step 2: Open Map Builder and create or open a project

Move into Map Builder and either:

  • open the project you want to work in, or
  • create a new project for the task

At this point, the goal is to establish the project as the working container for the rest of the GIS task.

Step 3: Add operational layers to the project

Add the layers you need for the job. A practical first project usually includes:

  • a point or address layer
  • a line or road layer
  • one or more supporting polygon layers such as service areas, FSAs, or buildings

Map Builder overviewMap Builder overview

Step 4: Organize, inspect, and configure the layers

Inside Map Builder:

  • zoom to a layer to validate where it sits
  • open layer actions to access table, styling, visibility, specs, versioning, and sharing controls
  • group related layers together so the project is easier to operate
  • open labels, symbols, and visibility settings to make the map easier to read

Layer actionsLayer actions

Labels and symbolsLabels and symbols

Visibility settingsVisibility settings

Step 5: Validate the data behind the map

Use Map Builder and Data Store together:

  • inspect the map visually in Map Builder
  • open a layer table when you need row-level confirmation
  • move into Data Store when you need deeper dataset inspection

Layer data tableLayer data table

Step 6: Decide the next operating surface

Once the project is in a good state, choose the next pane based on the actual job:

  • ETL Builder if the data needs repeatable transformation
  • API Builder if the data needs to be exposed operationally
  • Network Studio if you are doing coverage work
  • Settings if the next step depends on search, geocoding, basemaps, AI, or session behavior
  • AI Assistant if you want to query the active project in plain English

Recommended follow-on guides