Scenario Snapshots
Every scenario stores a snapshot — a complete record of the map state at the moment the scenario was saved. When you switch to a scenario, the platform replays this snapshot to restore exactly what you were looking at.
What a snapshot captures
| Category | What is saved |
|---|---|
| Layers | Which layers exist, whether each is visible, its opacity, its style settings, its active filters, and their display order |
| Camera | Exact position (latitude, longitude, altitude), direction (heading, pitch, roll), and view mode (3D globe, 2D flat, or Columbus view) |
| Environment | Lighting (IBL model) on/off, shadows on/off |
| Basemap | Which background map is active (satellite, street map, etc.) |
| Terrain | Terrain mode, elevation shading, colour ramp, contour settings, vertical exaggeration |
| OSM Buildings | Whether the 3D buildings layer is shown, its colour style, and any distance-based styling anchor |
| Clock | The date and time set on the timeline — important for time-based and CZML layers |
| Analytics panel | Any charts or data tables visible in the Analytics panel, including their layout and whether the panel was open |
| GeoAI results | Charts and data tables produced by the GeoAI agent that were visible when the snapshot was taken |
| Comment pins | Whether comment pins were shown or hidden on the map |
| Narrative | The written narrative text attached to the scenario (stored alongside the snapshot; see Scenario Narratives) |
| Scenario parameters | The current value of any adjustable parameters bound to layer properties (see Scenario Parameters) |
What a snapshot does NOT capture
- Comments themselves — comment content, replies, and votes are shared across all scenarios in a project
- GeoAI conversation text — the chat history in the GeoAI panel is not saved per scenario
- Layer source data — the underlying geographic data for each layer is stored separately; the snapshot only records how each layer was configured and displayed
- Member list and project settings — these are project-wide
When snapshots are taken
On scenario creation
When you click + New Scenario, the platform captures a snapshot of the current map state at that exact moment — the camera position, all layer settings, the active basemap, terrain configuration, and so on. Everything you can see on screen at the time you click save is recorded.
Set up your map exactly as you want it before creating a scenario. Position the camera, adjust layer visibility and styles, and set the date on the timeline first.
Updating an existing snapshot
If you have made changes to the map and want to save those changes into an existing scenario (rather than creating a new one), use the Update snapshot option in the scenario menu (⋯). This re-captures the current state and overwrites the scenario's previous snapshot.
Updating a snapshot is permanent. The previous snapshot cannot be recovered. If you want to keep both versions, create a new scenario instead.
Switching to a scenario
Click any scenario in the Scenarios panel to switch to it. The platform restores the snapshot in this order:
- Layer state and draw order — visibility, opacity, style, and filters are applied immediately
- Environment, basemap, and terrain — lighting, shadows, basemap, and terrain settings are applied
- Analytics panel — any saved charts and tables are reloaded
- Camera — the view animates smoothly to the saved position (over 2 seconds); if the scene mode is different (e.g. switching from 2D to 3D), the globe morphs first, then the camera flies
- Clock — the timeline animates to the saved date and time concurrently with the camera fly
Layers added after a snapshot
If layers were added to the project after a snapshot was taken, those layers are not listed in the snapshot. When you switch to that scenario, those newer layers are automatically hidden so they do not bleed into the restored view.
Deleted layers
If a layer listed in a snapshot has since been deleted from the project, the platform will skip it and show a warning notification telling you how many layers could not be restored.
Locking a scenario
You can lock a scenario to prevent accidental snapshot updates. A locked scenario's snapshot cannot be overwritten — the Update snapshot option is disabled. Unlock it from the scenario menu when you are ready to make changes.
Snapshot size limit
Snapshots are stored as JSON and are subject to a 2 MB size limit. In practice this limit is rarely reached, but projects with many layers, complex styles, or large numbers of analytics widgets may approach it.
If you see a "Snapshot exceeds maximum size" error when saving:
- Remove analytics widgets you no longer need before saving
- Simplify layer styles (reduce the number of custom colour stops or filter rules)
- Split the project into separate projects if the layer count is very high