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Map Interface

The map is the central hub of TEMPO. It shows your model topology overlaid on a geographic base map and lets you interact with locations and links directly.


Map layout

Area Description
Base map OpenStreetMap raster tiles (configurable in Settings)
Location markers Circular icons representing model nodes
Link lines Straight lines connecting location markers
Infrastructure layers Optional OSM power infrastructure overlays
Left sidebar Model editor: locations, links, technologies, parameters
Right sidebar OSM Infrastructure Panel (region selection, data download, layer filters, mesh generator)

Action Result
Click and drag Pan the map
Scroll wheel Zoom in / out
Double-click Zoom to point
Ctrl + scroll Rotate / tilt (3D)
Click a marker Open location edit dialog
Click a link line Open link edit dialog
Hover a marker Show tooltip with name and coordinates

The right sidebar is always visible in the Creation view. Click the collapse arrow (chevron) to minimise it to icon-only mode.

The panel contains four sections from top to bottom:

Select Region

A step-by-step region selector (Continent → Country → Region → Sub-region). Each selection zooms the map and loads the corresponding infrastructure data. Use Clear All to reset.

Download GIS Data

Expand this section to download a new country or region directly into your local GeoServer. Requires Docker containers to be running. Streams live log output from the Python pipeline. See Downloading GIS Data.

Infrastructure Layers

Toggle visibility and apply filters for each layer:

  • Power Lines — voltage range slider (kV)
  • Power Plants — energy source checkboxes, minimum capacity (MW)
  • Substations — substation type checkboxes, voltage range slider
  • Region Boundaries — on/off toggle

Power Mesh Generator

Generates a simplified network graph from the visible power line layer. Click Generate Mesh Network to build nodes at line intersections, then optionally import the result as model Locations & Links or export it as JSON.


Adding locations from the map

Click anywhere on the base map (not on an existing marker) to open the Add Location dialog with the latitude/longitude pre-filled from the click position.


Location marker colours

Location markers are colour-coded:

Colour Meaning
Blue Location with only demand technologies
Yellow Location with solar PV
Green Location with wind
Orange Location with storage or conventional generation
Mixed gradient Location with multiple technology types

Deck.gl 3D layers

When 3D mode is enabled, OSM infrastructure features are rendered with height extrusion:

  • Substations: extruded by voltage level — higher voltage = taller column.
  • Power plants: extruded by installed capacity.
  • Power lines: rendered as 3D arcs, colour-coded by voltage class.

3D mode requires a reasonably capable GPU. On integrated graphics it is recommended only for small geographic areas.