> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://avala.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Map Panel

> Geographic visualization for GPS and navigation satellite data

The Map panel displays geographic coordinates on an interactive map, showing the vehicle or robot's trajectory over time. It is used to visualize GPS fixes and navigation satellite data from autonomous systems.

## Supported Data

| Schema                  | Data                          | Typical Topics            |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| `sensor_msgs/NavSatFix` | Latitude, longitude, altitude | `/gps/fix`, `/navsat/fix` |
| GPS messages            | Geographic coordinates        | `/gps`, `/gnss`           |

### Auto-Detection

A topic is assigned to the Map panel when:

* Its schema name contains `navsat` or `gps`, **or**
* Its topic name contains `navsat`, `gps`, or `fix`

<Info>
  Odometry and pose topics (`nav_msgs/Odometry`, `geometry_msgs/PoseStamped`, `geometry_msgs/TransformStamped`) are routed to the [3D / Point Cloud panel](/docs/visualization/panels/point-cloud-panel), not the Map panel. The Map panel only handles geographic coordinate data (latitude/longitude).
</Info>

## Features

### Path Tracing

The Map panel draws the vehicle's path as a continuous line on the map, accumulated from all position messages in the recording. The path updates as you play through the recording, showing the trajectory up to the current timestamp.

| Element               | Description                                                                       |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Path line**         | Continuous trace of all positions from start to current time                      |
| **Current position**  | Highlighted marker at the position corresponding to the current timeline position |
| **Start/end markers** | Indicators at the beginning and end of the trajectory                             |

### Timeline Synchronization

The Map panel is synchronized with all other panels through the shared timeline:

* **Seeking** moves the current position marker along the path
* **Playing** animates the marker along the trajectory in real-time
* **Frame stepping** advances the marker to the next position fix

The path line grows as the recording plays forward and remains fully drawn when you seek to any point, showing the complete trajectory up to that time.

### Map Interaction

| Action      | Control                                                         |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pan         | Click and drag                                                  |
| Zoom        | Scroll wheel                                                    |
| Fit to path | Double-click to reset the view to encompass the full trajectory |

### Coordinate Display

The current position's coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude when available) are displayed on the panel. Hover over any point on the path to see its coordinates and timestamp.

## Common Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="" icon="route">
    <p style={{fontWeight: 600, fontSize: '18px', marginBottom: '4px', marginTop: '8px', color: 'inherit'}}>Route review</p>
    <p style={{fontSize: '14px', marginTop: '0px', opacity: 0.6}}>Visualize the complete vehicle trajectory to verify that the recording covers the intended route.</p>
  </Card>

  <Card title="" icon="location-dot">
    <p style={{fontWeight: 600, fontSize: '18px', marginBottom: '4px', marginTop: '8px', color: 'inherit'}}>Localization verification</p>
    <p style={{fontSize: '14px', marginTop: '0px', opacity: 0.6}}>Compare GPS data with odometry to check localization accuracy and identify drift.</p>
  </Card>

  <Card title="" icon="map-pin">
    <p style={{fontWeight: 600, fontSize: '18px', marginBottom: '4px', marginTop: '8px', color: 'inherit'}}>Event correlation</p>
    <p style={{fontSize: '14px', marginTop: '0px', opacity: 0.6}}>Click on map positions to seek the viewer to that location's timestamp, then inspect camera and LiDAR data at that point.</p>
  </Card>

  <Card title="" icon="map">
    <p style={{fontWeight: 600, fontSize: '18px', marginBottom: '4px', marginTop: '8px', color: 'inherit'}}>Coverage analysis</p>
    <p style={{fontSize: '14px', marginTop: '0px', opacity: 0.6}}>Review spatial coverage of data collection sessions to identify gaps in mapping runs.</p>
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  The Map panel uses geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude) from NavSatFix messages. Odometry and pose topics are routed to the [3D / Point Cloud panel](/docs/visualization/panels/point-cloud-panel) instead, where local-frame positions are rendered in the 3D viewport.
</Info>

## Related

* [Plot Panel](/docs/visualization/panels/plot-panel) -- Numeric sensor data plotted over the same timeline
* [Multi-Sensor Viewer](/docs/visualization/multi-sensor-viewer) -- Overview of the synchronized multi-panel layout
* [Point Cloud Panel](/docs/visualization/panels/point-cloud-panel) -- 3D view of the scene at each map position